Copied from ESPN.com

NHL agrees to deal after all-night bargaining session

NEW YORK -- The NHL and the players' association reached an agreement in principle on a new labor deal, ending a lockout that wiped out last season, the sides announced in statements Wednesday.

The sides met for 24 hours from Tuesday into Wednesday to hammer out the collective bargaining agreement that will return the NHL to the ice.

Both sides still need to raitfy the deal. That process is expected to be completed next week, the league and the union said in a joint news release.

A prominent player agent told ESPN The Magazine's E.J. Hradek that the draft lottery will be held on July 21, with the entry draft being held in Ottawa on July 30.

The agreement comes after an all-night bargaining session stretched well into Wednesday morning -- the 301st day of the lockout that forced the cancellation of the 2004-05 season.

"We met all night," NHL chief legal officer Bill Daly said in an e-mail.

After meeting every day last week, the sides got together Sunday for a 14-hour session that lasted until early Monday morning. Just six hours later, they were back at the table.

Those talks broke up Monday night and set the stage for the latest marathon session that got under way Tuesday -- the ninth straight days of talks.

The sides have met for 10 consecutive weeks in an effort to get an agreement as quickly as possible so next season can begin on time.

The new agreement is expected to contain a salary cap with a ceiling in the upper $30 millions and a minimum in the low-to-mid $20 millions.

Player salaries will not exceed 54 percent of league-wide revenues.

Some players in recent days have voiced their displeasure over what will be included in the new deal.

Commissioner Gary Bettman warned in February when he canceled the season that the offers the union passed up were better than any it would see once a year of hockey was lost.

Just days before the NHL became the first North American sports league to wipe out a full season, the players' association said for the first time it would accept a salary cap if the NHL dropped its desire to link player costs to revenues.

Yes!

All I can say is, it's about bloody time!

meh, whatever

i second that meh

thirded...

:hide:

I will be boycotting the NHL this year. We generally make at least 2 trips to Boston each season but have decided not to this year. All of us have written letters to both the NHL and the Players Assn. to let them know how fed up we are. The good news is we have an AHL team in Portland, The Maine Black Bears in Bangor, and of course all the local high school action.
The heck with these primadonas.

Prima Donalds on both sides, methinks.
I wonder how long it will take to rebuild...

While I can't argue with anyone who feels turned off, I'll be going to some games this year--I still support my team despite what the league and PA did. (besides which I already have an investment sitting in their coffers...)

And it'll sure be nice to have something on ESPN in the winter other than basketball and poker.

YAHOO! FINALLY! :clap: The leafs are getting Crosby! :D *whishfull thinking*

Yeesh, it took them long enough. Luckily, I don't really care either :P

Lelana

The Bruins have only like 6 players under contract as of now. It's going to be a strange season with the the rule changes and lack of fans. But what can you do?

Go Bruins!

If the leafs, Red Wings, Avalanche or any other of the "big clubs" get Crosby, I won't watch hockey for a long time.

iThought the new TV contract stopped including ESPN2. (they were getting better ratings with poker than hockey anyways)

NHL players are Million Dollar Cry Babies! :cry: :cry: There are better job areas that deserve more money cough*healthcare*cough. All players should be paid the same amount of $$. :cry: :cry: :cry:

I am happy that we are finally going to have hockey but it is not a big deal whether we do or not. ^_^

I think you're right--I saw something over the weekend to that effect. Well, at least they'll be on TV *somewhere*--and my beloved Blue Jackets are still on Fox Sports, last I checked...

I thought that the NHL would be in trouble winning back fans. Then I saw TSN's team-by-team list of signed players.

Watching how teams like Toronto and NYR manage to ice teams under the salary cap, given that they have few players signed that are already eating away over 2/3 of the salary cap room is going to prove to be very interesting.

Phoenix looks to be in really good shape (21 players signed at $28,000,000). Red will be happy to see that Columbus is in good shape too. Detroit and Colorado aren't in the dire straights that I thought they would be in.

