N.H.L. Dismisses Counteroffers From Union Prospects for a prompt end to the N.H.L. lockout all but vanished Thursday after Commissioner Gary Bettman dismissed a new players union proposal as "a step backward." "It's clear we're not speaking the same language," Bettman said after a one-hour meeting at the union's Toronto headquarters. I'm very discouraged. Donald Fehr, the union's executive director, was similarly discouraged. "Today is not a good day," he said. It should have been, but it wasn't. The sides met for the first time since the owners made a new offer Tuesday, the centerpiece of which was an immediate 50-50 split of hockey-related revenue. Under the collective bargaining agreement that expired Sept. 15, the players received 57 percent of revenue, and the owners" previous offer gave the players 47 percent. The owners" 50-50 proposal was seen as sign of progress in the talks. But Fehr said the union presented three counteroffers Thursday, each of which would eventually lead to a 50-50 revenue split, and league officials reacted dismissively. "All three proposals were rejected in their entirety," Fehr said. "The vibe in the room was, "Unless you're prepared to sign with very few changes, don't bother us." " Fehr said that in one proposal, the players would receive 55 percent of revenue in the first year of the agreement, stepping down to 50 percent by Year 5 if league revenue grew at a 5 percent rate, and by Year 3 if revenue increased at the current rate of growth, 7.2 percent. In another proposal, the union would agree to an immediate 50-50 split, but only if all current contracts were honored. But Bettman, who has been seeking a 50-50 split similar to what the N.F.L. and N.B.A. owners received after their lockouts last year, described the offers differently. "None of the three variations of player share that they gave us even began to approach 50-50, either at all or for some long period of time," he said. Bill Daly, the N.H.L."s deputy commissioner, said in a statement that the union's proposal was misleading. "It is not a 50-50 deal," he said. It is most likely a 56- to 57-percent deal in Year 1 and never gets to 50 percent during the proposed five-year term of the agreement. Fehr said a provision in the owners" offer, under which current contracts would be preserved via deferred payments, was disingenuous. He said one player described it as "I'm going to lose salary in Year 3 to pay my salary in Year 1." The owners Jeremy Jacobs of the Bruins, Craig Leipold of the Wild, Murray Edwards of the Flames and Ted Leonsis of the Capitals attended Thursday's meeting. Also present were 18 players, including Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Eric Staal and Jarome Iginla. "We've done more than enough to show that we're willing to negotiate and sacrifice," said Toews, the Chicago Blackhawks" captain. It's come to the point where it's just disappointing that the league has waited this long to put pressure on us. Bettman said the owners" offer was meant to make a deal in time to play a full 82-game schedule. A number of owners "actually think we went too far in order to get the season going," he said. Games through Wednesday have already been wiped out, and the N.H.L. is expected to announce more schedule changes soon. Bettman had said an agreement was needed by Thursday to have a full season, starting Nov. 2. The Jan. 1 Winter Classic could be canceled as soon as this week. "It takes a lot of time to put together the Winter Classic, and we're going to have to revisit it," Bettman said. At some point in the not too distant future, we're going to have to commit many millions of dollars in order to play on Jan. 1. That time frame is probably rapidly approaching. No talks were scheduled for Friday, but both sides said they would be available.