The NHL May Finally Be Back

Please let this be right...

The finish line appears to be in sight for the National Hockey League and the NHL Players' Association to come to a new collective-bargaining agreement.

Both sides wrapped up five days of negotiations yesterday in Toronto. They will resume discussions Monday in New York.

"The meetings this week were good and we continue to make progress," said Bill Daly, the league's executive vice president and chief legal officer. "Obviously, we know that time is of the essence in working to conclude a new CBA, and both sides are proceeding on that basis."

Union senior director Ted Saskin echoed those sentiments.

"The two parties engaged in lengthy negotiations every day this week, and while progress has been made in a number of areas, there remains a considerable amount of work to be completed in order to reach an agreement," he said.

The two sides have agreed on the economic structure of the deal, including the percentage of revenue that will go to the league (believed to be about 54 percent), the salary cap (between $36 million and $38 million), and a luxury tax.

They better get this deal done. If I'm stuck with just the NBA playoffs again next year, I might get desperate and start watching soccer.