Mark your calendars, NHL fans. Hockey officially is back.
The league and NHLPA ratified the new CBA Friday night, meaning NHL teams will be back on the ice to fight for the Stanley Cup in just three weeks.
We know games begin Aug. 1, with the Boston Bruins returning Aug. 2 against the Philadelphia Flyers in their round-robin tournament to determine conference seeding.
Here are some other critical dates to know:
July 13 — Training camps open
July 26 — Team travel to hub cities
July 28-30 — Exhibition games begin
Aug. 1 — Stanley Cup Qualifying Games begin
Aug. 10* — Phase 2 of NHL Draft Lottery begins
Aug. 11 — Round 1 begins
Aug. 25* — Round 2 begins
Sept. 8* — Conference Finals begin
Sept. 22* — Stanley Cup Final begins
Oct. 4* — Last possible day of Stanley Cup Final
Oct. 9-10* — NHL Draft
* Tentative date
It’s been a long four-plus months, but hockey finally is on the horizon.
