Let’s be honest folks, any news about the NHL lockout can be considered optimistic depending on what you want to believe. If you have already assumed that the season has been lost, then the latest news might have caught you by surprise.

While Gary Bettman and his negotiating adversary stepped away from the labor spotlight, many familiar faces took to the boardroom on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the state of and potential fate of the NHL.Names like Crosby, Miller (Ryan) and Toews are used to making headlines for their outstanding play on the ice, but each are trying to earn an MVP by leading a fresh negotiating charge in a different direction.

In what could be considered Gary Bettman’s best decision since September 14th (the day before the lockout), he decided to put a select group of owners at a negotiating table. Larry Tanenbaum (Toronto), Ron Burkle (Pittsburgh) Mark Chipman (Winnipeg), Murray Edwards (Calgary), Jeremy Jacobs (Boston), and Jeff Vinik (Tampa Bay) were the six owners selected to meet with the players.

The NHL allowed a significantly larger portion of NHL players to attend the meeting. In addition to Crosby, Toews and Miller; Brad Richards, Shane Doan, Martin St. Louis and 12 other players represented the NHLPA.

The negotiations were not without a representative from either side as Bill Daly of the NHL and Steve Fehr of the NHLPA were present at the table. Negotiations went well into the night on Tuesday and resumed again Wednesday morning.
The negotiations evoked a positive response from all parties who emerged from the meetings. “We’re going to talk until we get a deal”, said Tanenbaum. Both Daly echoed his optimism and Fehr as both seemed to be pleased with the progress.

At day 83, the lockout has cost the NHL millions of dollars and potentially millions of fans. Every bit of negotiation to date has ended in a stalemate so far, so who knows what this fresh approach may bring.  Stay tuned in the next few days to see if the league can continue to make real progress to end the lockout.