CBA Negotiations Take a Undesired "Step Backward"

The worst that could possibly happen for the National Hockey League and its fans right now happened this afternoon. 

After Tuesday's new '50-50' proposal by the league to the NHLPA  in attempt to salvage the 2012-13 season, talks between the two parties took a "step backward" according to Commissioner Gary Bettman after meeting with Donald Fehr and company this afternoon in Toronto. Why? The Players' Association presented not one, but three counterproposals, which hopefully were going to be within reach of the latest offer placed on the table by the league earlier in the week. Unfortunately, according to many sources, this was not the case and any hope that amounted on Tuesday has now been wiped completely. 

The league's proposal on Tuesday had set-up a November 2 start and would've managed to maintain an 82-game schedule for the year. In addition, it offered a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenue right from the get-go, which was what the NHLPA had been asking for since the beginning of negotiations. The pressure, then, was on the shoulders of Fehr and the players to bring the sides even closer after the League did its part in attempting to do the same earlier in the week. The NHL even publicly released their offer via Internet to make sure the proverbial ball was 100-percent in the court of the NHLPA. 

Unfortunately, the League did not get the result they had wished for, and according to their side of the story, the counterproposal(s) presented by the NHLPA were not much different from what kept the two sides miles apart during the summer. 

In other words, we're right back to square one and the 2012-13 season is in severe danger.