Negotiations between the two sides of the NHL lockout haven't made much progress, but one NHL governor has been quoted as saying he can't believe a deal isn't finished and in the books.
"I looked at them both and wondered how this thing isn't done already," said an anonymous team executive after both league and union proposals were shared with the NHL's Board of Governors at their meeting Wednesday, via ESPN.com.
That's essentially confirmation of the NHLPA's stance earlier Thursday, that the two sides are indeed close -- too close to lose a season or even more games than have already been canceled. The league denied Thursday evening that the sides were close, going as far as to blame NHLPA director Don Fehr for leading on fans with false hope.