NHL ends lockout

The National Hockey League and its players reached a tentative contract agreement early this morning.

The two sides have been meeting at a New York City hotel and reached an agreement after more than 16 hours of negotiations.

The proposed 10-year deal would end a four month lockout that threatened the entire NHL season. The next stage is documentation and ratification of the deal between the League and Players' Association.

Once complete, the two sides will announce a start date and game schedule for the rest of the season.