NEW YORK -- NHL players are just a slap shot away from returning to the Olympics next year. Zack Wheeler Jersey . While a deal hasnt been reached yet between the NHL, the union and the International Ice Hockey Federation, to send the leagues players to Sochi, a long meeting Monday pushed the sides much closer to an agreement. "Things are moving along," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. Bettman, union leader Donald Fehr and IIHF President Rene Fasel met for more than five hours Monday at league headquarters to work on a deal that would allow NHL players to compete at the 2014 games in Russia. This would be the fifth Olympics for the NHL. Not everything has been agreed to and the various sides need to meet internally to sign off on any pact. Still, Bettman called Mondays session a "constructive meeting," adding there are still "some Is to dot and Ts to cross." "I think its fair to say that were not quite ready to announce its done," Bettman said. Fasel headed to the airport following the meeting and planned to get together with various international groups beginning on Tuesday. Fehr will brief the players during multiday union executive board meetings next week. "We had a very constructive meeting," Fasel said. "I am very happy and pleased. I have to go back also to my federation and to other national federations, especially back to the IOC, to make a report. I am confident that we will have a solution at the end." When pressed for a timeline to get a deal done, Bettman responded with an emphatic, "Soon. Very soon." "Were on a compact schedule," Bettman added. "Everybody is working very hard and we seem to be pulling the oars in the same direction." The biggest challenge the NHL faces every time the Olympics come is the need to stop the hockey season for several weeks in order for its players to go. That is even more of a factor this time because the Olympics are taking place one year after a lengthy lockout wiped out nearly half of the hockey regular season. While the Olympic exposure is good for the NHL, breaking up another season in February is hardly ideal. Bettman declined to get into specifics of what still needs to be worked out. But it was certainly a positive to see all three men standing side by side outside the NHL offices -- a far cry from last year during the lockout when Bettman and Fehr were on opposite sides and held separate news conferences on the street. Fehr agreed with Bettman this time that only smaller details have to be ironed out before a final deal can be reached. "From my end, while weve made a lot of progress on a lot of issues, there are a few I dots and T crosses to do yet," Fehr said. "We have to turn it into final written documents, and I do have to go back to my executive board. Things are moving along." Fasel, from Switzerland, joked that an agreement could already have been in place if the talks werent held in English. "There are still some language problems to understand. Its not so easy for me," he said. "I would prefer to speak French with my two colleagues. It would be much easier to negotiate with them." Mike Piazza Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Darryl Strawberry Jersey . According to a report from ESPN, the Green Bay Packers have re-signed the cornerback to a four-year, $39 million deal with a $12. http://www.metsrookiestore.com/Mets-Keith-Hernandez-Kids-Jersey/ .C. - Goodyear has warned teams that increased speeds at Charlotte Motor Speedway will put a heavy emphasis on the right front tires in Saturday nights race a€” a potentially key development for drivers trying to advance in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.Former moguls world champion Guilbaut Colas of France is out of the Olympics due to a knee injury. The 30-year-old Colas sustained the injury during a training crash on Sunday. Colas was attempting to go over the final jump on the difficult course at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park when he landed awkwardly and tore the ACL iin his left knee. Jose Bautista Jersey. . The 2011 world champion hasnt skied regularly since 2011. A back injury forced him to miss the 2012-13 season and he had just one Top 10 finish in the run-up to Sochi. Colas is a two-time Olympic veteran. He finished sixth in Vancouver in 2010 and 10th in Turin in 2006. ' ' '