NHL owners will vote Wednesday on the tentative labor agreement reached with the players’ union. If a majority approves, as expected, the league will move one step closer toward the official end of the long lockout that began Sept. 16.

As of Tuesday afternoon, a memorandum of understanding of the deal hadn’t been completed, so the union has yet to schedule a vote for its more than 700 members. A majority of players also must approve the deal for hockey to return to the ice.