NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Early Sunday morning in New York, the NHL and NHLPA finally agreed on the terms of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, saving the hockey world from a second cancelled season in eight years.  The NHL had previously cancelled games through January 14, so the 2013 NHL season should begin on or shortly after January 15^th, depending on the to-be-determined schedule length.

The key to advancing these negotiations past stagnation was Deputy Director for Mediation Services Scot Beckenbaugh’s work over the last week or so.  Whenever NHLPA Executive Director Don Fehr and Commissioner Gary Bettman were in the same room during talks, progress always seemed minimal.  Whether the two were simply too strong-willed, or their negotiating tactics were incompatible, we will never fully know.  Either way, the New Year rolled around and hopes for a 2013 season were dim.  But Beckenbaugh’s behind-the-scenes work last week catalyzed the process, which culminated in the agreement yesterday morning.

There will be labor peace for at least the next eight years (the term length is 10 years long, but there is a mutual opt-out clause after eight), so the focus now will shift to rebuilding NHL’s brand and image as hockey gets underway.  While fans certainly deserve some acknowledgement for the absurdity of the process, I think most (myself included) are just happy to have the game back.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Cherry, through his Twitter account on Saturday, voiced optimism about the progress of a the labor impasse:

“Look to the middle of January for the game to return! Those people who say it won’t be good hockey because it’s only half a season don’t know what they’re talking about. Don’t you remember the last time it was half a season and New Jersey won the Cup? It was a sprint not a marathon. Play within their own conference. Lots of action. The guys know every game is important. Won’t have the half season blahs. It will be terrific! They will go to the brink and then settle. Nobody in their right mind would kill the goose that lays these golden eggs.”

Perhaps Cherry is privy to more information than regular reporters, but I am hesitant to agree with him completely.  In the last two-plus weeks, there have been virtually no formal talks between the NHL and the NHLPA.  If Cherry is assuming that the NHLPA’s recent vote to give the executive board the authorization to file a disclaimer of interest (detailed nicely by espn.com’s Pierre LeBrun in this article) will initiate the end of this game of brinksmanship between the two sides, he is certainly putting a lot of faith in two men (Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr) that have demonstrated no ability to strike a deal thus far.

After the recent cancellation of games through January 14^th, it appears the next few weeks of negotiations will determine whether or not we have a season.  A legitimate schedule could not be feasibly played if begun any later than the third week  of January, so the negotiating parties know what is at stake and what the timetable is.  If Bettman and Fehr value these “golden eggs”, as Cherry says, a deal will happen soon.  If not, Cherry and loyal hockey fans everywhere will be silenced for good.