NEW YORK — The National Hockey League (NHL) and Olympic officials ended two days of talks Friday without an agreement that would free players to take part in the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. With the countdown to the Sochi Olympics now less than a year away, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, NHL Players Association (NHLPA) chief Donald Fehr, International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) president Rene Fasel and representatives from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) met Thursday and again for nearly three hours Friday at the league's New York headquarters to try and hammer out a deal. The NHL and NHLPA had no comment on the progress of negotiations and there was no announcement about plans for future talks, though Fasel warned the clock was ticking. “Meetings were held in a very constructive and positive atmosphere,” said Fasel on the IIHF Twitter account. “All parties put all their concerns and issues on the table. “Now all parties are going back to work on details in order to put together an agreement. There is no deadline but obviously we are under a certain time pressure. Olympics are one year from now.” — Reuters
