Minnesota Wild players were back on the ice Sunday morning to officially begin preparing for their shortened 2013 season, WCCO reports. The National Hockey League and its players’ association finally ended the four-month lockout Saturday night after completing a memorandum of understanding.
Both sides reached a tentative labor deal last Sunday. Players ratified the new agreement on Saturday. The league’s board of governors unanimously ratified the contract on Wednesday.
The Wild will drop the puck at the Xcel Energy Center on Saturday, Jan. 19, against the Colorado Avalanche.
The team’s first official practice went well. One of the first steps for head coach Mike Yeo is getting newcomers like Zach Parise and Ryan Suter acclimated to a new system. Parise told the Pioneer Press that it was a lot of information but “it went really well.”
Click here, for the 48-game schedule. Single game tickets go on sale Wednesday.
The Wild will also host a free intra-squad scrimmage at Xcel Energy Center Wednesday night, Jan. 16, the Associated Press reports.
