Don Fehr says that collective bargaining talks with the league are "recessed."
The executive director of the NHL Players' Association said the NHL requested the hiatus after the union presented its latest proposal.
The union attempted to get an agreement on the fourth year of its initial offer, but Fehr said the league was unwilling to do that. The union's initial deal included a lower share of revenue for players over the first three years of the offer and a return to the current level of 57 per cent in the fourth.
"We proposed several concepts for the fourth year that would allow the fourth year to be something less than 57 per cent of revenues," Fehr said. "The suggestion was that if we could get over the fourth year and their objection to the 57 per cent snapback, that would give us an opportunity to move forward.
"Unfortunately, so far at least, that proposal we made today did not bear fruit."
League commissioner Gary Bettman said the suggestions put forth by the Players' Association didn't adequately address the fourth-year stumbling block.
"In the final analysis the emphasis was on returning back to 57 per cent in the fourth year, which obviously isn't acceptable," he said.
The NHLPA plans to remain in New York for the next two weeks and will be willing to restart negotiations whenever the league is ready.
However, Fehr said either side could restart talks and he expected neither "would stand on ceremony."
