NHL, union meet, more sessions to follow

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NEW YORK, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The NHL and representatives of locked-out players met face-to-face for the first time in more than two weeks Sunday, with more negotiations to follow.

League officials and the NHL Players Association met for about 2 1/2 hours Sunday at NHL headquarters in New York for "informational sessions" following a round of conference calls Saturday, NHL.com reported.

Afterward, the NHLPA began holding internal meetings on the league's latest proposal in hopes of ending the 3 1/2-month lockout and avoiding a total cancellation of the 2012-13 NHL season, the website said.

The two sides are expected to meet again Monday, it reported.

The NHL offered a proposal last week that included some concessions on buyout rules, contract term limits and salary variance.

In it, the league set a Jan. 11 deadline to reach a new labor deal, after which the remainder of the season would be canceled. It envisions a one week training camp with the first games set for Jan. 19.