NHL

If the NHL can stop destroying itself long enough to get a deal done in time to save the season, this is as good a time as any to propose some changes to help the league get back on its feet. Nothing sells the game of hockey like a home playoff game.

So as the NHL emerges from the lockout, why not tweak the playoff format to give more teams a chance to host a playoff game? By adding a one-time-only preliminary round, another eight teams would make the playoffs, giving a bigger chunk of the league reason to get excited.

NEW YORK — The NHL and the players’ association are further apart than ever before.

Union executive director Donald Fehr began the first of his two news conferences Thursday night by proclaiming he believed the sides had agreements on such issues as actual dollars, and then returned moments later to reveal the NHL rejected everything his side offered.

This round of cuts also included the elimination of the All-Star Weekend, which was scheduled for Jan. 26 and 27 in Columbus, Ohio. Even if the two sides would reach an agreement that allows for a shortened season, the game would likely be canceled as a compressed schedule is sorted out.

NEW YORK — A secret, long-awaited bargaining session has done some good in the NHL labor fight — so much so that the sides already have plans to get back to the bargaining table soon.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly and players’ association special counsel Steve Fehr met for long stretches Saturday in an undisclosed location, marking the first time the sides had gotten together for talks in more than two weeks.

“We had a series of meetings over the course of the day and had a good, frank discussion on the most important issues separating us,” Daly said in an email Sunday morning. “We plan to meet again early in the week.”

NEW YORK — The NHL lockout has forced the cancellation of all games through the end of November.

The NHL announced Friday that 326 regular-season games from Oct. 11 through Nov. 30 were lost — more than 26.5 percent of the schedule. The news came one day after a league-imposed deadline passed for a deal with the players’ association that would allow for a full season.

NEW YORK — Daniel Alfredsson isn’t merely counting the days of the NHL lockout, he knows his time as a professional hockey player is limited, too.

The longtime captain of the Ottawa Senators isn’t lacking for things to do, though, while he waits for the NHL and the players’ association to work out their differences and get the already-delayed season under way.

For the third time in less than two years, a professional sports league is on the verge of a work stoppage.

The National Football League had one, but ended it in time for a full season. The National Basketball Association had one, and it cut short the regular season. Now, it’s the National Hockey League’s turn. Unless something changes over the weekend, a lockout will occur and the 2012-13 season will be in jeopardy.