14 players, most of them important, and we're still at half the maximum? We can re-sign Nash, Klesla and Spacek and still have tons of cap room. I foresee the Jackets picking up an FA or two that escapes the clutches of the higher-priced teams.

Actually, the problem I see with Detroit is an awful lot of talent sitting in their FA pool and very little wiggle room. They have 15 guys signed, but some of those unsigned guys make you go "Hmmm, I'd like him on my team..." They won't be able to retain but a couple. Philly looks to have the same problem, they're only six mil under the cap as it is.

The Leafs are getting Crosby and that's really all I have to say about that. :D

The Leafs won him in a mock lottery! :P

Pittsburgh gets Crosby....

I heard a rumor that they are reducing the size of goalie pads and are getting rid of the red line for the coming season. That will certainly increase scoring. All the swiftys will be hanging at the blue line waiting for that pass. I remember sitting in the old Boston Garden and hearing Bronco Horvath yelling "beep beep" like the roadrunner. Give him the puck and he was gone!!

GO BRUINS!

Yeah the pens got him. aw shucks...

yp C6
Neiwindike and Francis haven't retired have they or leech, please say we still have leech and

Order List

well, vancouver was hoping for a top 10 pic, and they got it :fonz:

It will be difficult to hang on to everybody. There will be alot of free agents available and the leafs will have several million dollars under the cap available for the team. I'm confident they have enough appeal to drag a few solid players to complete the lineup.
Owen Nolan is a goner for shure.

Yup--here's the list of rule changes (this matches with what I saw on SportsCenter)

http://proicehockey.about.com/cs/rules/a/04_rule_changes.htm

Geoff Sanderson is easily the fastest Blue Jacket and one of the fastest guys in the league--I can't wait to see him take advantage of the new rule.

I'm still not thrilled with deciding games with shootouts, but I'll live with it.

Yeh, I am not at all in favor of the shootouts either and I'm not thrilled with reducing the goalie's ability to play the puck.

I think "reducing" is okay--having the goalie go out to the corner to play the puck, without being subject to forechecking, is a tad unfair. Just so long as he can play it behind the net, I don't have a problem.

I'm eagerly awaiting the coming season.

I'm glad a team like Pittsbugh received Crosby (or rather the #1 pick). If any team needs the assistance and success that Crosby brings on and off the ice it's the Penguins.

I must say though: when the first 20 picks went by and Ottawa still wasn't selected . . . I had high hopes. :D

Yeah, I agree with you.

I am thrilled with the new rules, aside from the shoot out. Some I never would have thought the NHL would accept. That and the new economy makes me very excited for the new season, I cant wait.

Goodenow Steps down.

I know. It's here too.

The Leafs get Jeff O'Neill!! Excuse me while I go crazy over there! Woot!
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Draft...1153812-cp.html

Columbus signs Adam Foote.

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=132173

Foote instantly becomes our highest paid player by far. Combined with Luke Richardson, they should make a formidable top defensive pairing.

Here's hoping we re-sign Klesla and Spacek, so those other two don't have to play 35 minutes a night.

Yeah and Neiwduke and Roberts went to Florida.

I like this new CBA idea, it is making the teams more fair I find, with the little teams getting more attention. C6 I heard TO might be getting Forsberg and Nasland since they both wanna play with Mats. Keep your fingers crossed.

I can't see both Forsberg and Naslund going to Toronto--in fact I'd be mildly surprised with either of them going there unless it's at a contract that's well under their value. As bweezy pointed out earlier in the thread, the Leafs don't have many players signed--nine--and are pretty close to the cap. I'd imagine if they picked up either of the two, they'd have to sign the remaining 11-12 guys at the league minimum.

It's by the far the craziest off season I've ever seen. Anything can happen, just a handfull of players are signed everyone else is up for grabs. Forsberg Sundin and Naslund spells Stanley for me. Hope it comes true.

Stevie Yzerman is coming back for one more season in Detroit. I'm pleased to see that he'll have a chance at one last season.