By Josh Yohe

Published: Monday, November 12, 2012, 8:54 p.m.
Updated: Monday, November 12, 2012

NHL Players' Association special counsel Steve Fehr on Monday offered an optimistic outlook for ending the league's two-month lockout.

Speaking at the Prime Time Sports Management Conference in Toronto, Fehr said three issues must be resolved for an agreement to be reached between the league and union.

The issues are: the split of league revenue, player contract rules and deciding how lockout damage is going to be resolved, Fehr said.

The issue of contracts — how they may be constructed in the future and how current contracts will be honored if the league's financial structure is altered significantly — weighs on players' minds.

“The money is going to be 50/50 eventually anyway,” Penguins winger Pascal Dupuis said. “We just don't want to go backwards. That's the main concern. That's the deal they have on the table right now. It's basically take it or leave it.”

The NHL has canceled games through Nov. 30.

A shortened season, something the league hasn't resorted to since a labor dispute in 1994-1995, remains possible if an agreement is reached.

Josh Yohe is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at jyohe@tribweb.com.

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