{coyotes} Key week ahead in labor talks

The NHL and NHL Players' Association exchanged emails Sunday at the start of a crucial week in collective bargaining.

No face-to-face discussions were held and both sides will hold separate meetings ahead of Saturday's lockout deadline.

More than 200 players are scheduled to attend a two-day meeting Wednesday and Thursday in New York. The board of governors are meeting Thursday, also in New York.

"The only thing I can say is that I want us to play hockey," New York Rangers owner James Dolan told ESPNNewYork.com.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has vowed to lock out players if a new CBA isn't reached by Saturday. It would be the third lockout since he was named commissioner in 1993. The 1994-95 lockout lasted 103 days, resulting in a 48-game schedule, and the 2004-05 one led to the cancellation of the season.

The NHL said its goal is lower the players' share of revenue. It was 57% in the expiring CBA and the league originally called for a 43% share. It since raised that to 46% -- with a $58 million salary cap in the first year. The 2012-13 cap was projected at $70.2 million this summer.

The NHLPA offered to take a smaller share of future revenue for three years in exchange for increased revenue sharing to help financially stressed team. It originally asked for a return to 57% in the fourth year. NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr later presented different options for the fourth year.

Formal talks broke off on Aug. 31, though informal talks were held on Friday to try to find a way to bridge the gap.

Meanwhile, the Montreal Gazette reported that the NHLPA is ready to move this week to try to stop any lockout of Canadiens players.

The newspaper says that under Quebec law, an employer cannot lock out employees unless they are represented by a union certified by the Quebec Labor Board. The NHLPA is not certified in Quebec.

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