NHL Lockout Officially Ends Late Saturday; Season Schedule Released

The NHL and NHLPA yesterday “put the final details in place to lift the lockout," allowing for training camps to open today and the season to begin on Jan. 19. Finalization of the new CBA was “delayed much of Saturday while lawyers for both sides completed a memorandum of understanding.” The lockout was expected to end at 8:00am ET yesterday, when players “concluded a 36-hour voting period by ratifying the deal with the league by a 667-12 margin." Instead, it officially ended at 10:40pm (N.Y. TIMES, 1/13).

The NHL released its “long-awaited revised schedule,” with 26 teams opening play on Jan. 19. All games during the season “will be played within the two respective conferences.” A total of 720 games will be played over a 99-day regular season. There will be “at least one game on each day of the season,” which ends on April 27. The playoffs will begin on April 30, with the Stanley Cup Final wrapping up by June 28 at "the latest" (AP, 1/12).