High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The 2012–13 NHL lockout is an ongoing labour dispute that began at 11:59 PM EDT on September 15, 2012, following the expiration of the National Hockey League`s (NHL) collective bargaining agreement (CBA), less than a month prior to the scheduled beginning of the 2012–13 NHL season. The owners of the league`s franchises, led by commissioner Gary Bettman, declared a lockout of the members of the National Hockey League Players` Association (NHLPA) after a new agreement could not be reached before their deadline. The lockout is shortening the 2012–13 NHL season, which originally was scheduled to begin on October 11, 2012. A total of 625 regular-season games through January 14, 2013, accounting for 50.8 percent of the regular season`s 1,230 games, have been cancelled as a result of the continuing lockout. Gary Bettman considers 48 games per team a minimum number for a shortened season; deputy commissioner Bill Daly has stated that the season has to start "sometime in mid-January".