‘“It’s clear that we’re not speaking the same language in terms of what they came back to us with,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “It is still my hope that we can accomplish my goal, the league’s goal of getting an 82-game season, but I am concerned based on the proposal that was made today that things are not progressing. On the contrary, I believe the proposal that was made by the players’ association in many ways was a step backward.”’