NHL commissioner Gary Bettman ‘pleased with procress’ of CBA talks

After a two-hour meeting with the NHL board of governors, commissioner Gary Bettman said that he is “please with the process that is ongoing” in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.

Talks between the owners and players’ association resumed at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, according to ESPN.com’s Peter LeBrun:

Bargaining slated to resume around 215 pm ET or so… Same group dynamic as yesterday. So no D Fehr or G Bettman—
Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) December 05, 2012

The two sides met for eight hours on Tuesday with six players and 18 owners in the room and Bettman and NHLPA president Donald Fehr absent, according to The Record‘s Tom Gulitti.

The Star-Ledger‘s Rich Chere described two team executives as optimistic:

There is optimism from both the league and its players after two positive days. Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said he was “encouraged” and Columbus Blue Jackets executive John Davidson said, ‘We feel good aboit the information we got.”

Reporters on Twitter, including the Winnipeg Free Press‘ Gary Lawless, have speculated that the league could proceed with a season between 50 and 60 games if a deal is struck this weekend to end the 81-day lockout.

if a deal gets done by the weekend, big if, training camps could open next wednesday and 56-game season would begin on Dec. 20. #bn #nhl—
gary lawless (@garylawless) December 05, 2012