NHL, Union Hopeful About Talks

Both sides say progress is being made again

As NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and players union executive director Don Fehr paced the halls of a New York hotel, six team owners and 18 players huddled in a boardroom to discuss the league's labor issues without filters or buffers.

The meeting lasted for more than eight hours over two sessions, and it might have been the most positive day of talks since the collective bargaining agreement expired on Sept. 15.