The first strike in National Hockey League history ended early Saturday when owners and players agreed in principle on a contract for the 1992-93 season.
The agreement was announced by NHL president John Ziegler during a news conference with Bob Goodenow, executive director of the Players Association. The two had spent much of Friday negotiating.Players will report to their teams on Saturday and the regular season will resume Sunday with all 30 remaining games to be completed before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin.
The strike, the first in the NHL's 75-year history, began April 1 after players rejected the first of several "final" offers from the owners. The collective bargaining agreement had expired last Sept. 15. The new agreement, which is retroactive, runs through Sept. 15, 1993.
On Tuesday, the owners made a revised offer and set a deadline of 3 p.m. EDT Thursday for the players to accept it or face termination of the season.
Beaming from a dais that included Goodenow, NHLPA president Bryan Trottier of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Mike Gartner of the New York Rangers, Ziegler said:
"I am pleased to report that after a very long and difficult day that demonstrated the spirit of the relationship between the players and owners, we have come to a meeting of the minds and reached an agreement in principle.
"The owners have accepted this offer and the players association has endorsed it and recommended it to its membership."
"I, too, am pleased to say we have reached an agreement," Goodenow added. "We will be recommending acceptance of the agreement.
"The logistics are going to be hectic for a couple of days. There are some loose details that need to be resolved."
Ziegler said the revised schedule for the completion of the regular season and the playoffs would be released later Saturday.
"This hasn't been a pleasant experience for the owners, the players, the fans, anybody in hockey," Penguins co-owner Howard Baldwin said in Pittsburgh. "But I believe the NHL will be better off for what happened."
Minnesota North Stars vice president Ron Forciea said: "We haven't received all of the specifics. Many will be worked out in the next days and weeks. But we have agreed in principle."
Forciea also said there had been a change in the talks.
"There's been an element of trust that's been lacking in the relationship between owners and players," he said. "I think that problem has been successfully put behind us, and I think we're in a better position to deal with our problems than we have been in the history of our league."
"It still has to be voted on by the negotiating team, but I think it sounds very optimistic right now," said Steve Larmer, player representative for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Both sides started meeting last June. The season went on under the old contract while the owners and players attempted to come to terms on a new one.