Islanders on the move. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Last night the NHLPA finally voted in favor of the newly agreed upon collective bargaining agreement, after the NHL Board of Governors already ratified the deal on Wednesday, the CBA was finally made official and the 48-game NHL schedule was released in its entirety.

Talk about a condensed schedule, the schedule has 30 teams playing 48 games in just 99 days. To put that into perspective the NHL lockout lasted 119 days. The season will be shorter than the lockout, sounds like a sick joke.

This is going to be a lot of hockey and fast, 26 teams will be playing on Saturday, January 19th, which is opening night for the NHL. It’s going to be a blitzkrieg of NHL hockey and I can’t wait.

It will be the shortest schedule since the 1994-95 season, which was the last time the league played a shortened season due to a lockout.

The schedule is also conference only, meaning teams will only play other teams from within their conference. From what I’ve read each team will play two divisional opponents five times, and two other divisional opponents four times. Teams would then play each non-divisional conference opponent three times, is your head spinning yet? I feel bad for the poor people that had to throw this thing together in just a few days.

You can find the entire schedule and even individual team schedule in all their condensed glory on usatoday.com.

April 17, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (35) makes a save on a shot by Detroit Red Wings left wing Tomas Holmstrom (96) in the second period of game four of the 2012 Western Conference quarterfinals at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

First of all, Tomas Holmstrom has announced his retirement from the team and it came shortly after the lockout was deemed over. The man who was number two to Nicklas Lidstrom is set to follow his buddies path to retirement, after serving for the team since 1196, when he was drafted 257th overall in 1994. Known for being the man in the crease, he gained a reputation that could not be mirrored. Each game, he got in front of the net and screened the goalie for every shot and helped the Red Wings tremendously. He took pride in getting knocked down by defenders and even some goaltenders just so he could help his team light the lamp.  He was known also for his nicknames “Homer” and “Demolition Man,” which he acquired while playing in Sweden. He also assisted the Red Wings to four Stanley Cup Championships. These include the back-to-back wins in 1997 and 1998, 2002, and, their latest, 2008.

Their second challenge is a major problem if not solved soon. They have to name a team captain. With Lidstrom gone, and now Holmstrom, they need to fill the void. Many believe that Henrik Zetterberg would be a fit candidate for the captaincy. There are two other candidates that should be looked over for review. These two options are Pavel Datsyuk and Niklas Kronwall. The reason Pavel Datsyuk is some what of a back burner for the captains job is because he doesn’t speak very good English. That does seem a little uncalled for, but it is a big factor, even though he could potentially be a terrific leader. Niklas Kronwallis a great candidate for the position because he enforces. He is a big hitter and he can scare any player when he gets ready to hit them. He can intimidate the opposing team and be a strong defenseman. Henrik Zetterberg is a force to be

April 17, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall (55) skates with the puck against the Nashville Predators in game four of the 2012 Western Conference quarterfinals at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

reckon with, which is why he can be the next captain. He can score and skate. He is fast and not many people can keep up to his speed. Any one of these three can lead the team, it’s just a matter of pulling a name out of the helmet.

With the Red Wings facing major changes and many decisions, they will surely become a strong team in this shortened season, just like they do every season. The chances of them being a great team are good, since they acquired Carlo Colaiacovo (Defense) and Jonas Gustavsson (Goalie). To check out the best news about the Detroit Red Wings, check out the Octopus Thrower website here at Fansided, and check out Too Many Men On The Site’s Twitter page @TooManyMenOTS. You can also tweet me @NardoneDylan.

The LA Kings clinch the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

The NHL lockout is over! The NHL is leaving the boardrooms and headed back to the ice! They’re back! Took 100+ days but whose counting? The lockout never should’ve happened but who cares?

The day we’ve all been waiting for, praying for, hoping for, wishing on Christmas for and trying to sell a kidney for has finally come! Early Sunday morning the NHL and NHLPA reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement to end the ridiculous and completely unnecessary NHL lockout. Hallelujah, praise Jesus, praise Allah, praise whoever it is you pray to and atheists, well thanks for keeping your fingers crossed and hoping!

The proposed deal which still needs to be formally written up and agreed upon by both sides ends the NHL’s 3rd lockout in 19 years and it is a 10-year agreement with an opt-out option available after the 8th year. So, we should be able to go 5-6 years without a lockout, this is the NHL we’re talking about though so don’t jinx it.

From NHL.com,

“According to multiple reports, the deal spans 10 years with an out option for either side after eight years. It also reportedly features a seven-year limit on new player contracts (extended to eight for players re-signing with their own team). Additionally, these reports say the sides agreed on a salary cap of $64.3 for the 2013-14 season with the floor resting at $44 million. For this season, the cap will reportedly be at $70.2 million. To be able to meet the reduced cap number in 2013-14, each team will be allowed the option of two compliance buyouts before the start of that season, again according to reports. The buyout money reportedly does not count against the salary cap of the team buying out the player, rather it is counted against the players’ share of hockey-related revenue.”

The NHL sent out a memo on Monday to all the teams telling them to be ready for a January 19th start and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly sent an email to the Associated Press stating the same and that they are planning a 48-game schedule. Daly went on to say that the season could start sooner and be a little longer if “the players can expedite their ratification process.”

Its funny how the NHL is saying the season could start sooner if the players hurry up, isn’t it the NHL that locked out the players initially after the NHLPA said they would play the 2012-13 season under the old CBA until a new one was drafted? Now, the NHLPA has to find players that are scattered around the world, get them to understand the new CBA and then agree to it. Seems like that is an easy enough process and if they can do it quickly the NHL is kind enough to make the season longer so the owners/league can collect more ad revenue. It’s also a process that could’ve been avoided had this unnecessary lockout never happened, see where this is going?

At this point I don’t really care, hockey is back. For those who say they won’t support the NHL or spend any money on it, I wish them well. I’m most certainly not one of those people. Call me a sell out, say I have no pride or whatever I don’t care. I can now get back to covering NHL hockey as opposed to continually writing about Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr. If I never have to type those two names again in an article I’ll be happier than I am today, which if you can’t tell is pretty freaking happy. I can also get back to watching the Boston Bruins instead of the Boston College Eagles and while I do love college hockey, it’s not the NHL, fact not opinion.

The NHL is back! Just keep telling yourself that and soon enough (about 2 weeks to be exact), it will be back on your TV and back in rinks across North America.Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.