Jan 30, 2005 3 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Penguins owner and star player Mario Lemieux says the chances of settling the NHL lockout in time to save part of the 2004-05 season are “50-50.” Lemieux gave that assessment Friday after working out at a rink just outside the city with teammate Mark Recchi, and former Penguins Jay Caufield and Phil Bourque.

Lemieux said he met earlier in the week with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Tie Domi, an influential member of the player’s union, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Saturday.

“I’m trying to do what’s best for the game, in general – maybe trying to get my point across and talk to some different people, making sure that everybody understands what’s at stake here and that the game is more important than anything else at this point,” Lemieux said.

Lemieux’s stake in the team gives him a unique perspective in the lockout that has canceled 727 of 1,230 regular-season games and the league’s All-Star Game.

League and union officials met Wednesday in Toronto and Thursday in New York – without either NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman or NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow – in hopes of finding enough common ground to save what’s left of the season.

Although no drop-dead date has been issued, most observers agree the season is likely to be canceled if the lockout extends very far into February. Lemieux said games wouldn’t start for three or four weeks once any agreement is reached.

“I’ve heard that it’s been positive the last two or three meetings and making some progress,” Lemieux said. “These things, you just have to stay in the room until you make a deal.”

NHLPA Senior Director Ted Saskin said both sides continued to have “significant philosophical differences” after Thursday’s meeting.

The owners have repeatedly said they want a salary cap, while the players have countered with salary rollbacks and a luxury tax of some sort to give owners the “cost certainty” they say they need to do business.

“Both sides have to give a little bit, and hopefully they all realize that you have to make a deal that allows everybody to stay competitive and make money,” Lemieux said.

NHL spokesman Frank Brown said Lemieux hasn’t been asked to participate in the negotiations on behalf of the league.

“We don’t anticipate asking him at this point in time, but obviously, if there came a time or point in the negotiations where we think he could be helpful, we wouldn’t hesitate to ask him,” Brown said.