Policies and Procedures

Noralta Junior Hockey League Policies and Procedures

1.League Structure

President- shall be responsible for the overall management and supervision of the Noralta Junior Hockey League including the following:

- Shall preside over and chair the board meetings of the league according to the guidelines of Roberts Rules of Order.

- Shall be an ad hoc member of all standing committees.

- Shall be responsible for all press releases and public presentations.

- Shall have the power to suspend summarily any player, coach, trainer, manager or official of any team under the auspices of the league for any conduct on or off the ice which is in the sole discretion of the President is deemed to be unbecoming or detrimental to the game. Such suspensions to be effective until dealt with in accordance with the Policies and Procedures.

- Shall have the power to prevent summarily any spectator from viewing any game or other activity or entering a facility to view such game or activity under the auspices of the league for any conduct, which in the sole discretion of the President is deemed unbecoming or detrimental to the game. Further the President shall have the power to suspend summarily the player, coach, team official of the team to which the spectator is attached. Such action will be effective until dealt with in accordance with the Policies and Procedures.

- Shall not vote at meetings of the league unless there is an equal number of votes on any question that is voted upon, in which case the President shall have the casting vote.

- Shall have the power to delegate any his duties or responsibilities to other members of the board.

- A President is elected for a term of two years, commencing on odd years.

Vice President – shall be responsible for supervising the following appointed categories:

- Discipline

- Referee Liaison

- Commissioner

The Vice President shall elect to have the appointed members present reports at regular meetings or present written reports on behalf of the appointed members

Director of Operations – shall be responsible for supervising the following appointed categories:

- Registration

- Statistician

- Ice Allocator

The Director of Operations shall elect to have the appointed members present reports at regular meetings or present written reports on behalf of the appointed members.

Treasurer – shall be responsible for supervising all financial operations of the league including, without limitation the following:

- The preparation of financial statements as necessary for scheduled meetings.

- The preparation of the annual budget

- The supervision of all banking operations of the league.

- The supervision of the Special Events Director

- The supervision of the Casino Director

The Treasurer shall elect to have the appointed members present reports at regular meetings or present written reports on behalf of the appointed members.

Past President – shall preside at meetings as an advisor to the President, and aid the President in the daily operations of the league.

Secretary – shall be responsible for the following duties:

- The recording of the minutes at regular league meetings.

- The forwarding of the minutes and agenda to the members of the committee at least 48 hours prior to the meeting dates.

- The distribution of all required documentation or notifications to members as instructed by the elected executive.

- The maintenance and possession of a minute binder on behalf of the league.

Registrar – shall be responsible for the following:

- The recording of the registrations in accordance with the HCR program.

- The forwarding of the registration lists to the directors or executive as required.

- The verification of registration lists required for Provincials, tournaments or other league events.

- Shall provide either a written or verbal report at all league meetings

Statistician – shall be responsible for the following:

- The recording of the league statistics and game results for posting on the league website.

- Correspondence with team representatives in regards to the accuracy of the statistics as recorded on the game sheets. Correspondence may be by fax, email or any other method that the Statistician may deem necessary.

- Shall provide either a written or verbal report at all league meetings.

Special Events – shall be responsible for the following:

- The scheduling and the arrangements of events such as the Provincials, Martin Lavallee Tournament, All-star Tournament and any other special events that the league requires.

- Shall provide either a written or verbal report at all league meetings.

Ice Allocator – shall be responsible for the following:

- The collection of the necessary game slots from participation teams for the preparation of the season game schedule.

- The acquisition of the ice required for special events. (i.e. Provincials, Martin Lavallee Tournament, All-star events etc)

- The preparation of an ice summary to be forwarded to the Treasurer for billing purposes.

- Shall provide either a written or verbal report at all league meetings.

Casino Director – shall be responsible for the following:

- Set up prospective dates for casinos.

- Correspondence with the gaming commission in regards to casino requirements and reports.

- The arrangement of appropriate banking for casinos.

- The disbursements of casino funds as per the guidelines of the gaming commission and the league treasurer.

Discipline Chairman – shall be responsible for the following:

- Shall be responsible for communicating with the appropriate team officials in regards to suspensions as indicated on game sheets and within the suspension guidelines of the league and Hockey Alberta.

- Shall arrange suspension hearings and preside as the chair at such hearings.

- Shall provide either a written or verbal report at all league meetings.

Commissioner – shall be responsible for the following:

- The issue of sanction numbers for exhibition games.

- The issue of sanction numbers for tournaments and travel.

