NHL bargaining talks to resume this week

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TORONTO, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- More collective bargaining talks between NHL owners and locked-out players are set for this week, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Tuesday.

Daly, speaking on Hockey Night in Canada Radio, said negotiating sessions are set for Wednesday and Thursday in New York, but added no breakthroughs are imminent.

The meetings won't be focused on the core economic issues causing the dispute, he said.

NHL officials last week canceled the league's regular-season games from Oct. 11-24 due to the ongoing lockout. The season was to have started Thursday but officials have canceled a total of 82 games.

"[The meetings are] an effort to follow up on some of the issues we were talking about about a week ago," Daly said. "And get as many of these side issues in the can as possible, because ultimately, knock on wood, we're going to reach an agreement and hopefully we're going to be moving very very quickly to get the players back on the ice."

Daly partially blamed the effects of the U.S. recession as the reason the two sides haven't been able to strike a deal.