NHL, NHLPA Still Face ‘Wide Gap’ In CBA Talks, Says Gary Bettman

After about three hours of NHL CBA talks Wednesday, Commissioner Gary Bettman addressed the media at NHLPA headquarters in Toronto, saying that there’s still a considerable difference between where the two sides stand.

“There’s still a wide gap between us with not much time to go,” Bettman said, according to The Fourth Period. “I think there’s still a number of issues where we’re looking at the world differently.”

Bettman didn’t elaborate on the differences specifically, but he did cite agreements in the NBA and NFL in his talks. There’s roughly a 50/50 split of revenues in those leagues. As outlined by Sportsnet.ca, the players’ Tuesday proposal would give them roughly 54 percent of hockey-related revenue over the next several years. The owners’ initial proposal would have given players a 43 percent share and would have rolled back all salaries by 24 percent at the outset.

The current collective bargaining agreement expires exactly one month from Wednesday and Bettman has said the league will lockout its players without a new deal on Sept. 15. Full negotiations will not resume for an entire week.

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