TORONTO, 20 February 2005 — The National Hockey League and the players’ union were to meet in New York yesterday in an attempt to reach a collective bargaining agreement that may salvage the canceled 2004-05 season.

The Hockey News reported on its website on Friday that the two sides had agreed in principal on a deal that features a $45 million salary cap.

However, union spokesman Johnathon Weatherdon was quoted on the Canadian sports website TSN.ca as saying, “the (Hockey News) report is absolutely false”.

By contrast, renowned hockey writer and MSG Network broadcaster Stan Fischler told The Fan 590 radio station in Toronto that a deal would indeed be announced shortly.

“I’m hearing there will be a season and that the (Hockey News) figures are basically correct.”

No immediate official confirmation or comment was issued by either the league or the National Hockey League Players’ Association.

The NHLPA did confirm on its website that its negotiation team was to meet in New York with the NHL, at the invitation of the league.

Numerous reports, including The Hockey News and TSN stories, say that hockey greats and current owners Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky have been invited to the meeting and will be a part of the process.

“The (our) story is based on a very high placed player source,” Hockey News writer Mark Brender told The Fan 590.

“The only way this is not going to get done is for one of the sides to completely blow it up and nobody now expects that to happen.”

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman canceled the 2004-05 season on Wednesday afternoon, even though both sides had apparently closed in on an agreement after frantic last-minute negotiations.

The players’ union moved off its long opposition to a salary cap and the owners removed their long-standing instance that the cap be linked to league revenues in a secret bargaining session in Niagara Falls tomorrow.

Those sudden significant moves led to speculation that a deal was within reach but the sides failed to agree on the amount of the cap, with the NHL’s latest offer a $42.5 million cap and the players’ $49 million.

Wednesday’s deadline imposed by the NHL passed with no communication between the two sides, leading to Bettman’s cancellation press conference.