After ‘No’ Vote, Nhl Owners Make Counteroffer, Establish Tuesday As Absolute Deadline

No salary cap. No luxury tax. And still, perhaps, no hockey.

Many NHL owners felt they went too far in a desperate attempt to save the season. Many lockedout players, however, felt the owners didn’t compromise nearly enough Saturday and feared that a Tuesday noon deadline imposed by the owners would pass without a deal - resulting in cancellation of the season.

“I am more pessimistic today than I was yesterday,” said Larry Murphy of the Pittsburgh Penguins. “I can’t see the negotiating committee being in a position to even go near what they offered. The players will be screaming, ‘Don’t you dare go near what they want.”’

The Board of Governors, meeting for about 7 hours in a Manhattan law office, voted 19-7 to turn down what the players had said was their final offer.

The owners voted 20-6 to present their new proposal to the union. It contains neither the salary cap nor the payroll tax that players said they would never accept but many owners insisted they had to have.

“We’ve tried to thread a needle here and we hope we’ve done it,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “I hope they accept it. If they don’t, then Tuesday will come and go” and the season will be lost.”