Montador: We're not holding our breath

Share

Talking, discussing, working it out. The NHL and NHLPA havent done much of that lately but thats set to change. After a lengthy meeting at a secret location on Saturday, the two sides are reportedly set to meet this week again, beginning on Tuesday.

Great news, right? Well, sort of. As good as it is the two sides are talkingand hopefully talking substantially nowSteve Montador said proceed with caution.

Wed rather be talking than not talking, so thats definitely a positive. But nobodys holding their breath unless there are new proposals or changes coming from it, said the Blackhawks defenseman and player representative. Im not expecting much from it because I dont know how far (the league) will come toward our side. Weve come far enough with continued concessions. But our goal is to always talk. Thats important.

And the two sides need to keep talking throughout the week, not just on Tuesday. They need to take whatever came out of Saturday and build off it, get into the nitty-gritty of discussions. So much has already been canceled, from regular-season games through November to the Winter Classic, which was nixed on Friday.

So right now, theres at least some hope that this weeks chats could lead to progress.

Were just hoping theyre taking steps forward, said Washington Capitals forward Troy Brouwer. Hopefully this weekand last weekendtheyre making (up) some ground, be it core economics, discipline, pension, things like that. As long as things are getting worked out then were getting closer to a deal.

Saturdays meeting was done quietly, with NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly and NHLPA special counsel Steve Fehr talking at an undisclosed location. After they talked, reportedly into the early Sunday-morning hours, each made a quick statement and that was it. No snide comments, no details, no rhetoric. And it looks like the two sides will keep it quieter to the media this week, too. A league spokesman told CSNPhilly.coms Tim Panaccio not to expect a formal media session following Tuesdays talks, that the silence may lead to better traction in talks.

Fine. Whatever works. The quicker this gets worked out, quietly or not, the better.

Sometimes, just having meetings and not having to explain it and then have it critiqued a bunch of ways can help us, Montador said. I dont know how much that can really happen these days; someone will see or hear something. But wed rather keep meeting than not meeting. I dont think its a bad thing to have some quiet meetings sometimes.

Contact Us