Major Hockey League
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Major Hockey League Constitution & Regulations As revised October, 2011 September 30, 2012 1.
Name - The
organization shall be known as the MAJOR HOCKEY LEAGUE, herein after referred
to as MHL. 2.
Objectives - The
object of this league shall be to control, improve, and foster amateur hockey
in the area which it embraces, within the framework of the SASKATCHEWAN HOCKEY
ASSOCIATION, herein after referred to as the SHA. 3.
Members a.
All new teams in
a division willing to abide by the constitution and regulations of the MHL will
make application to be voted on by the membership at the annual meeting. All new teams accepted will be on a 1 year
probationary period. b.
The annual
membership fee shall be $200.00 per team and must be paid to the
secretary-treasurer before such team can participate in the scheduling
meeting. Privileges are automatically
lost on default of payment of any monies due to the MHL. c.
A new association
entering the MHL will pay the $500.00 franchise fee before the scheduling
meeting. Once the center has completed 2
years in the league they will be reimbursed $200.00 after year 3 and 4. d.
Each team must
post or have posted a $100.00 performance bond. e.
Any center
dropping out of the MHL for one year will be reimbursed their performance bond
and forfeit the franchise fee and must re-apply in writing to be accepted back
into the MHL. f.
Any team who has
scheduled and does not finish the season will lose their performance bond. g.
Any center that
schedules and then drops out shall be fined $500.00 and that team will need to reapply
the next year for entry. h.
Each center shall
post a $100.00 per team performance bond with the MHL secretary-treasurer
before teams can participate in any scheduled league games. The amount of the bond posted may be refunded
to the teams upon request at the conclusion of the regular season league games
and playoff games. 4.
The Executive
Committee - The committee shall consist of the president, vice-president, and
one delegate from each member club, with an alternate names elected by such club
members, which member shall enjoy equal voting rights except the president, or
in his absence, the vice-president, who shall vote only in the case of a tie
vote of the executive. Any majority of
the aforementioned shall constitute a quorum.
Referees and players are not eligible for election to the executive
committee. 5.
League officers -
The league officers shall consist of the president, vice-president,
secretary-treasurer, a commissioner for each division,
the statistician, and the referee in chief. The league officers must be from a center in
Saskatchewan. 6.
Annual Meeting a.
The fall annual
meeting shall be held the first Sunday of October each year at a place and time to be designated by the president of which
every club member shall have due notice. b.
The spring annual
meeting shall be held after the conclusion of the playing season, at some time
during the month of April. c.
Proposed
constitutional changes will be sent out one month prior. d.
The appointment
of the executive committee, commissioners, referee in chief, will take place at
such meetings. e.
Only clubs
holding franchise in the MHL will be allowed voting privileges at either the spring
or fall meeting. One per franchise. f.
Set the fines to
be assessed for different infractions. g.
The fall annual
meeting and scheduling meeting will be held on different days. h.
Any center not
attending or not staying until the end of either the fall or spring meeting will
be fined $50.00. i.
The league
officers will divide the teams into divisions (keeping the divisions small) and
present them at the meeting in October. 7.
Duties and Powers
of the Executive Committee a.
To conduct the
business of the MHL in its entirety between annual meetings and have complete
control of hockey activities within its membership. b.
To admit new club
members by a majority vote. c.
To re-admit or
reinstate, by majority vote, any club, coach, manager, player, or referee under
suspension, upon application from such suspended club or person. d.
To procure and
make available a supply of referee reports for the use of all club members. e.
To procure and
make available a copy of the constitution and regulations to each center and
its teams. 8.
Duties and Powers
of the League Officers a.
To deal with
business of minor nature which does not require the decision of the executive
committee, between meetings of the committee b.
To deal with and
rule on all protests. c.
To assess fines,
suspend any club, coach, manager, player, or referee refusing to accept and
obey the rulings of the executive committee or league officers, for proven foul
or unfair and unsportsmanlike conduct, individually or collectively, at any
place where hockey is being played or any meeting. 9.
Protests a.
The league
officers shall be the sole judges as to whether a protest shall be entertained
or not. b.
Protests on point
of rules only as set out in the constitution and regulations,
will only be entertained and not on a referee’s decision. c.
Protest procedure
shall be outlined in the SHA Handbook with the fee for protests being
$150.00. Sum deposited with the protest
shall be forfeited to the MHL if the protest is not upheld.
i.
The president
must be notified within 96 hours of the advertised time of the game. A cheque for
$150.00 must accompany this protest.
ii.
Written protest
and any third party evidence must be signed by the manager &/or coach and
also the president of the association.
iii.
