Hockey is officially back as NHL players back return-to-play, CBA extension

National Hockey League players have reportedly voted in favour of a return-to-play plan for the 2019-20 seasons and a collective bargaining agreement extension.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported the news, with TSN’s Bob McKenzie confirming the report later.

Here are the most important things to know about what’s to come ahead. First off, the Vancouver Canucks will play the Minnesota Wild in the play-in tournament.

Two-week formal training camps will kick off on Monday for NHL teams in their respective cities before travelling to the hub cities on July 26th. The Vancouver Canucks will travel to Edmonton where they will stay in Sutton Place near the city’s Rogers Place.

The Canucks series against the Wild will kick off on August 1st with six games happening a day. Yes, six games a day.

The CBA extension will mean we’re lockout free for the next six years. The salary cap will remain flat at $81.5-million for every season until the league hits $.8-billion in league revenues. It also offers escrow stability with a 50/50 split in revenue capped at 20 per cent in 2020-21 going down as league revenues go up.

More CBA information can be read here.

Above all else, buckle up because we’re having hockey coming back very soon.

On Twitter: @zjlaing