NEW YORK – NHL labor talks that began in the daylight hours Wednesday stretched to nearly nine hours and both sides plan to meet again Thursday.

It isn't known what progress – if any – was been made during the second straight day of marathon talks in the dispute that is threatening the entire hockey season, but owners and players surely sense that time is now a factor and a deal must be made soon to get the game back on the ice.

Negotiations resumed Wednesday and stretched deep into the night again, this time in fits and starts, as the league and the players' association searched for an agreement. The sides began talks a little after 2 p.m. and kept going through the night, except for a two-hour dinner break.