If the protest is
not upheld then the protesting team will loose their $150.00, if it is upheld
the team being protested against will be billed for expenses (example phone
calls, mileage if a meeting is required).
iv.
The president in
consultation with the division commissioner will decide if the protest shall be
entertained and then make a ruling based on the material submitted.
v.
The president or
his/her designate shall assume delivery of a copy of the protest to the team
being protested against as soon as possible after receipt of the protest.
vi.
The team being
protested against shall have 24 hours from receipt of the protest to file a defiance along with a settlement fee of $150.00.
vii.
The president
shall render a decision in writing as soon as possible and not later than seven
(7) after receipt of the defiance. 10.
Duties and Powers
of the President a.
The president
will have the right to represent any or all of the executive committee on any
occasion and will be responsible to his executive for same. b.
To call meetings
wherever deemed necessary or by request of any majority of club members. c.
To give a full
report to the SHA executive director regarding any suspensions of clubs,
managers, coaches, players, referees, or any other officials. d.
The president has
the authority to add or impose suspensions in the case of dangerous play and
for repeat offenders. e.
Interpret the
constitution when the intent of any section is in question. 11.
Duties of the
Secretary-Treasurer a.
To record all
minutes of the meetings, attend to all correspondence, record all receipts and
payments, deposit all monies received in a bank of the MHL’s choice, pay all
accounts of the MHL as directed by the executive committee and prepare a
statement of receipts and payments for information at each meeting. b.
To pay honoraria
of $2000.00 to the president and $3000.00 to the statistician at the conclusion
of each hockey season. c.
To send notices
to club members of all meetings when directed by the president. d.
To supply, at the
expense of the MHL, a copy of the constitution and regulations, a list of
players of each club, a supply of referee reports, game sheets, and envelopes
for game sheets and any other information to each club. e.
To supply a copy
of all amendments to the constitution and regulations as approved by the MHL to
the SHA. 12.
Qualifications
and Duties of a Commissioner a.
A commissioner
shall be neutral and not be connected with any club member in any way. b.
He or she shall
be interested and have good knowledge of hockey. c.
He or she shall
act in an advisory capacity to the MHL Officers, and assist on rulings on
matters such as protests, fines, and suspensions, etc. d.
Commissioners
will be appointed annually on from each center in alphabetical order of the
centers.
i.
2011 – 12 1.
Whitewood 2.
Winnipegosis 3.
Yorkton 4.
Canora 5.
Cote
ii.
2012 – 13 1.
Esterhazy 2.
Foam Lake 3.
Fort Qu’Appelle 4.
Grand Plains 5.
Kamsack
iii.
2013 – 14 1.
Langenburg 2.
Melville 3.
Moosomin 4.
Ochapowace 5.
Preeceville 13.
Amendments to the
Constitution – The constitution shall be amended at either annual meetings,
held spring and fall, and the intended amendment must be given in writing to
the MHL one month before the meeting and can be adopted only by 2/3 majority
vote of the voting delegates present. 14.
Officials,
Scorekeepers, and Timekeepers a.
It shall be the
duty of the home team management to appoint and assign a registered referee and
two linesmen, an official scorekeeper, timekeeper, and penalty timekeeper, who
once named are league officials and are responsible to the MHL president. They must conduct themselves as such and
carry out their respective duties according to the rules. b.
It shall be the
duty of the official scorer to obtain the player roster on the provided MHL
score sheet and deliver same to the referee before the start of the game,
record all goals, assists, and penalties and hand same to the referee at the
completion of the game for his signature. c.
A $25.00 fine
will be levied against the association that has a team that submits score
sheets that are filled out incorrectly. 15.
Referees a.
Only referees
registered with the SHA / Hockey Manitoba referees division shall be allowed to
referee games in the MHL. b.
A three man
system is to be used in all league and playoff games. In games not assigned by the referee in chief
of the MHL, failure to comply with this rule will result in a $50.00 fine for
the first offence and a loss of 2 points for the second and subsequent
offences. c.
The home team
shall supply and bear the costs of the referee and the linesmen. d.
Referees shall be
2 years older than the maximum age of the players in the group playing. e.
Linesmen can be
of the same age or older. f.
Once a referee
and linesmen are named, they are league officials and are responsible to the
referee in chief. They must conduct
themselves as such and are expected to go by the rulebook all the way. Rough or dirty hockey must not be tolerated. g.
It shall be the
duty of the referee and linesmen to sign the score sheet after the game is
completed, and if the referee has any remarks relative to the game, this must
be written on an official game report and forwarded to the MHL president, not
later than the following morning. h.
If there are any
penalties such as match penalties or any other disturbance that may call for
immediate action by the president, the referee must phone and report same to
the president that same night, if possible, or first thing in the morning. Following phone call an official referee’s
game report must be faxed in. i.
