MANAGERS/TEAM HANDBOOK

As a manager remember that the duties on the team are a group effort. You can chose to take care of all duties, or delegate/recruit various team members for support. The biggest key in a team’s success is COMMUNICATION. Technology is great, and has made a manager’s job much easier than in the days of only a telephone – but be sure to ask every team member what is the best way to communicate with them, and let the team know how you plan to communicate. The team responsibilities are as follows:

  • Work with the Team Coordinator to fill any vacant spots on the team.
  • Team Coordinator
  • Head Coach – must have full certification (see the Coaching section for more info on requirements)
  • Assistant Coaches – must have RIS Coach certification
  • Safety person – must have HCSP certification
  • Manager
  • Tournament Coordinator – home and/or away
  • Jersey Parents
  • Someone to organize the 50/50 sales and time box volunteers
  • Website person to manage the team’s site
  • Liaison with the MMHA Ice Coordinator

Team start up tasks:

  • Make contact with the team coordinator for website login/passwords to get team lists in order to communicate with registered team members about practices, meetings, and association news/events.
  • Enter ALL of your team information to the MMHA website (including players and team staff), as that is how members receive information about everything they need to know at the beginning of the year – if they are not entered in the system, they do not receive our emails.
  • Communicate first ice times and any information the coach or association requires the team to know.
  • With the Head Coach, plan a team meeting to go over team goals, sign pledges, assign team responsibilities, and discuss team decisions like exhibition games, provincials, away tournament, etc.
  • Assign jersey numbers in order to prepare rosters for both the MMHA website and the 1660 Hockey League website – team photos are also at the beginning of the season, so players will need to have jerseys assigned before that date.
  • Contact your team coordinator to see what tier you have been entered into in the 1660 Hockey League. Contact the governor for that tier to get your login and password for that website. Your team roster and staff must be entered on that website as well as the MMHA one.
  • The websites can be linked by going into the MMHA team website – click on “Settings” – scroll to the third box down labeled “League Settings” – fill out the info using the drop down menus. Then enter your login and password for the 1660 website, and the sites are linked. All league scheduled games and game sheets are accessible and show up on both MMHA & 1660 sites now.

Now that you are up and running:

  • Once you have chosen a tournament coordinator, a tournament sanction must be applied for and the tournament contact information placed on the Hockey Alberta website, as well as our own. Please send the contact information to the MMHA registrar, as they will be responsible for applying for all sanctions and permits.
  • All exhibition games and games or tournaments outside of our zone (see map in coach binder for details) require permits. You only need to apply for a permit to host an exhibition game of any kind. When travelling, the host team will apply for permit. All games outside of the zone (exhibition or tournament) require a travel permit. Please submit all exhibition and travel permit requests to the MMHA registrar. Both forms can be found on the MMHA website under forms.
  • All exhibition/travel/tournament game sheets must be submitted to the Hockey Alberta Discipline/Sanction Coordinator: Located in hockey Alberta Website
  • The home team is responsible for filling out the timesheet before the game. It needs to be filled out with the date, division, type of game, and game #. Game numbers are listed with your schedule on the 1660 website.
  • Game stickers for your team can be printed directly from your team’s MMHA website once all your roster and staff have been added. Managers are not to be listed on game sheets unless they are carded to the team. Have the coach cross off any players that are not present, label all affiliated players by writing AP beside their name, label all overage players by writing OA beside their name, and label any suspensions being served by writing “serving 1/3 games”.
  • You must confirm your game schedule with the Referee in Chief, so that you have referees at your game. Contact the Referee in Chief (contact info can be found on the MMHA website under “executive”) by Tuesday for a weekend game. Once the regular season has begun they will operate off of your website’s schedule to provide refs at your games. You must contact the Referee in Chief immediately upon a game change. Remember communication is key to a smooth running season.
  • Be sure to have volunteers lined up to work in the time keepers box (at least 2 people from initiation to atom - one for the clock, and one for score sheet, but an extra person to open the penalty doors is often helpful, from Peewee to Midget 3 people will be needed at all times) and if your team has decided to sell 50/50’s. 50/50’s sales will need to be organized in advance. The association will need to acquire a permit, contact the bingo coordinator for assistance in receiving the permit, so all sheets/winner info must be handed in to the president at the end of the season. We recommend that you use a square system – a sheet with numbered squares, and people write their name in the square as they purchase – vs ticket sales. You are welcome to create something, but the Pipestone Flyer has a sheet on file for our 50/50 sales that you can customize to your team at a very minimal cost for printing. You will average 10-12 home games in a season. Numbered poker chips, tidily winks, etc, can be used to draw from. Most teams already have something in place, so ask around before you create the chips. A $20 float with coin and $5 bills will be required to start each game. This money is your team’s to spend as you wish.

Once the season has started:

  • As the manager, you are responsible for the schedule. If you decide to schedule an exhibition game – you must contact the MMHA Ice Coordinator to find appropriate ice times. If your team will not be using their designated ice time, the Ice Coordinator MUST be notified.
  • You will liaison with the league to be sure that your game schedule has no conflicts. In the case of a conflict, print off a “Notice of Game Change” form from the 1660 website under “forms”. All rules about game changes can be found on the 1660 website – or check with your governor. Submit the game change form to the opposition team and offer them a couple of ice time options for a reschedule (of course after speaking with the MMHA Ice Coordinator first). Once they have signed the form, submit to your governor.
  • Game sheets must be submitted by the home team and then verified by the visiting team. If you are home team, you must submit your game sheet within 24-48 hours pending the time of year, by going to the game on the schedule and click on “gamesheet”. Add all the information from your game sheet – including goalie stats (see below). All game sheets are to be verified within 48-72 hours pending the time of year.