Labor war looms over All-Star weekend

By Steve Keating

(Reuters) - The fun and games of the National Hockey League's All-Star weekend turned serious Saturday as league commissioner Gary Bettman and player's union chief Donald Fehr danced around questions about a looming labor war.

With the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) set to expire on September 15, NHL owners and the players association (NHLPA) have been quietly preparing the framework for negotiations that could prove as contentious as those that wiped out the entire 2004-05 season.

Following a board of governors meeting Saturday, Bettman said, there was no set date for negotiations to commence but talks are expected to begin in the days following Sunday's All Star game.

"My hope is that we can reason together and that collective bargaining will be painless and quiet and quick," Bettman told reporters following the board meeting. "That would serve everyone's best interest."

Early indications are that negotiations will be neither quick nor painless.

Fehr, who has earned a reputation as a tough and fearless negotiator from his years heading up Major League Baseball's players union, fired a warning shot across the NHL's bow earlier this month when he rejected the league's plan for realignment and a modified playoff format.

NHL owners also appear emboldened by the significant gains made by National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) owners in their labor battles last year.

Under the current CBA, NHL players receive 57 percent of hockey related revenue and owners would like to see that number come down closer to a 50-50 split like the NBA and NFL.