NHL, Players reach tentative deal to end lockout
By The Nelson Daily Sports
It’s over.
Well, almost. Both sides still need to vote on the package.
But after what seems like an eternity, the National Hockey League and its players reached a tentative deal to end the 113 day lockout.
Early Sunday morning NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Player’s Association executive director Donald Fehr stood side by side to announce the news.
Information leaking out of talks say the tentative agreement is a 10-year deal with a mutual opt-out clause after eight years and includes contract term limits at seven years (eight years for a team to re-sign its own players).
In the first year, the salary cap is set to be at $60 million but teams can spend up to $70.2 million in the transition period.
The minimum is $44 million.
Sources said the 2013-14 salary cap, a very divisive issue, will be $64.3 million, while the floor will remain at $44 million.
It is believed the sides are aiming for either a 48- or 50-game season depending on how quickly things get done. Sources told ESPN.com that a 50-game season would start Jan. 15, while a 48-game season would start Jan. 19.
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