Players ratify six-year contract deal

By Frank Pingue

TORONTO (Reuters) – The National Hockey League (NHL)
Players’ Association voted to approve a new collective
bargaining agreement on Thursday, ending the lockout that wiped
out an entire season.

About 225 players were in Toronto to vote on the six-year
deal which is believed to contain a $39 million salary cap for
each of the NHL’s 30 teams and a 24 percent rollback of
salaries for players on existing contracts.

Players unable to attend were able to vote via the
internet.

The NHL and its board of governors will meet in New York on
Friday to rubber-stamp the new agreement, reveal the order for
the 2005 entry draft and discuss possible rule changes for the
forthcoming season.

The league imposed the lockout on September 16 and canceled
the season in February, making it the first North American
professional sports league to lose an entire season because of
a labor dispute.

The draft, in which Canadian Sidney Crosby is tipped to be
the first overall pick, is scheduled for July 30 in Ottawa.