NHL Lockout: Gary Bettman Doesn’t Need Board Approval To Begin Work Stoppage

If the NHL and the NHLPA don’t reach an agreement on a new CBA by this Saturday, the league can lock the players out. If it gets to that point, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will not even need any approval to commence the league’s second lockout in less than a decade. Via the Canadian Press:

“The commissioner doesn’t need specific board authorization to institute or implement a lockout,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Canadian Press in a recent interview. “That has been granted already in connection with his authority to conduct collective bargaining.”

Negotiations will ramp up this week, with more than 200 current NHL players expected to attend meetings with the league on Wednesday and Thursday. On Thursday afternoon, Bettman will meet with, and brief, the league’s Board of Governors on the status of the negotations.

For more on the CBA talks, head over to SB Nation’s NHL news hub.