NHL Lockout is Over...News Links...

The National Hockey League and the National Hockey League's Player's Association have announced an agreement. "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," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed to reporters early Sunday morning. "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."

The agreement still has to be ratified by the players association, with details regarding the length of the season, start dates, schedules, etc. to be announced in the next few days. 

The deal is good for ten years with an opt-out clause after eight and should provide some consistency for the league for the next several seasons. How fast the fans will return is another question but I suspect the arenas across North America will be sold out on opening night. 

There's no shortage of stories on this announcement...

To see TSN's coverage, click here...

To read coverage from the Ottawa Citizen, click here...

To read coverage from the Toronto Globe and Mail, click here...

To read the CBC's coverage click here...

To see coverage from Sportsnet, click here...

To see coverage from the NHLPA, click here...

To see coverage from NHL.com, click here...