NHL Board Approves New Collective Bargaining Agreement

Players to vote Friday and Saturday

The NHL moved a step closer to a hockey season Wednesday when the league's board of governors unanimously ratified the terms of a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement.

The NHL players are expected to vote on the CBA Friday and Saturday. Once that's done, the league will release the schedules for a 48-game regular season that will start Jan. 19.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said he told the league's 30 governors the new CBA was a "good deal, a fair deal." It's a deal that took months to complete, coming after a 113-day lockout that tested the patience of owners, players and especially fans.