NHL talks break off

Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Talks between the NHL and the players' association broke off after four hours Thursday, and there were no signs the sides would meet again in time to save the season before this weekend's deadline.

During the meeting at the league's office in Toronto, the sides spent 2 1/2 hours huddling separately from each other. NHL chief legal officer Bill Daly said no new meetings were scheduled.

If that remained the case, he said commissioner Gary Bettman would announce very soon that the entire season has been called off.

''An announcement will be made at an appropriate time,'' he said.

Bettman told the players' association on Wednesday that a deal would have to be ready to be written by the weekend in order for a season to be played. Daly said Thursday's meeting gave no indication that a deal could come in time.

''I don't know if I'd say I'm surprised, I'll go back to say that I'm disappointed,'' he said. ''At the end of the day, I know we did everything we could do to forge an agreement.

''It was a pointless meeting today.''