Home teams must
pay the costs of referees as per the SHA handbook for playoff games. j.
The referee in
chief will appoint neutral out of town referees for all “A” division finals in
the pee wee, bantam, and midget age divisions.
i.
He/she will also
appoint neutral out of town referees for all midget playoff games, mileage to
be paid by the home team until the “A” final. k.
A parent,
guardian, or sibling cannot ref that player’s games. A team official cannot ref or lines for his
or her team. If either situation should
occur, due to unforeseen circumstances both coaches must sign there consent to
the back of the game sheet. Failure to
comply will result in the offending team losing their points for that
game. No protest will be required to
take the points away. l.
If a team
requests a neutral referee then the team requesting will pay the referee the mileage
and the going SHA referee fee. 16.
Playoffs - Adult
goal judges are required for bantam and midget playoffs. Rules and Regulations With the exception of those rules and
regulations specifically mentioned and covered herein, the SHA rules and regulations
shall prevail in its entirety. 17.
All teams in the
MHL shall be properly registered with SHA or Hockey Manitoba as applicable. 18.
Each club member
shall submit to the MHL statistician, a copy of the SHA or Hockey Manitoba certification
form listing eligible players as per SHA or Hockey Manitoba regulations. The copy of the certification to be sent prior
to your first league game. Any team
failing to comply with this rule will be fined $50.00 per game. 19.
Player roster
with player’s numbers must be submitted, on approved form, to the statistician
prior to your first league game. Any
team failing to comply with this rule will be fined $50.00 per game. 20.
All teams must
fax in their AP sheet, in the form as submitted to either SHA or Hockey
Manitoba to the league by December 15.
This list can be added to and deleted from. Any player can only be affiliated to one
team. As of January 10 the most recent
AP list the league has is the one that will be used, no other players can be
added. 21.
The amount of any
fine assessed against any team, coach, manager, or player for infraction of any
rules, foul play, etc. by the MHL officers shall be taken out of the performance
bond posted, which amount must be replaced with the MHL secretary/treasurer
before that association will be considered to be in good standing with the MHL. Any associations not in good standing at the
beginning of any season will not be allowed to participate. 22.
Postponement of
scheduled league games, except in the case of adverse weather conditions, must
be arranged between the two teams concerned (within 72 hours) before the
scheduled hockey game time. Any
cancelled/postponed games must be rescheduled and played within 4 weeks of the
original scheduled date, except for the month of December where teams will be
allowed 6 weeks to reschedule due to Christmas.
These games may only be rescheduled once failure to comply with this
rule will result in a $50.00 fine for each team. This fine will be taken from their bond and
must be replaced within 2 weeks or the team will not be able to play. Any team postponing a scheduled league game
to participate in an exhibition game at home or away shall forfeit $100.00 to
the MHL, unless the two teams involved agree to a postponement. Ice fees and referees must be paid by the
offending team to the home team if this rule is broken. The league must be notified of all game
changes. A new date for that game must
be to the league within 7 days. There
will be a $50.00 fine for both teams for failure to comply with this rule. Games must be completed by the season
deadline. There will be no forfeits. a.
Discussed at 2012
AGM – NOT fair that both teams are fined, as it may not be the fault of both
teams. Any more than 1 postponement that
cannot be rescheduled, both teams must notify their respective commissioner to
co-ordinate rescheduling of the game. 23.
In the case of
illness on a team, the team may find it impossible to give the other team 72
hours notice. If the opposing team does
not agree to the postponement then the team with the illness must get
permission from their commissioner or the president. If neither is available another commissioner
can make the call. The commissioner or
the president that makes the decision shall not reside in the community of
either team involved. 24.
Any team
cancelling a league playoff game within 36 hours of the scheduled game, must
have the consent of the president (or past president if there is a conflict of
interest) and the division commissioner.
They will be responsible to pay the ice and official fee, if applicable
to the other team. If the cancelling
team does not have the consent of the president (or past president) and the
commissioner, they will also default the game. 25.
The management of
each team shall make every effort to prevail upon rink management to improve
facilities and conditions of skating rinks in the province where it is deemed
necessary for the safety and comfort of the players and spectators, such as
adequate lighting over the ice area and throughout the rink, adequate time and
penalty keepers boxes, players boxes, visible time clock, fire exits properly
constructed and lighted, keep puck fences in good order of repair, which shall
be constructed of lumber materials and away from any cement walls, see that
gates in the rink open out and not onto the ice surface, and the such gates are
equipped with adequate latch and fastener.
Ice shall be cleaned between each period. 26.
That there be no overtime played in regular season games, which are
tied at the end of regulation time. 27.
