Andrew Ference was among the players present for the announcement that a deal had been reached to end the NHL lockout and shortly after he apologized for the work stoppage on his Twitter account. "As players we can now do what we do best. Proudly pull on our jerseys and play with complete passion for our cities and fans. I hope that we can replace the intense negativity brought on our sport with a reminder of how great it can be when the action is on the ice," he wrote. "From my grandparents to our B's fans, I am deeply sorry that we had to miss so much hockey. All we can do now is play our hearts out for you." Ference skated in 21 games with HC Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Extraliga during the lockout, where he recorded seven points and a plus-3 rating.