Music: {allcanada} NHL PITCHES NEW REVENUE SHARING; "AMPLE TIME" FOR DEAL

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

{allcanada} NHL PITCHES NEW REVENUE SHARING; "AMPLE TIME" FOR DEAL

NEW YORK -- NHL players and their union began examining the league's proposed expansion of revenue sharing as labour talks continued Tuesday.

NHLPA executive director Don Fehr says he can't make a counterproposal on the league's full package until his group receives and examines the requested team financial reports. The first batch -- 76,000 pages -- arrived late Monday night.

The meetings will continue Wednesday at the league offices in New York. More talks are scheduled next week when Fehr returns from a meeting with NHL players in Russia.

Fehr says players are "not enamoured" with proposed limitations on contract lengths and a clause that would force them to wait longer before becoming unrestricted free agents.

Commissioner Gary Bettman says "ample time" remains to make a deal before the current CBA expires Sept. 15.