NEW YORK -- National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday that the Union's proposal for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement -- presented in an hour-long meeting Thursday -- was not acceptable.
No further negotiation meetings are scheduled at this time.
"We're going to take a deep breath and look at where we are and what needs to be accomplished, but we have moved dramatically and we are proposing a long-term system that will pay the players billions and billions of dollars over its term, but we have to have a system that works right," Commissioner Bettman said during a press conference at the Westin Hotel. "It's all part of the package. I am disappointed beyond belief that we are where we are tonight and we're going to have to take a deep breath and regroup."
The NHL received the proposal from the NHLPA during a meeting that lasted less than an hour at the Midtown Manhattan hotel earlier Thursday evening. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and NHL counsel Bob Batterman took the proposal back to the League office.
The sides had met for nearly 20 hours during sessions Tuesday and Wednesday.
The NHL and NHLPA have been without a CBA since Sept. 16. Games have been cancelled through Dec. 14, along with the 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic and the 2013 NHL All-Star Game.
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