The National Hockey League Players Association has voted to ratify the new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NHL.

The Union announced the results of the ratification vote its membership conducted over a 36-hour period ending at 8 a.m. ET Saturday. The vote was done electronically, via secret ballot.

The National Hockey League ratified the proposed 10-year CBA on Wednesday with a unanimous vote by its 30 teams at a Board of Governors meeting in New York City.

Now that both sides have ratified the agreement, each side must sign a Memorandum of Understanding before the CBA becomes final. The MOU is basically an abridged version of the CBA, spelling out the terms under which the League and its players will operate.

Once the MOU is signed by both parties, the mechanics of the 2012-13 season -- the release of the regular-season schedule, the opening of training camps and official contact between teams and their players -- will begin.