NHL, NHLPA close to agreeing on a new collective bargaining agreement, AP sources say
The NHL and NHL Players' Association are close to an agreement on an extension of the collective bargaining agreement, two people familiar with negotiations told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The people spoke to the AP on condition on anonymity because the deal had not yet been finalized.
The league and union have been in talks since April and are on the verge of a memorandum of understanding done more than a year before the current CBA expires. The extension would provide extended labor peace in the sport that has had multiple work stoppages, including the 2004-05 lockout that wiped out an entire season, over the past three decades.
Going to an 84-game regular season, up from 82, and reducing exhibition games to four per team, is believed to be among the changes that could be announced as soon as Friday in Los Angeles before the first round of the draft. A playoff salary cap and shorter maximum contract lengths have also been among the reported topics.
Daily Faceoff was first to report a pending announcement of a new CBA.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh foreshadowed a quick conclusion to this process speaking at the Stanley Cup Final earlier this month. Bettman said the sides were 'in really good shape, having really good discussions,' and Walsh added that talks were 'moving forward, and I feel good with where we are.'
A full, new CBA would be the first since 2013. The league and the union have been working on the memorandum negotiated in 2020 to finish that season during the pandemic and would meld that agreement with the framework from 12 years ago.
AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds contributed.
___
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
17 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Twins top Mariners 10-1 after spark from Woods Richardson's strong start and Larnach's homer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Trevor Larnach homered with three RBIs after Simeon Woods Richardson started with five scoreless innings, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Seattle Mariners 10-1 on Thursday after a rain delay of 4 hours and 22 minutes. Brooks Lee led off an eight-run sixth against reliever Zach Pop with a home run. Then came RBI doubles from Byron Buxton and Willi Castro, a two-run single by Carlos Correa and a two-run homer from Matt Wallner in the highest-scoring inning for the Twins since a nine-run outburst in the first at New York on April 13, 2023. Woods Richardson (3-4) produced a superb follow-up to the six scoreless innings Joe Ryan threw in a 2-0 victory on Wednesday, helping the Twins (39-42) win consecutive games for the first time since taking three straight from June 3-5. They lost 15 of 18 after that. Emerson Hancock (3-4) started with four scoreless innings for the Mariners before Larnach's two-run shot in the fifth. Mariners catcher Mitch Garver left in the fifth inning when Wallner fouled a ball off his mask, forcing star Cal Raleigh to finish behind the plate in forfeiture of the designated hitter. Key moment Woods Richardson bent low to snag a screaming line drive leading off the fourth, flashing a big smile back at an impressed Julio Rodriguez. Key stat The longest rain delay in Target Field's 16 seasons lasted 4:50 on June 22, 2017, before the Twins lost 9-0 to Chicago. Up next Seattle starts a three-game series at Texas on Friday, the last stop on a 10-game road trip. Mariners RHP Logan Gilbert (2-2, 3.12 ERA pitches against Rangers RHP Nathan Eovaldi (4-3, 1.56). The Twins start a three-game series at MLB-leading Detroit on Friday, considering an opener for RHP David Festa (1-2, 6.39) as they did during his last turn in the rotation. RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-0, 4.58) will pitch for the Tigers. ___ AP MLB:
Fox Sports
18 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Some sniffer dogs at the Club World Cup outfitted with booties to protect their paws from the heat
Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Fans and players weren't the only ones coping with extreme heat this week at the Club World Cup. Sniffer dogs — a common addition to the security details at many large sporting events — had a job to do at the international soccer tournament despite the sweltering temperatures. And because that job includes walking on hot asphalt, it can be tough on an animal's feet. The solution? In Philadelphia, the sniffer dogs at Lincoln Financial Field were outfitted with brightly colored protective booties as temperatures soared. 'Every dog team is different and there are different requirements; their precursors are different. However, we go by the seven-second rule. If us humans can't put our human backside or our hand on the concrete for longer than seven seconds without pulling it off, then we require dog booties to go on,' said Cody Schwartz, manager of 3DK9 Detection Services, the private company providing the K9 teams at the stadium. The company also contracts with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles. Besides wearing booties, the dogs are kept hydrated and limited to 20-minute patrols at a time in the heat. They also enjoy cooling baths in kiddie pools filled with ice. 'Obviously, when we're hot, they're 10 times hotter. They're obviously carrying a big coat of fur, so it's a big thing for us. Our dogs are No. 1. We can't do our jobs without them,' Schwartz said. Heat has been an issue throughout the Club World Cup, a tournament featuring 32 teams from around the world playing in several U.S. cities. Teams have had to cut back on practice, substitutes have watched from the locker room rather than the bench, and hydration breaks have become necessary. While the booted canines drew a lot of bemused attention, footwear for working dogs isn't all that uncommon. And it's not just for hot weather. In Portland, Maine, and other cities across the United States, police K-9 units have used booties to protect dogs' paws from the ice, sand and salt that accompany winter weather. Sniffer dogs can often be seen at work at airports and at sporting events or concerts because they can smell explosives, contraband and ammunition. Police also use sniffer dogs to help locate missing people or track suspected criminals. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at recommended in this topic
New York Post
26 minutes ago
- New York Post
Australian tennis announcer won't cover Wimbledon after ‘insulting' Novak Djokovic comments
After having some choice words about Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, Channel Nine sports anchor Tony Jones of Australia will not be on the job for Wimbledon. The channel will instead 'utilize its London bureau and fly in tennis experts Todd Woodbridge, Alicia Molik, Sam McClure and Jelena Dokic for commentary duties,' according to GB News. 'Welcome back to Melbourne Park, where you can see the Novak Djokovic fans, they're in full voice. The chants are quite extraordinary,' Jones said live for Channel Nine in front of Djokovic's chanting fans at the Australian Open in January, which was won by Jannik Sinner. Jones then chimed in with a chant of his own: 'Novak, he's overrated. Novak's a has-been. Novak, kick him out. Boy, I'm glad they can't hear me. Anyway, let's get on to the tennis.' Djokovic, a 24-time major champion, didn't tolerate the disrespect, as he swiftly denied interviewing with Jones and Channel Nine while demanding an apology. Novak Djokovich demanded an apology from Tony Jones after he found the comments to be offensive. AP 'Channel Nine here in Australia made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me,' Djokovic said. Jones did later apologize, explaining that the Serbian fans 'bring flags, so much color, passion and there was banter' and that he thought his words were 'an extension of that banter.' Jones' 'kick him out' comments particularly struck a chord for many, as Djokovic was deported from Australia over his vaccination status in early 2022. Australian Open presenter Tony Jones will not cover Wimbledon after his comments about Novak Djokovic. AP 'If I could turn back time, right, and I know we've all got PhDs in hindsight, I think the one thing where I overstepped the mark, and this is certainly what's really sort of angered Novak Djokovic and his camp, is the last comment I made in that back and forth with the crowd 'kick him out,'' Jones said in his apology. The 63-year-old has been a longtime correspondent for the Australian network's coverage of Wimbledon but will remain in Melbourne this time around.
