NHL Cancels More Games Until November after No CBA Deal

The National Hockey League (NHL) have announced more regular-season games have been cancelled after a new collective bargaining agreement could not be agreed.

NHL said in a statement: “A total of 135 regular-season games were scheduled for Oct. 11 through Nov. 1.”

“The cancellation was necessary because of the absence of a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL Players’ Association and the NHL.”

The move came a day after NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called the latest counter proposals from the players union “a step backwards”.

Talks on a new collective bargaining agreement have been stalled for months largely over how to divide $3.2 billion in hockey-related revenues, and owners locked out players on September 15.

Players had received 57 percent under the old deal.

Owners on Tuesday had offered a deal including a 50-50 split, saying they hoped to reach a deal in time to open the season by November 2 and salvage a full schedule of games and the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But Bettman indicated Thursday that the league was disappointed by the players’ response.

“None of the three variations of players’ share (of revenue) that they gave us even began to approach 50-50, either at all or for some long period of time, and it’s clear that we’re not speaking the same language in terms of what they came back to us with,” Bettman said.

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