Nobody would have been surprised if negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement were to take a turn for the worse, and that’s exactly what happened between the NHL and NHLPA Thursday in Toronto.

After a negotiating session between the two sides that lasted just over an hour, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters that the two sides are “not speaking the same language” ^[3] and called the meeting a “step backward.” ^[4]

During the session, the NHLPA submitted three counter-proposals to Tuesday’s offer from the league. The league’s offer had included a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenue, with Bettman telling reporters after Thursday’s meeting that none of the three counter-proposals “even began to approach 50-50.” ^[5]

The league has already cancelled games through Oct. 24. If the NHLPA was to have accepted the offer submitted by the league within the next week, an 82-game season would be able to start on Nov. 2, though that seems a longshot considering that the sides are still apart in negotiations.