I think there has been some pressure from the owners and players already and if it increases it's good for those of us who still like hockey.
My guess is that Bettman and Fehr have such a deep distrust for each other that they are afraid to give anything up. The league won't give up on contracting without the players giving up on economics and the players need contracting wins to give up on economics. Since Fehr hasn't moved towards the NHL on anything in three months of negotiations, I'm afraid it's on them to take the first step here. The league has drawn a line in the sand.
It's all about the people involved and what should have been a fairly easy thing to settle is suddenly a Gordian Knot.
