NHLPA meetings kick off in preparation of CBA negotiations

Bargaining requires and demands patience.
Before the start of Monday's NHLPA meeting on Monday, players made it clear that they're ready to come together and do what it takes to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement as quickly as possible.
From rookies to stars such as Alexander Ovechkin and Jonathan Toews, players across the NHL gathered in Chicago to begin drafting a proposal to take to the league, concerning revenue and salary cap changes.
NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr anticipated between 40 and 60 players arriving for the meetings, and the turnout was just as impressive as he had hoped for. The group will be drafting a proposal they feel is fair to both the players and owners.
"The starting point is, the players made enormous concessions last time around," Fehr said. "The game generates a lot more revenue than it did before. You put those things together, it ought to point you in a direction where this negotiation should go.
"I'm not going to prejudge it, but there's plenty of time to negotiate an agreement between now and Sept. 15."
Whether decisions are made quickly will be determined by the attitudes of both parties, as well as whether issues between the league and NHLPA are large or small scale. Typically with large scale issues, neither group wants to budge on their demands, which can further lead to a lockout.
"Everyone will have to be on the same page," added Ovechkin when asked about each player's involvement. "Of course it'll be hard, but it's going to get done."
But a lockout is not guaranteed if the new CBA is not completed on time. The league can continue operating as long as both sides agree to keep negotiating and play under the terms of the old CBA.
Fehr says he hopes to have an agreement among the players made by the conclusion of their final meeting on Wednesday afternoon. The NHLPA plans to begin negotiations with the league very quickly.