The NHL and the Players’ Association met with federal mediators on Wednesday in an attempt to spur negotiations towards a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr said the discussions are expected to resume on Thursday. The league also confirmed the meetings will continue but declined to issue a statement. The current lockout has already forced the cancellation of 422 regular season games, the Winter Classic and All-Star Weekend. The league has been locked out since the previous labor deal expired September 15th. The Wild were to have played home against the Black Hawks last night.