Following a marathon session of bargaining that began on Saturday morning and lasted into the early hours of Sunday, the NHLPA and the NHL announced that they had reached a tentative agreement in principle on the framework of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
NHLPA Executive Director Don Fehr and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman met briefly with the assembled media just past 5:30 a.m. to announce the agreement in principle and give the hockey world an update on what is to come in the next few days, as we approach the puck-drop of the 2013-14 season.
The final drafting of the tentative agreement, as well as ratification from both the NHLPA membership and the NHL Board of Governors, still remains as crucial parts of the process before this collective bargaining agreement is completed.
As has been the case throughout the collective bargaining process, Players were on hand playing a crucial role in the final stages of the agreement. Players in the room early Sunday for the announcement were: Craig Adams, Chris Campoli, Mathieu Darche, Shane Doan, Andrew Ference, Ron Hainsey, Jamal Mayers and George Parros.