I hate to keep coming up with boring headlines, but unfortunately, the most interesting thing coming out of the recent meetings is the amount of time they have been talking. Tuesday it was a shorter session. Wednesday it was eight and a half hours. And yesterday, the NHL and NHLPA met for over fourteen hours, including meals.

TSN is reporting that the bargaining session resumed this morning as well. Could you have ever imagined these guys meeting four days in a row?

Bob McKenzie over at TSN thinks that these marathon meetings are positive signs that a deal may get done within the next four to six weeks, but only if the sides remain committed to reaching an agreement.

Not so fast, says the HockeyRodent. He likes the fact that the sides are engaging in "bottom-up" negotiations, and getting the definitions out of the way, but he feels that Gary Bettman and the NHL might toughen up once revenues get defined.

NBA Commissioner David Stern recently warned that his league may be heading towards a lockout as well. This would be the perfect time for the NHL to announce that they have reached a deal. Perhaps they are thinking that they can snatch up some of the investors the NBA currently has. Bettman and Goodenow know that they cannot lose their deal with ESPN. They know that they cannot afford to lose sponsorships. It will only get worse for everyone, from owners to players to fans.

I can't help but look at these increased meetings optimistically. I have to stress that I don't feel a deal is going to happen over the weekend, but they must be talking about something for all those hours. Today's meeting was a surprise. People don't agree to meet a day after fourteen hours of talks if there was nothing worth discussing.

EDIT: Shame on me, as I forgot to add this in my initial update. Long-time New York Rangers radio broadcaster Sal "Red Light" Messina will have a plaque hanging in the broadcasters' wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Congratulations to Sal on this well deserved honor.

Can someone contact Mother Nature and tell her it is almost June. It is cold and windy and rainy here in New York. Ugh.

HDH

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