Lockout Is A "Strong Possibility" To Delay NHL Season

Talks between the N.H.L. and the players’ association turned sour Thursday, with N.H.L. Commissioner Gary Bettman saying that a “wide gap” divides the two sides and saying that the owners will not proceed with the 2012-13 season if no new collective bargaining agreement is in place when the current one expires on Sept. 15.

Bettman spoke soon after Donald Fehr, the union’s executive director, told reporters that a “meaningful gulf” separates the owners and players.

The prospect of a lockout delaying the N.H.L. season, already a strong probability before Thursday, now seems stronger, according to the New York Times.

“I reconfirmed something that the union has been told multiple times over the last 9 to 12 months: namely, that the time is getting short and the owners are not prepared to operate under this collective bargaining agreement for another season,” Bettman told reporters.