NEW YORK ? Three days after an overnight marathon bargaining session between the NHL and its players finally ended with the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement, the league's Board of Governors unanimously gave its stamp of approval to the deal on Wednesday afternoon. Pending ratification of the agreement by the players, who will vote electronically on Friday and Saturday and need a simple majority to pass it, the NHL may be back playing games as soon as January 19, finally ending its senselessly long lockout with a 48-game season.
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