Habs' captain Brian Gionta joined teammates Josh Gorges, Travis Moen, Francis Bouillon and a number of other NHLers for a mid-morning skate at Deux Glaces in Candiac, behind the backdrop of ongoing NHL CBA talks in New York City.

A number of NHLers have made their way to Candiac at various times during the lockout to keep the rust from forming.  Living through a lockout as a player is a "mental grind", said Gionta to CJAD's Sean Farrell, who took in today's skate.

Despite the latest series of talks that are currently taking place in NYC, Gionta says he's not going to get excited until a deal is done.

Josh Gorges used words like "pleased" and "hopeful", but echoed Gionta's sentiments. He won't be optimistic until a deal gets done.