Report: NHLPA authorizes $10,000 stipend for players

The NHLPA authorized a $10,000 stipend for its players due to the lockout. ( Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The National Hockey League Players Association's Executive Board on Saturday approved authorization to provide a stipend worth $10,000 to all players, reports ESPN.com.

The NHL players have missed four paychecks due to the lockout.

The NHLPA's next decision will be to respond to the NHL on whether to accept commissioner Gary Bettman's invitation to hold a players/owners-only meeting, with no league or NHLPA staff present. The idea was presented as an alternative option after mediation broke down between the two sides Thursday.

The league and the NHLPA have been trying to mediate their differences for the past week in order to save the season, which has already cancelled games including the Winter Classic and the All-Star Game.