First 2 weeks of NHL season scrapped

The National Hockey League cancelled 82 2012-13 regular season games through October 24, the league announced on Thursday. The move to scrap the first two weeks of the season comes amid a labour dispute between the players and owners and just one week before the season was scheduled to start. "The decision to cancel the first two weeks of the NHL season is the unilateral choice of the NHL owners," NHL Players' Association executive director Donald Fehr said in a statement. "If the owners truly cared about the game and the fans, they would lift the lockout and allow the season to begin on time while negotiations continue. "A lockout should be the last resort in bargaining, not the strategy of first resort. "For nearly 20 years, the owners have elected to lock-out the players in an effort to secure massive concessions. Nevertheless, the players remain committed to playing hockey while the parties work to reach a deal that is fair for both sides. "We hope we will soon have a willing negotiating partner." The NHL and NHLPA got back to the bargaining table Friday and met for three days over the weekend in hopes of coming to a new collective bargaining agreement. The two sides resumed negotiations Tuesday, but NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said, "no progress was made," and added that no new talks had been scheduled. The owners locked out the players when the previous collective bargaining agreement expired on September 15.