We look forward to starting fresh with this new agreement, ... I am very positive it will work out well for both sides.

They based their reaction to our significant proposal by saying they would be right back where they were. Well, that's a bunch of hogwash. What they did is they mixed up and diced up some statistics in a blender and came out with what I think are just absolutely ridiculous forecasts.

For Gary to say the negotiations are now only a matter of dollars and cents is both simplistic and misleading. There continue to be a myriad of issues to address, including player rights and system issues that impact the daily lives and careers of players, the way the game is played and marketed, and the growing financial disparities between clubs in a league with no meaningful revenue sharing.

The league's proposal today was a transparent attempt to impose on our December 9 proposal the effects of their twice-rejected February 2, triple-cap proposal, ... The NHL knows that our December 9 proposal was never designed to meet the effects of their triple-cap proposal and that at least one of the stipulated events would be immediately triggered.

I had hoped we would never see the NHL owners and their commissioner do the unthinkable and cancel an entire NHL season,

The deal today is better and more fair for both sides than it was in February. This agreement is very, very different than what's ever been a part of this sport. It's revenue-driven. Everyone here is talking about how do we grow the product? History will be able to look back and say there was an inflection point and a launching pad for all aspects for the game.