On February 16, commissioner Gary Bettman announced the final cancellation of the NHL season. The lockout would be resolved on July 13 when an agreement was reached in principle. The lockout officially ended on July 22 when the owners ratified the agreement, ending the 310-day labour stoppage.
On October 5, the puck dropped to open the 2005–06 NHL season in 15 cities, as for the first time in NHL history, all 30 teams were in action on the same night. The NHL also introduced a new, modernized logo, and implemented several rule changes, most notably the shoot out as part of the league's relaunch.
The London Knights broke the CHL record for longest undefeated streak, going 31 games (29-0-2) without a loss to begin the season. The previous record was 29 games, held by the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings.
The Calgary Hitmen took advantage of the NHL's labour stoppage to shatter the WHL and CHL attendance records, drawing 362,227 fans. Their per-game average of 10,062 was the highest average of any North American professional or junior team.
The United States defeated Canada 1–0 in a shoot out to win the gold medal in the 2005 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships. Sweden won the bronze. The result was sharply criticized in Canada, where many felt that using the shoot out in the final cheapened the tournament. It was commonly noted that Canada did not allow a single goal in the entire tournament, yet did not win the gold medal.