National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman listens to lawyer Robert J. Cleary present his findings regarding Rick Tocchet during a press conference Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007 in New York. Bettman announced that he will reinstate Tocchet effective Feb. 7, 2008. Tocchet had been on a leave of absence from the league since February 2006, when he was accused of running a U-S sports gambling ring. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin)
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 reached its 113th day on Sunday.
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.
