NHL players set for 2006 Olympics

NHL owners rubber-stamp deal

A deal between the NHL and six of Europe's biggest hockey nations has paved the way for NHL stars to take part in the 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.

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

WHAT IS THE NHL'S CBA? Internationally, the CBA sets out guidelines for: - Transfer compensation - Number of players moving - The timeline for deals

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.