NEW YORK — The NHL's four-month lockout finally ended Saturday following another tough negotiation that nearly delayed training camps even longer. The league and the players' association completed a required memorandum of understanding that had to be signed before training camps were cleared to open. That was to happen Sunday with a 48-game regular season to begin on Jan. 19. The signing of the memo also paved the way for the NHL to release the long-awaited revised schedule. Twenty-six of the 30 teams will play on opening day. All games during the season will be played within the two respective conferences. In all, 720 games will be played over a 99-day regular season. There will be at least one game on each day of the season, that will end on April 27. Again, 26 of 30 teams will be in action that day. The playoffs will begin on April 30. The latest the Stanley Cup Finals will end is June 28. Teams will play 18 games within their division: four games (two home and two away) against two of the teams in the division, five games (three home and two away) against another team in the division, and five games (two home and three away) against the remaining divisional opponent. To complete the 720-game schedule, clubs will play three games against each of the 10 remaining non-divisional opponents in their conference. Outside the division, a team will face five clubs twice at home and once away, and play once at home and twice on the road against the other five teams. It took another lengthy negotiation to end the four-month lockout. The sides worked on the final deal all week, after a tentative deal was reached last Sunday morning — the 113th day of the lockout. The NHL hoped to open camps Sunday, and that prospect seemed in jeopardy Saturday until the document was signed at 10 p.m. eastern US time. The new deal is for 10 years, but either side can opt out of it after eight. The previous agreement was in effect for seven seasons. While this negotiation was long, the sides were able to rescue at least part of the season. The NHL also played a 48-game campaign following a lockout in the 1994-95 season. The 2004-05 was completely canceled because of a lockout. This one forced the cancellation of 510 regular-season games, the Winter Classic and the All-Star game. No preseason games will be played in the seven days before the regular season gets underway. — AP