At the completion
of all league games, the teams shall commence their playoff series without
delay. 28.
Overtime shall be
played in all playoff games (other than a 2 game total point series) ending in
a tie at the end of regulation time, according to the Hockey Canada rule (Rule #83).
As follows. a.
Following the end
of the game the teams will take a 2 minute break on the ice. The clock will be set for 10 minute sudden
death victory overtime period. Teams
will not change ends. b.
If still tied the
teams will go to the dressing room while the ice is resurfaced. The clock will then be set for 20 minute
sudden victory period. Teams will change
ends. 29.
The playoff
structure shall be decided at the scheduling meeting. 30.
In the case of a
tie in team standings at the end of regular season league games, SHA tie
breaking rules will apply. 31.
The team
finishing in a top position shall have the choice of playing the first playoff
game at home, and if an odd game is necessary to declare a winner, this too
shall be played on the home ice of the team in top position. 32.
The league will
provide banners for winners in each division. 33.
When an
individual player has accumulated 3 major penalties and/or 3 misconducts, the
player will be suspended by the league president for one game, upon a second
accumulation the suspension will be 2 games, upon a third accumulation the
suspension will be for 3 games, etc.
Clarification: will apply to all games excluding provincial playoffs and
will carry over from the regular season.
If a player accumulates 3 checking from behind penalties an extra game
will be added to the above suspension. a.
If a player has
been infraction free for a period of 1 month then 1 infraction will be removed
from his/her record. The month starts
from the time the player returns from his/her suspension. b.
Any major
penalty, checking from behind, and fights will not be deleted. c.
In the midget
division the suspension levied for accumulation will be double of that above. 34.
All suspensions
will be posted on the web page. Teams /
players concerned may be notified by other means if necessary. 35.
All game sheets
to be faxed to the statistician by noon the next day. Failure to do so will result in a $25.00
fine. Playoff games must be faxed in the
same night. 36.
Zero tolerance
will be practiced by the MHL. Team
officials and who violate the zero tolerance rule will
be suspended for a minimum of 1 game. 37.
Any player who accumulates
3 checking from behind penalties will receive an extra game in addition to
his/her 3 infraction suspension. 38.
All teams in all
divisions are to be allowed to participate in playoffs. 39.
Any team that
does not show for a scheduled game or shows up without enough players to ice a team
will compensate the opposing team for ice costs as well as the cost of the
officials. The opposing team will inform
the president of the forfeit and with the president’s permission, will send the
offending team a bill. If the offending
team has not paid the bill in 2 weeks, the opposing team will inform the
president and he will pull the offending team’s bond and that team will not
play until both are paid. This game must
be rescheduled. 40.
Late starts – For
every 30 minutes a game is late (from the scheduled start time) it will be
designated as 1 period and 2 goals will be given to the non offending
team. If you are 30 minutes late the
game will start in the 2nd period if you are 60 minutes late the
game will start in the 3rd period.
This also applies to the home team if they are not ready to start. If a phone call is made to the non offending
team they will let you know if the game can be started late and it can be
played in its entirety or if the game will need to be rescheduled. If the game cannot be played the offending
team will be responsible for ice and ref costs as per the constitution. When making the call, leaving a message is
not good enough. You must verbally talk
with a team official. 41.
Once a player has
been given full goaltender privileges, he cannot return to the game as a player
but must remain classified as the goaltender, even though the regular
goaltender is back playing in the game.
Novice and atom divisions will be exempt from this rule. 42.
Overage policy
(passed at October 2011 president’s meeting) a.
A first year
player in a division may ask for a concession to play in the next lower
division. b.
Overage
concessions should be voted on at the fall meeting and the names submitted to
the league president seven (7) days prior to the meeting. c.
Overage
concessions after the annual meeting may be granted by the president provided
they follow the constitution. The
president will inform the teams in that division of any new overages. d.
The seven (7)
game rule still applies (this is a maximum of 7 games). Any coach or president that has a concern
with any overage player who has been allowed a concession should submit in
writing, a letter to the president of the MHL.
The letter must be sent before the 7th game or December 15,
whichever comes first. e.
In the case of a
player having a physical handicap each case will be dealt with on an individual
basis by the president and the division commissioner. f.
Once a player has
been approved to move down they should not play back up in the division they
belong. If they do they will
automatically be part of the higher based team. g.
There will be no
overages in the midget division. 43.
Home team will be
responsible to provide the warm up pucks before games. 44.
The Major Hockey
League will follow SHA and only recommend that a mouth guard be worn for
games. No penalty will be assessed for
not wearing one. Manitoba teams will
follow Saskatchewan rules for this.
There will be no penalty called for this in league games played in
Manitoba.
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