New York ? A hockey season on the brink is now a season gone bust.

The NHL canceled what was left of its decimated schedule Wednesday after a round of last-gasp negotiations failed to resolve differences over a salary cap — the flash-point issue that led to a lockout.

It’s the first time a major pro sports league in North America lost an entire season to a labor dispute. The resulting damage could be immeasurable to hockey, which already has limited appeal in the United States.

“This is a sad, regrettable day that all of us wish could have been avoided,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said.

“Every day that this thing continues, we don’t think it’s good for the game,” NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow said in Toronto.

To begin with, all momentum gained in the final days of negotiations has been lost — late offers that appeared to bring the sides close to a deal now are off the table, and there’s no telling when the NHL will get back on the ice.

No Stanley Cup champion will be crowned, the first time that’s happened since 1919, when the 2-year-old league called off the finals because of a flu epidemic.

Without an agreement, there can be no June draft. The sport’s heralded next big thing, Canadian phenom Sidney Crosby, won’t pull on his first NHL sweater anytime soon.

Then there is the parade of aging standouts — Mario Lemieux (39), Mark Messier (44), Steve Yzerman (39) Brett Hull (40), Ron Francis (41), Dave Andreychuk (41) and Chris Chelios (43) — whose playing days could be ending on someone else’s terms.

“This is a tragedy for the players,” Bettman said. “Their careers are short, and this is money and opportunity they’ll never get back.”