The longest labour strife in the history of pro sports in North America is over, with both sides coming to an agreement. That means fans will see a 2005-2006 NHL hockey season kick off this fall. 

After marathon talks that began Tuesday at noon and continued through the night into Wednesday morning, the NHL and the NHL Players' Association put the finishing touches on a six-year collective bargaining agreement.

"The National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association have reached an agreement in principle on the terms of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement," says the NHLPA in a statement.

Both the NHL Members and NHLPA Board of Governors must ratify the deal, which is expected to happen within a week.

Details of the new agreement -- a document reportedly numbering more than 600 pages -- won't be made available publicly until that formal ratification process is complete.

TSN is reporting the possible features of the agreement:

• Term - 6 years (through 2010-11), with option
• Revenue split - Players get 54% of defined revenues
• Payroll in Escrow - Percentage of Salaries
• Payroll Range (including costs) - $21.5 to $39 million US, which is based on projected revenues of $1.8 billion US
• Salary Rollback - 24% across the board
• Maximum Salary - 20% of Team Cap ($7.4 Million US)
• Minimum Salary - $450,000 US

Through Tuesday, the NHL and NHLPA had held 82 negotiating sessions since commissioner Gary Bettman cancelled the season Feb. 16. They've met for 10 consecutive weeks since early May, cramming in marathon sessions in the final six weeks.

The NHLPA is expected to schedule a mass players' gathering within a week to ratify the agreement. The league, in turn, will hold a board of governors' meeting so owners can vote on the deal.

Once the deal is ratified on both sides, a formal announcement "re-launching" the game will take place, likely on July 21.

The current dispute officially started on Sept. 15, 2004, when the previous collective bargaining agreement between the NHL owners and the NHLPA expired. After 154 days, the season was officially cancelled on Feb. 16.

Owners come out on top

The two sides were miles apart philosophically. The owners wanted "cost certainty" -- which they said meant linking salaries to revenue, or a salary cap -- while the players were seeking a more market-based solution.

It was a long and bitter battle, "essentially a war," said TSN hockey analyst Pierre Maguire. "And it looks like the owners have won."

According to Maguire, the players have accepted a salary cap as part of the new agreement, which is something they said they would never do.

"It's been quite difficult for the players to get through this thing," he told CTV Toronto. "They picked a fight they probably could never win. They're basically battling 26 billionaire owners versus millionaire players."

Changes to the game

With hockey now expected to return this season, most hockey fans will be interested in finding out what changes are coming, says Steve McAllister, the sports editor of The Globe and Mail.

"I think everybody's pretty tired of the talk about salary arbitration, and salary caps and revenue sharing," McAllister told CTV Newsnet.

He said that making hockey a product that people can embrace will likely be the league's toughest sell.

"It's obvious when you look at the league, and look at the attendance and look at television ratings, especially in the United States, that it's not a very good product right now."

To revitalize their on-ice product, the league is expected next week to announce, along with details of the new agreement, major changes to the game's rules which are intended to increase the game's appeal and win more fans.

These include:

• A three-minute overtime period with three players from each team, should the score remain tied following the current five-minute overtime.
• The fan-friendly shootout, which will be used if games remain tied.
• Removing the red line to allow two-line passes without an off-side being called. This would presumably open up offensive chances and allow for more breakaways.
• Reducing the size of goalie equipment, intended to allow for more goals to be scored.

Entry draft

When both parties give the agreement their stamps of approval, a frenzied off-season will likely ensue.

The Canadian Press reports that the belated 2005 NHL entry draft will be held in Ottawa on Saturday, July 30, although it will be a much smaller event with only the top prospects invited, including the coveted Sidney Crosby.

The draft lottery is slated to be conducted during a board of governors meeting next week in New York. And teams will be scrambling to revamp their rosters under the new CBA rules.

The wiped out 2004-05 season marked the first time NHL fans were denied a Stanley Cup championship game since a flu epidemic cancelled the 1919 final.