NHL Lockout Ends, Season Could Start January 15
The NHL lockout has ended.
It took more than 100 days but the NHL and the NHL Players Association have finally reached an agreement. According to Detroit News, the league officials ended 16-hours of negotiation at 4 am this morning and were happy to announce a new collective bargaining agreement.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said:
“Don Fehr and I are here to tell you that we have reached an agreement on the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement, the details of which need to be put to paper. We have to dot a lot of I’s and cross a lot of T’s. There is still a lot of work to be done, but the basic framework has been agreed upon.”
Yahoo Sports reports that the deal could be ratified this week and that the season could start as early as January 15.
NHL Players Association executive director Donald Fehr:
“Hopefully within a very few days the fans can get back to watching people who are skating, not the two of us.”
The 2013 NHL season will consist of 48 or 50 games.
Hockey fans may have some lingering anger with the NHL but they should be relieved to know that the knew deal should prevent another lockout for nearly a decade. The 10 year deal has an opt-out clause after 8-years.
The deal includes a 7-year contract limit and a $64.3 million salary cap for 2013-2014. According to Yahoo, the NHL was originally working for a $60 million salary cap.
The NHL season may have been salvaged this year but there have definitely been a few casualties. The Winter Classic, the All Star Game, and more than 50% of the regular season games were cancelled due to the lockout.
