The NHL and NHLPA came to a tenative agreement to end the lockout early Sunday morning. The deal must still be ratified, but the regular season is expected to begin in Mid-January.
Chicago Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz, who along with the other 28 owners of NHL teams hadn't been allowed by the league to publicly comment during the negotiating process, said Sunday he is pleased that the lockout appears to be at an end.
Hours after a tentative deal had been reached between the NHL and players' association on a new collective bargaining agreement that would end the 113-day lockout, Wirtz said he hopes the deal will receive the approval of the union and NHL Board of Governors.
"We certainly hope it can be ratified by both the owners’ and players’ sides," Wirtz told the Tribune. "We appreciate the fans’ patience during the process."
The sides came to a tentative agreement after a marathon negotiating session in New York, and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr made a joint announcement around 4 a.m. Central saying a deal was in place but awaits final tweaking and then official approval by owners and players.
The Board of Governors will meet early next week to vote on the deal and training camps could open a day or two later with a 48- or 50-game season getting underway about a week later.
ckuc@tribune.com
Twitter @ChrisKuc
Blackhawks owner Wirtz hopes NHL deal is ratified
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Blackhawks owner Wirtz hopes NHL deal is ratified
