A labor dispute nearly ended the 2012-2013 hockey season, but on Saturday night the NHL announced a deal had been struck and the season was on.
The NHL's regular season will begin next Saturday, Jan. 19 with 26 of the 30 teams in action.
The San Jose Sharks will begin their season the following day at Calgary. The home opener will be Thursday, Jan. 24 against Phoenix.
CSN Bay Area's Brodie Brazil said the Shark's first official practice is Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the North Rink and it is open to the public.
The season will consiste of 720 games in 99 days to determine who will be in the playoffs for the Stanley Cup.
The regular season will end Saturday, April 27. The playoffs begin Tuesday, Apr. 30.
It took another lengthy negotiation to end the four-month lockout. The sides worked on the deal all week, after a tentative deal was reached last Sunday morning -- the 113th day of the lockout -- and needed all day Saturday to finish it.
The announcement that the deal was signed came several hours after the union easily ratified the tentative agreement that was reached after an all-night, 16-hour bargaining session last weekend.
The more than 700 union members had a 36-hour window from Thursday night until Saturday morning to vote electronically. The NHL board of governors unanimously approved the deal on Wednesday.
The NHL hoped to open camps on Sunday, and that prospect seemed in jeopardy Saturday until the document was signed at 10 p.m. EST.
The new deal is for 10 years, but either side can opt out of it after eight.
Sports
Opening Day: Saturday, Jan. 19
SEASON OPENERS
ANAHEIM – Saturday, Jan. 19, at Vancouver
BOSTON – Saturday, Jan. 19, vs. NY Rangers
BUFFALO – Sunday, Jan. 20, vs. Philadelphia
CALGARY – Sunday, Jan. 20, vs. San Jose
CAROLINA – Saturday, Jan. 19, at Florida
CHICAGO – Saturday, Jan. 19, at Los Angeles
COLORADO – Saturday, Jan. 19, at Minnesota
COLUMBUS – Saturday, Jan. 19, at Nashville
DALLAS – Saturday, Jan. 19, vs. Phoenix
DETROIT – Saturday, Jan. 19, at St. Louis
EDMONTON – Sunday, Jan. 20, at Vancouver
FLORIDA – Saturday, Jan. 19, vs. Carolina
LOS ANGELES – Saturday, Jan. 19, vs. Chicago
MINNESOTA – Saturday, Jan. 19, vs. Colorado
MONTREAL – Saturday, Jan. 19, vs. Toronto
NASHVILLE – Saturday, Jan. 19, vs. Columbus
NEW JERSEY – Saturday, Jan. 19, at NY Islanders
NY ISLANDERS – Saturday, Jan. 19, vs. New Jersey
NY RANGERS – Saturday, Jan. 19, at Boston
OTTAWA – Saturday, Jan. 19, at Winnipeg
PHILADELPHIA – Saturday, Jan. 19, vs. Pittsburgh
PHOENIX – Saturday, Jan. 19, at Dallas
PITTSBURGH – Saturday, Jan. 19, at Philadelphia
ST. LOUIS – Saturday, Jan. 19, vs. Detroit
SAN JOSE – Sunday, Jan. 20, at Calgary
TAMPA BAY – Saturday, Jan. 19, vs. Washington
TORONTO – Saturday, Jan. 19, at Montreal
VANCOUVER – Saturday, Jan. 19, vs. Anaheim
WASHINGTON – Saturday, Jan. 19, at Tampa Bay
WINNIPEG – Saturday, Jan. 19, vs. Ottawa
HOME OPENERS
ANAHEIM – Friday, Jan. 25, Vancouver
BOSTON – Saturday, Jan. 19, NY Rangers
BUFFALO – Sunday, Jan. 20, Philadelphia
CALGARY – Sunday, Jan. 20, San Jose
CAROLINA – Tuesday, Jan. 22, Tampa Bay
CHICAGO – Tuesday, Jan. 22, St. Louis
COLORADO – Tuesday, Jan. 22, Los Angeles
COLUMBUS – Monday, Jan. 21, Detroit
DALLAS – Saturday, Jan. 19, Phoenix
DETROIT – Tuesday, Jan. 22, Dallas
EDMONTON – Tuesday, Jan. 22, San Jose
FLORIDA – Saturday, Jan. 19, Carolina
LOS ANGELES – Saturday, Jan. 19, Chicago
MINNESOTA – Saturday, Jan. 19, Colorado
MONTREAL – Saturday, Jan. 19, Toronto
NASHVILLE – Saturday, Jan. 19, Columbus
NEW JERSEY – Tuesday, Jan. 22, Philadelphia
NY ISLANDERS – Saturday, Jan. 19, New Jersey
NY RANGERS – Sunday, Jan. 20, Pittsburgh
OTTAWA – Monday, Jan. 21, Florida
PHILADELPHIA – Saturday, Jan. 19, Pittsburgh
PHOENIX – Sunday, Jan. 20, Chicago
PITTSBURGH – Wednesday, Jan. 23, Toronto
ST. LOUIS – Saturday, Jan. 19, Detroit
SAN JOSE – Thursday, Jan. 24, Phoenix
TAMPA BAY – Saturday, Jan. 19, Washington
TORONTO – Monday, Jan. 21, Buffalo
VANCOUVER – Saturday, Jan. 19, Anaheim
WASHINGTON – Tuesday, Jan. 22, Winnipeg
WINNIPEG – Saturday, Jan. 19, Ottawa
Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada: Saturday, Feb. 9
Hockey Day in America: Sunday, Feb. 17
Regular season concludes: Saturday, Apr. 27
NHL Draft Drawing: Monday, Apr. 29
Stanley Cup Playoffs begin: Tuesday, Apr. 30
Latest possible date for Stanley Cup Final: Friday, June 28
