The National Hockey League and its Players’ Association have formally ratified a four-year extension of the collective bargaining agreement, securing labour peace through the 2029-30 season. The deal was approved on 8 July 2025 by both the league’s Board of Governors and the union’s full membership, more than a year before the existing contract was due to lapse in September 2026. Commissioner Gary Bettman called the accord a sign that the league–union partnership “is stronger than it ever has been,” while NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh said it will “allow for the continued worldwide growth of the game.” A headline provision increases the regular season to 84 games starting in 2026-27, the first such change since 1995. To make room on the calendar, each club’s training camp will be trimmed to 13 days for veterans, exhibition slates will be capped at four contests and the Stanley Cup is still expected to be awarded by late June. Player compensation rises under the agreement. The league-minimum salary climbs from the current US$775,000 to US$850,000 in 2026-27 and steps up annually to US$1 million in the final year. The players’ playoff fund swells from US$24 million to US$34 million in 2026-27, growing to US$40 million by 2029-30, while owners will assume full responsibility for workers’-compensation and payroll-tax costs. Roster and contract rules tighten. A game-day playoff salary cap will be introduced to curb the use of long-term injury exemptions. Maximum contract lengths fall to seven years for players re-signing with their clubs and six years for those changing teams, deferred-salary deals are banned and restrictions on salary retention in multi-team trades are added. Off the ice, mandatory dress codes are abolished, incoming players must wear approved neck protection and teams may carry permanent emergency backup goaltenders. The early ratification, coupled with a separate 2 July agreement ensuring NHL participation in the 2026 Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics, marks a period of rare stability for a league that has endured three lockouts since 1994.