After a 36-hour vote that ended Saturday morning, the players’ association announced that its members approved the deal reached with the league last week.

It would be an understatement to say lot has happened since we last saw the NHL in action, when the Los Angeles Kings raised their first franchise Stanley Cup, writes Scott Burnside. Blog

However, the sides continued to work to complete a difficult memorandum of understanding that must be signed before camps can open and the new schedule to be released.

The NHL and NHLPA still “hope” to finish the memorandum Saturday night and keep training camps on schedule for a Sunday opening, but there is no guarantee.

Until then, hockey can’t get back to regular business.

The league’s board of governors unanimously ratified the contract on Wednesday. The plan was for training camps to open on Sunday, assuming the memorandum of understanding was finished. Voluntary physicals and medical exams were permitted to begin on Friday.

The players’ vote wasn’t unanimous, as a source told ESPN that 667 players voted “yes,” while 12 voted “no.” The players saw an 89 percent turnout in voting.

The remaining transition rules, such as when players can go on the ice and for how long, were still being finalized.

“While the players’ vote ratifies the new CBA with the NHL owners, a written memorandum of understanding consistent with what the players voted on, must be completed before the agreement becomes final,” a union statement said Saturday.

Less than a week after the league and the union worked all night to secure an agreement to save the season, players followed team owners and approved the tentative deal that was reached last Sunday — the 113th day of the lockout.

Unofficial team workouts have been taking place around the league all week. A 48-game season is expected to begin Jan. 19 without any preseason games in advance, assuming there are no more glitches in negotiations.

A total of 510 games, the Winter Classic and the All-Star Game were all casualties of the four-month lockout that began Sept. 16. The regular season was supposed to open on Oct. 11.

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The players’ association announced that electronic voting will begin at 8 p.m. Thursday ET and will last until 8 a.m. Saturday. The union said it will announce the result after voting is finished.

If a majority of the more than 700 players choose to accept the deal that NHL owners unanimously ratified on Wednesday, training camps will open Sunday, and a 48-game regular season will begin Jan. 19.

A tentative agreement was reached early Sunday, the 113th day of the lockout, after a 16-hour negotiating session in New York.

The new deal is for 10 years, but either side can opt out after eight. The previous collective bargaining agreement was in effect for seven seasons.

The lockout began on Sept. 16, and forced the cancellation of 510 games, beginning with opening day on Oct. 11. The outdoor Winter Classic and the All-Star Game were also wiped out this season.

The NHL says it will release a new schedule once the ratification process is completed.

A memorandum of understanding that has been in the drafting process by the two sides this week must be signed before training camps open.

The players’ association wanted as much of the document as possible to be completed before voting began.

Leading up to Thursday’s start time for voting, the union has been busy calling players and agents to educate them about the changes and additions to the tentative agreement.

Assuming the deal is approved by the players, as expected, there will be only six days between the opening of camps and the start of the season. No preseason games will be played.

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