NHL and NHLPA - Lockout is Over!!!

Yes people, it actually happened!!  As of 5am EST Sunday morning, Jan 6th, the lockout ended with a new tentative collective bargaining agreement!  Here are the details of the agreement:

1. CBA Term - Agreed on a 10 year CBA deal with an 8th year opt out.  This means that as fans, we won't have to deal with another lockout situation for another 8-10 yrs.  Lets hope we never have to deal with another lockout again!
2. Player Contract Term Limits - They agreed to have contract term limits at 7 years.  However, it will be 8 yrs for re-signing players from their own team. (Note: NHL initially wanted 5 yrs but later gave in.)
3. Revenue Sharing - Revenue sharing will be at $200 million. A $60 million Players Association growth fund was also included in addition to the $200 million. (Note: NHLPA initially wanted $250 million but comprimised.)
4. Salary Variance, Salary Cap and Buyouts - Agreed to a 2 year cap at $64.3 million. Also, every team will have two amnesty buyouts after this year ends.  The buyouts must also occur before the 2013-2014 season ends to help with the 64.3 million cap which goes into effect next season.  The Pension issue was agreed to be based on what the MLB players have.  Salary Variance clause was put in and looks like this. 35% r to yr, max 50% of highest year) means a $10mil deal goes $10, 6.5, 5, 5, 5...and done.  
5. Player Discipline - Shanahan 1st, appeal with Bettman 2nd. For 6 or more games neutral third party will decide if necessary.  This should make it a bit for fairer for the players and it will be a better chance for them to win an appeal.
6. NHL Draft - Draft lottery will change. All 14 teams fully eligible for 1st pick overall. Weighting system may remain, but 4-move restriction out.
7. Voting on the Agreement - The NHL's new CBA will ultimately need to be ratified by both a majority of the 30 league owners and approximately 740 players.

I'm glad that they stuck it out for 16 hrs in a room  with a mediator to get a deal done.  But why couldn't they have done it earlier....like in September?  All this time, we could have been watching our boys play.  Anyhow....our team is starting to come together and for the first time this year, I went to the Canucks.nhl.com website.   Twitter also came alive with players tweets of returning home and Mike Gillis welcoming us all back and promising to make the rest of the year special for the fans to thank us for our patience.

Canucks thank and welcome the fans back:

 Max Lapiere realizes he should have come back to Vancouver sooner:

 Kevin Bieksa welcoming Lappy back:

 Ryan Kesler letting Alex Burrows know he's getting items ready for his return.  How kind of him.:

Poor Roberto Luongo is in Florida and is so excited hockey is back on that he doesn't know what to do with himself.:

Now, because of this tweet, Kesler has now confirmed that Burrows has a twitter account.  It must be one of the ones that Bieksa mentioned once before.  Some of the guys have accounts but don't tweet.  They just "tweep". 

And just like that, we await the starting of training camp which will most likely start later this week on Thursday with game start date of January 19th being bandied about.  This will give us a 48 game schedule unless the vote for the CBA goes quicker than expected.  Then the start date will be Jan 15th with a 50 game schedule.  But there's an awful lot of hockey to be played this year.  Every second day in fact.

Even though this lockout was frustrating and annoying and I promised myself I wouldn't buy anything NHL related, I will be watching my boys faithfully on tv from either at home, restaurant or bar.  We as fans, can't totally abandon our boys....this is our hockey.  This is our game.  We are like moths to a flame.  We can't help it....we need to watch.  I need to see my Bieksa play and make those crazy-assed goals he makes all the time and I need to believe our team can win the Stanley Cup or at least the President's Trophy for a three-peat.  I love my team and I love this game.  Welcome back NHL hockey!  I've missed you!  

#GameOn