Eleventh hour effort to save season?

Has it really been three weeks since I last posted? Okay, I need to get back in the swing here. It turns out I was very wrong about the official cancellation of the NHL season being days aways -- on December 13 no less! Three weeks and a few meetings later and nothing has changed. The most recent meeting between the improvised group of NHLPA Trevor Linden, NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin, NHLPA outside counsel John McCambridge, Harley Hotchkiss (co-owner of the Calgary Flames and chairman of the NHL Board of Governors), New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello, NHL oustide counsel Bob Batterman, and Bill Daly, the NHL's chief legal officer took place on Thursday night. After the meeting, Saskin was quoted as saying the two sides have "philsophical differences" while Daly ran out the company line about a productive meeting and open dialogue. ESPN.com is now reporting that a meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, in either Toronto or New York. Bob McKenzie, writing on TSN.ca, reveals some of the details of the plan that may or may not have been offered by the league last week and most certainly will be offered tomorrow. Some points include: a six year deal, with an option for then NHLPA to unilaterally cancel the deal after the fourth year; a total league wide link of player salaries to 55% of league revenues; if spending on salaries exceeds 55% of league revenues, the NHLPA must reimburse the league; conversely, if salaries are less than 55%, the league must reimburse the Players' Association; an individual team salary range of $32-$42 million, including player salaries, benefits, insurance, etc.; the appointment by the league and the PA of an auditor to determine mutually agreeable league revenues and profits that the owners and players would share equally (50-50) in excess of $115 million (this included a heavy penalty system for teams found guilty of under-reporting revenues and profits); a salary arbitration system that allows the teams to take players to arbitration, not just the other way around; lowering the free agency age from 31 to 30 On the whole, I think it's a good starting point. There are concepts in the proposal that have some wiggle room, though I'm getting sick of talking about them. At the start of this whole thing, I was clearly in the owners' corner. Now, though, I'm definitely on my own. I just want some stinking hockey, dammit. Both sides have acted terribly through this process -- or lack thereof, with the fans and the non-player employees suffering the most. It's high time for the charade to end and for some hockey to be played.