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Reports: NHL, players union meet for third time since weekend

Although no one is talking publicly, there apparently is increased talking going on between the NHL and its players in a potential bid to end the 53-day lockout between the two sides.

According to multiple media reports on Wednesday, both sides reportedly met Tuesday for nearly eight hours and met again on Wednesday in an undisclosed location.

Although several key players on the negotiating committee reportedly left New York City earlier Wednesday to avoid a storm that was coming in, league and union officials were believed to have still met for several hours.

Both sides -- reportedly including NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and more than a dozen players -- met until late Tuesday evening, according to reports, an agenda that appeared likely to be repeated Wednesday, which was the third time league and union officials had met since last weekend.

Discussions on Tuesday and Wednesday reportedly centered around the so-called "make whole" provision in the collective bargaining agreement, whereby players that are already under contract -- irregardless of the lockout -- will receive all monies due to them.

The lockout, which began Sept. 16, has already forced the cancellation of over 325 scheduled regular season games, including the highly anticipated Winter Classic, which was set to have taken place on New Year's Day at the University of Michigan football stadium.

Even if the lockout comes to an end soon, there would not be an 82-game regular season still to come. League officials have already ruled that out. The other question is whether the league could be up and running by Dec. 1, which appears to be the next target date to resume action if an agreement is reached in the next few days. All games through Nov. 30 have already been cancelled.

While both sides have made counter-proposals that would include a 50-50 split of all revenues, a number of other issues still need to be resolved, including the make-whole stipulation, plus updated rules on free agency, arbitration and contract lengths.