(Credit: Getty Images) The NHL Owners presented the Players with an offer today that could be the spark needed to end the lockout.

For the first time in a long time we have some progress in regards to CBA talks. Early this afternoon the National Hockey League Owners sent a somewhat expected proposal to the Players Association, and boy was it an interesting one.

In this proposal, the players and owners would split hockey-related revenue at an even 50/50 rate and an 82 game season would take place with action starting on November 2. In order to keep the league schedule on par with how it normally would have been played out, each team would have one extra game added to their schedule in each of the first five weeks of the season. The season would begin after just one week of training camp.

The latest offer from the owners also includes no salary rollbacks, something that has been tossed back and forth since negotiations first kicked off.

“We hope we’ve given our best shot,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. Well Bettman, let’s hope that your best shot is good enough for the players.

NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr told reporters that the proposal was for at least six years and deemed the offer “an excellent start” Fehr and the players are set to have a conference call later this afternoon to discuss the offer.

Also proposed in the latest offer is a max five-year on new player contracts, free agency at the age 28 and after eight years of service in the league, and four-year contracts on entry-level deals.

One final strange addition to the offer is all NHLers playing in the AHL would give said team that NHL players’ salary cap hit, strange if you ask me.

In my honest opinion I think the Players Association turns down this offer, counters with a proposal of their own, and hockey is played on November 2, but hey what do I know?