Graphic: NHL

NEW YORK - The NHL's new economics are supposed to help small-market teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins.

A teenager from Canada might do more for the franchise than a salary cap ever could.

The league's board of governors voted 30-0 Friday to pass the cap-based collective bargaining agreement that the players' association overwhelmingly approved Thursday.

That set the stage for a host of rules changes for next season and the dramatic draft lottery that landed phenom Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh alongside player-owner Mario Lemieux.

Finally, after a 310-day lockout that wiped out all of last season, hockey fans actually had hockey news to talk about. On Oct. 5, the NHL will return to the ice with a full slate of 15 games.

"We are looking forward to leaving the business of the game in the background," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. "It has been in the forefront for way too long."

In a span of 90 minutes, the NHL showed off its new labor agreement and its new rules, and even had time to find a home for Crosby. After a year without action, the NHL crammed lots of it into a busy day.

"When you look back in a year, five, 10, this era in history will be viewed as a pivotal point in time," Bettman said. "It's the time where we could begin to move forward, finally in an effective way where the game could be as good as it could be.

"This will probably be a seminal moment."

The Penguins had theirs when Crosby fell into their hands. He was the guy every team wanted, and every team had a shot.

Bettman opened 28 envelopes, leaving just Pittsburgh and Anaheim with a chance to get "The Next One." With the help of the four-leaf clover Penguins general manager Craig Patrick held in his hand, Pittsburgh skated off with Crosby.

"I think he's a fantastic fit," Patrick said. "To be able to add someone of Sidney's talent, my mind goes round and round with possibilities.

"We wouldn't put a lot of pressure on Sidney to try to carry our team," Patrick added. "He's just one of the young players that will carry the flag down the road."

That road, Bettman said, will be just what the NHL needs as it enters a true revenue partnership with its players.

Marketing will be key for the NHL, which ranks last in popularity among the four major U.S. sports leagues. Anything that can drum up interest will be tried, including an increase in intradivisional and intraconference games.

Teams will play eight games against all division foes, four against other teams in the conference, and 10 interconference games.

NHL players will participate in the Olympics next year in Turin and four years later in Vancouver, Bettman said. The league will skip its All-Star festivities in both seasons.

The biggest shake-up will be the addition of a shootout to ensure every regular-season game will have a winner.

Goalies will have to stop those shots and all others with smaller pads, which will be shrunk by about 11 percent. The width of pads will be reduced to 11 inches and the glove, upper-body protector, pants and jersey will also be smaller.

Not only is their equipment shrinking, so is the area in which goalies can go to play the puck. Goaltenders can only go behind the goal line in a trapezoid-shaped area.

The neutral-zone edges of the blue lines will be 64 feet from the attacking goal and 75 feet from the end boards in the offensive zone. That adds 4 feet in each zone, with the thought it will increase scoring, especially during power plays.

The center red line has been taken out of play, allowing for previously offsides two-line passes. Although no-touch icing wasn't added, players who make long, home-run type passes that miss their target will not be whistled for icing.

But when it comes to traditional shots down the ice to clear the defensive zone, icing will be called and the offending team will be forced to keep tired players on for ensuing faceoffs.

With the deal officially in place, a frenzy of player movement was set to start Saturday. And the flurry of signings won't really calm down until training camps open in September.

Some teams only have a handful of players under contract, and many big-name stars will soon go free. Beginning Saturday, teams have six days to buy out players to make payrolls more cap friendly.