NHL stars heading for 2006 Winter Olympics

The Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, Switzerland and Germany have all agreed on compensation levels for clubs whose players join NHL clubs.

If the deal had not been concluded, the NHL would not have an agreement for its players to take part in Turin.

The only leading ice hockey nation not to sign up to the agreement is Russia.

A total of 194 European players signed with NHL teams during the previous CBA which ran from 2001 to 2004.

The Czechs, along with Russia, had opposed the deal, saying clubs' compensation for players moving to the NHL was too low, but teams in the Czech Republic eventually removed their opposition.

Rene Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, said: "We can now look forward to another Olympic hockey feast in February."

For now, Russian players signed by the NHL will not be regulated by the CBA.

Russian clubs have said all along they would like to deal directly with NHL teams over compensation.

The dispute began following the ending of the NHL's season-long lockout by a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

An entire season was lost when players were locked out on 15 September last year, after owners and unions reached an impasse over a new labour agreement.

But on 13 July, both sides announced they had hammered out a collective bargaining agreement.

The Players' Association ratified the new terms on Thursday and the owners have now rubber-stamped the deal.

The board of governors voted unanimously 30-0 to accept the six-year deal which includes a number of rule changes and pay cuts for the majority of players.

About 230 players had been in Toronto on Thursday to vote on the six-year deal with nearly 90 per cent in favour.

The deal includes a salary cap for each team of between $21.5million and $39million.

There also is a provision that allows a player to make a maximum salary of $7.4 million - 20 per cent of the team cap.