Negotiations have broken off between National ice Hockey League team owners and the players' union and the entire season could be lost.
The two sides were meeting in New York for the third straight day in an attempt to reach a collective bargaining agreement.
However, no progress was made on the main sticking point - a salary cap. Owners say player salaries need to be linked to team revenue. Players have said they would not play with a salary cap.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and players' union head Bob Goodenow took part in Friday's talks, but both left with no future meetings scheduled.
Players have been locked out for 142 days and 775 regular season games and the All-Star game have been canceled.
If no agreement is reached, the 1,230 game season could be called off in the next few days. If the season were canceled, it would be the first time that a major North American sports league has lost an entire season to a labor dispute.
Some information provided by AP and AFP.