NHL, Union Reach Tentative Agreement
NEW YORK (AP) - The NHL and the players' association have announced a tentative labor agreement that will save the hockey season.
A marathon negotiating session that lasted more than 16 hours and stretched from early Saturday afternoon until Sunday morning produced a deal that will ultimately end the lockout that has reached its 113th day.
The 10-year deal still must be ratified by a majority of the league's 30 owners and the union's membership of approximately 740 players.
The NHL avoided the embarrassment of having a second season lost because of a labor dispute when no other North American sports league ever had to cancel one. A lockout eight years ago that ushered in a salary-cap system to hockey for the first time wiped out the entire 2004-05 season.
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