2. League Play and Playoffs

i) League Play - League games and their dates shall be set by schedule. The number of games shall be established each year/ season at the fall meeting. The number shall not exceed 28 games per season per team. All league games must be played. All games must have at least 2 ¼ hours of ice time available for play. If the score is tied at the end of regulation time, NO overtime will be played (Regular season play).

ii) League Points - Two (2) points shall be awarded for a win, one (1) point for a tie, and zero (0) points for a loss.

iii) Playoffs - Shall include teams with the highest point total, using the point system set out in b). above. If teams are still tied, then the team with the most wins shall be the highest in the standings. If the teams are still tied, then the team with the best head to head record shall be considered the highest. If the teams are still tied, then the team with the best goals for goals against ratio shall be the higher in the standings. If the teams are still tied, then the team with the lowest penalty minutes shall be considered the highest.

iv) Playoff Format - All playoff series shall be determined as soon as possible before the start of each season

Sportsmanship Policy

The NJHL provides organized recreational Junior hockey with a competitive spirit that promotes sportsmanship, in the greater Edmonton area. The League has instituted the following policy to foster and promote this mission statement. The policy outlines three milestones that will provide players with expectations of sportsmanship and conduct becoming a member, of the NJHL.

Milestone # 1:

If you achieve more than 60 minutes in total penalty minutes, you will receive a written warning of your conduct towards sportsmanship.

Milestone #2:

If you achieve more the 90 minutes in total penalty minutes, you will receive a suspension and must appear before the League President, Vice President, and Disciplinary Chairman.

Milestone #3:

If you achieve more that 120 minutes in total penalty minutes, you will receive a suspension and must attend a hearing to appear before a Special Disciplinary Board to determine your eligibility to continue playing in the NJHL for the remainder of the season

Mercy Rule

At times a team may be short of players due to registrations, injuries, etc. If at any time a game has a goal differential of (10) goals, additional goals will not be displayed on the scoreboard unless the (10) goal differential has decreased. Additional goals and assists will not be recorded in the statistics for that game. The options available to the teams in this situation are as follows.

i) The losing team may request that the game be ended with the leading team winning the game and obtaining 2 points for the win.

ii) The team may agree to end the game with the leading team obtaining 2 points for the win and having the game continue as an exhibition game.

3. Team Colors

Each team should have two (2) sets of jerseys, one light and one dark. Light colors should be worn in the home rink, dark when playing away from home.

4. Protests

All protests must be made within 24 hours of the game in question, and be followed by a written protest sent to the President with a copy to the opposing team, within 72 hours of completion of the protested game. The protest shall be accompanied by a non-refundable cheque for $100.00 The defending club must file any defense or rebuttal with 72 hours of being notified by the President of the protest, or within 72 hours of receipt of a copy of the protest from the opposing team.

5. Team Registration

Players must be registered as required by AAHA and CHA regulations. All players must be registered before participating in any league game. Players are to be assigned a number by the third league game and are to wear this number for the rest of the season. If for some reason a change has to be made, the Association must be notified in writing of the change and the reason for the change. Team’s rosters indicating affiliates must be supplied to the Association. Affiliations of Junior C players up to higher levels of hockey will not be honored unless authorized by the Noralta Junior Hockey League executive.

At no time may any team have any more than 25 registered players.

6. Critical Dates

December 1^st

On December 1st, all Junior teams must reduce to not more than 25, the total of the following items:

i) The number of registered players on their active list.

ii) The number of unused registration certificates.

iii) No team may register or dress more than four (4) overage players for any regular season and playoff game within the Noralta Junior Hockey League.

If 25 players are listed, at least two must be goaltenders.

January 10^th

On January 10th, all Junior teams must reduce to not more than 23, the total of the following items:

i) The number of registered players on their active list and

ii) The number of unused registration certificates.

iii) No team may register or dress more than four (4) overage players for any regular season and playoff game within the Noralta Junior Hockey League.

If 23 players are listed at least two must be goaltenders.

January 15^th

i) Affiliated player lists must be submitted and approved by Noralta Junior Hockey Association and Hockey Alberta

ii) Affiliated players must be registered before taking part in any game.

February 10^th

i) Final player registration

ii) Final date for player transfers

7.Tampering

No member may invite or allow to participate in a training camp, or to practice or play in any scheduled or exhibition game, a registered player of another member from the previous season in the same or higher category or of the current season in any division or category, without first having secured permission in writing, in the manner set forth below from the member with which such player is registered. For failure to comply with the above regulation, the responsible shall be sanctioned. Such sanction may include any or all of the following:

i) A fine of up to five thousand dollars to the offending member, payable to the member which files the tampering charge within 30 days of notification.

ii) The return of two (2) unused player certificates for that season by the offending member to Hockey Alberta.

iii) Compensation to the club that may lose a player to the offending member through subsequent appeal. The level of compensation shall be determined by Hockey Alberta.

iv) A minimum ten (10) game suspension (regular season or playoffs) to the head coach of the offending member/team.

v) A suspension for a period of up to one (1) year to the responsible officials of the offending member.

