After four months and an extremely long night of talks, the NHL and the players' union reached a tentative agreement this weekend to get the game back and the players back on the ice. The pact would end a 113-day lockout. Commissioner Gary Bettman and Union Executive Director Donald Fehr announced the deal while standing side by side, showing every bit of the marathon negotiation sessions on their faces. "I want to thank Don Fehr," Bettman said. "We went through a tough period, but it's good to be at this point."
"We've got to dot a lot of Is and cross a lot of Ts," Bettman said. "There's still a lot of work to be done, but the basic details of the agreement have been agreed upon." Ron Hainsey, a Winnipeg Jets defenseman and a primary member of the union’s bargaining team, indicated, "It was a battle. Gary said a month ago it was a tough negotiation. That’s what it was. Players obviously would rather not have been here, but our focus now is to give the fans whatever it is — 48 games, 50 games — the most exciting season we can. The mood has been nervous for a while. You want to be playing. You want to be done with this."
George Cohen, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service director, noted that the deal was a good one. He added, "Of course, the agreement will pave the way for the professional players to return to the ice and for the owners to resume their business operations," he said in a statement. "But the good news extends beyond the parties directly involved; fans throughout North America will have the opportunity to return to a favorite pastime and thousands of working men and women and small businesses will no longer be deprived of their livelihoods."
"We've got to dot a lot of Is and cross a lot of Ts," Bettman said. "There's still a lot of work to be done, but the basic details of the agreement have been agreed upon." Ron Hainsey, a Winnipeg Jets defenseman and a primary member of the union’s bargaining team, indicated, "It was a battle. Gary said a month ago it was a tough negotiation. That’s what it was. Players obviously would rather not have been here, but our focus now is to give the fans whatever it is — 48 games, 50 games — the most exciting season we can. The mood has been nervous for a while. You want to be playing. You want to be done with this."
George Cohen, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service director, noted that the deal was a good one. He added, "Of course, the agreement will pave the way for the professional players to return to the ice and for the owners to resume their business operations," he said in a statement. "But the good news extends beyond the parties directly involved; fans throughout North America will have the opportunity to return to a favorite pastime and thousands of working men and women and small businesses will no longer be deprived of their livelihoods."
