New York, NY -- The National Hockey League announced Thursday that all of the events at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft have been cancelled due to the lack of a collective bargaining agreement.

The draft events were scheduled to take place during June 25-26 at the Corel Centre in Ottawa.

"In the absence of a Collective Bargaining Agreement, we are not able to conduct an Entry Draft in the traditional sense on the dates scheduled," said Bill Daly, NHL Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer.

On February 16, the NHL became the first major North American sports league to lose an entire season due to a labor dispute. The Stanley Cup will not be awarded for only the second time since 1893, as it wasn't given out in 1919 due to a flu epidemic.

There has not been any determination as to when Ottawa might hold another Entry Draft.

If a collective bargaining agreement is reached there still may be a draft this year, but it will not be held the way the NHL normally holds it, in an arena. Instead it would likely take place at a meeting or via conference call.

The 2005 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa was supposed to be the coming out party for QMJHL phenom Sidney Crosby, who was a sure bet to go first-overall. Crosby won his second straight QMJHL scoring title with 66 goals and 102 assists this season.