8.Underage Players

i) No member may invite or allow to participate in a training camp, practice or play in any exhibition game any Underage player (17 years old or less) without first obtaining written permission from the minor program registrar/president.

ii) No member may invite or allow to participate in a regular season/play off game any Underage player (17 years old or less) without first obtaining a release from the minor program registrar/president.

9.Release of Player Procedure

i) In the event of a team using a player not properly registered, the A.A.H.A. shall have the right to discipline the club or team as they see fit.

ii) The A.A.H.A. Executive shall have the right, in its discretion, to refuse the transfer from a team within a branch to another team within the same branch.

iii) All releases shall be unconditional.

iv) No player shall therefore be transferred from one team to another without his/her consent, nor shall such transfer be made in case of a player or junior age or underage if his/her parents object thereto.

v) A suspended player shall not be released by his team or club during the playing season.

10.Game Reports

All teams shall use the league supplied game sheet books for each home game.

i) Original is faxed to the appointed league designates (Discipline Chair & Statistician) within (24) twenty-four hours of the completion of the game.

ii) Copy #1 is retained by the home team.

iii) Copy #2 is supplied to the visiting team.

It is the responsibility of the Manager or Director of the home team to ensure that the game sheets are mailed and/or provided to the league appointed designate within 30 days of the completion of the game. If the game sheets are not mailed and/or received by the league appointed designate, the home team is subject to a $50.00 fine. The home team is responsible for delivering the visiting team's game sheet to their dressing room within 1 hour of the completion of the game.

11.Appeal Procedure

i) Any ruling made by the President or Association against an individual, player or club that is not specifically laid out in the Bylaws, CHA and/or AAHA rule book, or in the league suspension rules, may be appealed by the offending party. An appeal must be launched within seven (7) days of the ruling. The offending party must notify the President in writing at which time the President will form an Appeal Board consisting of three (3) directors from other clubs at "arms length" from the dispute. The Appeal Board will hold a hearing with the President and the offending party and will have the authority to adjust the President's ruling, if it is found to be too severe or unjust. The Appeal Boards ruling shall be final. Any appeal must be accompanied with a non-refundable cheque for the sum of $100.00 made payable to the league.

ii) On notice of the appeal, the players or coaches in question may not resume their status with the club until an appeal hearing has been heard. Any suspension handed down at the appeal hearing will be final.

12.League Rules

i) All teams are responsible for ensuring that any damage caused at the arena, accidental or intentional is reported to the rink attendant before the team leaves the arena.

ii) All teams are responsible for paying for any damage caused accidental or intentional. The league is not responsible for individual team finances.

iii) No team shall bring alcoholic beverages or drugs into any arena before, during or after a game. Any player, coach, manager, trainer or other team official found to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs shall be suspended from the league.

iv) Players will be required to wear a FULL face mask. Players will not be allowed to participate in any league games, exhibition, regular scheduled, or playoff without this mask.

v) A coach and a manager are mandatory for each team. Coaches must have "Coach Level" certification. The league must be notified of any changes of Team Officials and/or Directors. At least one member of each team must have Safety/Abuse and Speak Out certifications.

vi) Game ice slots must be forwarded to the Ice Allocator in ample time to schedule for the upcoming season. It is recommended that the slots be 2 ¼ hours in length with at least one flood between the second and third periods.

vii) If the season is set at 28 games, you are required to supply at least 21 ice slots on non-sequential dates. Ice slots must include weekday & weekend slots, with at least 30% on an alternate day.

viii) Each regular season game will consist of three (3) twenty (20) minute stop time periods, with a flood between the second and third periods.

ix) No game including playoffs may be cancelled without the Associations permission, with the exception of weather conditions. Rescheduled games must have the approval of the Association.

x) All teams are subject to the following suspension guidelines.

13.Game Cancellation Procedures

i) If a game is cancelled due to weather conditions. It is the responsibility of the home team to arrange a replacement game slot that is satisfactory to the visiting team and the league schedule. The game must be replayed within 30 days of the original game. If the game cannot be rescheduled, then it will be considered a (1-1) tie game.

ii) If a game is cancelled for any other reason than weather. The team who requested the cancellation of the game is responsible for arranging a suitable replacement game within 30 days of the original game and absorbing the cost of the ice and referees. The game date must be agreed upon by the opposing team and the league schedule. If the game cannot be rescheduled it is registered in the stats as a 2-0 loss for the cancelling team.

14.Minimum Suspension Guidelines

Refer to Hockey Alberta Minimum Suspension Guidelines

Depending on the severity of the incidents, further disciplinary action may be imposed by the Noralta Junior Hockey League