The fashion walk — most are familiar with videos and photos of well-dressed players walking into arenas before games — will also change as one of hockey’s older traditions goes by the wayside. Some teams have done away with requiring suits for players, instead going to warmup jackets and sweatpants, but now players can choose their own looks.

An 84-game season is coming to the NHL as part of an extension of the collective bargaining agreement, which is expected to be announced as soon as Friday before the first round of the draft. The league and the NHL Players’ Association are on the verge of reaching a deal that two people told The Associated Press on Thursday includes adding two games to the regular season,

The NHL has achieved labor peace in our time. The league and the NHLPA announced Friday morning that a memorandum of understanding has been signed on a four-year collective bargaining agreement beginning in the 2026-27 season,