NHL lockout: Sharks players hopeful new talks lead to progress

When the Winter Classic event was cancelled on Friday by the NHL, reality struck.

The NHL and the NHL Players' Association saw the potential for the entire season being cancelled, and that prompted a meeting between league deputy commissioner Bill Daly and NHLPA special council Steve Fehr. Both released follow-ups on the meeting that shed light on a relatively positive movement to end the lockout, and several San Jose Sharks players told CSN Bay Area that it was a good sign.

Patrick Marleau told CSN Bay Area that the discussion was positive momentum after the league and the NHLPA had previously blamed one another through the media.

"Any time you talk, hopefully cooler heads will prevail and [the owners will] scrap whatever script they are going by and realize that they're hurting the game," Marleau said. "They're only hurting themselves in the end of things."

Marleau added that the NHL had previously scripted their approach to the discussions.

Meanwhile, teammate Brad Stuart said that the loss of the November Winter Classic made the severity of the lockout "hit home" for players and owners alike.

Stuart, Marleau, Dan Boyle and Thomas Greiss have been some of the Sharks players that remain in town. Those four were skating together on Monday.