(phot from flickr user Rhs Asphlundh)

It came down to the wire but there will be an NHL hockey season this year. A tentative agreement was reached yesterday to end the lockout in the NHL.

from cnnsi.com

The Basics of the deal:

• Players agree to a 10 year deal with an option to opt- out after eight
• Owners agree to move off their 60 million dollar salary cap for 2013-2014. 
• Players salaries cannot vary more than 35 percent from year to year
• Salaries cannot go below 50 percent of the highest year
• Player contracts can be as long as 7 years
• Players get a 50 percent revenue share

No date has been set for the start of the season but a 50 or 48 game schedule will begin sometime after January 15th.