Detroit Red Wings will return to the ice this season, NHL lockout ends

NEW YORK (AP) - The NHL and the players' association have announced a tentative labor agreement that will save the hockey season.

A marathon negotiating session that lasted more than 16 hours and stretched from early Saturday afternoon until Sunday morning produced a deal that will ultimately end the lockout that has reached its 113th day.

The 10-year deal still must be ratified by a majority of the league's 30 owners and the union's membership of approximately 740 players.

The NHL avoided the embarrassment of having a second season lost because of a labor dispute when no other North American sports league ever had to cancel one. A lockout eight years ago that ushered in a salary-cap system to hockey for the first time wiped out the entire 2004-05 season.