The NHL lockout is still on going, but with Tuesday afternoons meeting set to take place without commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, perhaps there is some optimism that traction can be made.
There will be six owners involved in the meeting representing the league. Those owners are Jeremy Jacobs of the Boston Bruins, Ronald Burkle of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mark Chipman of the Winnipeg Jets, Jeffery Vinik of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Murray Edwards of the Calgary Flames and Larry Tanenbaum of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
While everyone wants a deal to happen, the two owners that I believe will be most active in the talks to get something done, will be Burkle and Chipman. Burkle has a history of getting tough deals done, including the Penguins arena deal as well other labor related issues not related to the NHL. Chipman just brought the NHL back to Winnipeg last season and he wants to keep the party going.
The players will have more representation in the room, then the owners. As of this writing there is no confirmation of who exactly will be representing the players in the meeting, although it is expected that Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks and Kevin Westgarth of the Los Angeles Kings will be among the players involved.
