Final NHL talks produce no Lazarus

NEW YORK – After one last gasp and 6 1/2 hours of negotiations with two Hall of Famers, the National Hockey League season is dead – again.

Even having Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux at the bargaining table didn’t help as talks broke down Saturday and left the already canceled hockey season totally lost.

“It’s certainly not going to be resurrected after today,” players’ association senior director Ted Saskin said. “It’s 100 percent certain coming out of today’s meeting that nothing could impact the cancellation of the season.”

Just three days after the season was called off because of the protracted lockout, the NHL and the union restarted talks at an undisclosed location in New York. Now the focus will shift back to trying to reach an agreement as soon as possible so next season isn’t wiped out, too.

Commissioner Gary Bettman and players’ association executive director Bob Goodenow weren’t in attendance, but two of hockey’s greatest stars were.

However, Gretzky, the managing partner of the Phoenix Coyotes, and Lemieux, the player-owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, couldn’t help the sides bridge the gap over the salary cap.

“Mario and I were happy to be part of the process, and everyone seemed to work very hard together,” Gretzky said. “We had a constructive meeting, and we only hope they will continue meeting for the betterment of the NHL and its fans.”

On Wednesday, Bettman canceled the season, saying it was too late to play any semblance of a schedule. That made the NHL the first major North American sports league to lose a full season to a labor dispute.