WBZ’s Burton: NHL Lockout Could End Tuesday or Wednesday
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
The NHL lockout could soon be coming to an end. So says WBZ TV sports anchor Steve Burton.
Burton tweeted the following on Monday: "WBZ's Steve Burton reports that a deal to save the #nhl season could be announced tomorrow or Wednesday - @JoeGiza"
Burton's report has been met with widespread disbelief despite his reputation of being a responsible reporter.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTWhether or not it's true, there are some encouraging signs that progress is being made toward that end. In fact, Tuesday, a players/owners only meeting will take place in New York without NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and union chief Donald Fehr. This certainly seems to be a sign that there may be a strong willingness on both sides to get this thing done.
Various reports claim that the meeting will contain roughly 6 owners and the same amount of players with a small amount of representatives from the NHL and NHLPA.
Ironically, it was Bettman who originally proposed such a meeting late last week.
Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs is expected to be one of the six owners present at the meetings.
With negotiations going nowhere, there have been rumors of decertification by the NHLPA which would open up the league to antitrust suits and could lead to significant punitive dammages awarded to the players.
However, Tuesday's meeting appears to be a step in the right direction for both sides.
Is it a precursor of a new labor agreement? Who knows? Maybe Steve Burton does.
We shall soon find out.
