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NSAHA – OLDTIMERS B

Rules to be Emphasized

As a result of a combination of:

  1. criticisms about the increasingly physical nature of play in our Division,
  2. a seeming increase in the number of injuries last year, and
  3. a review of the insurance policy,

we decided to review the rules in some detail in the hope of addressing some of the concerns that have arisen. As a result of that review, there are a number of rules, both new and old, that need to be emphasized to all manager and all players. Therefore, please ensure that you review the following carefully and provide copies to your players. The Referees have been instructed to call penalties in accordance with what is set out below. If a player later claims to be unaware of the penalty/interpretation, that will not be a valid excuse.

  1. For insurance purposes, every player must play with proper equipment. This includes helmet, shoulder pads, elbow pads, gloves, pants, and shin pads. All of the equipment must be CSA approved. The chin strap on the helmet must be a proper chin strap and must be done up so no more than 2 fingers can fit between the strap and the bottom of the chin. Any player found to not be wearing proper equipment will not be permitted to play.
  2. Also for insurance purposes, if there is an injury in a game which requires a player to seek medical attention, the referees have been instructed to provide a report. I request that the team involved also provide a report. That will assist us in dealing with the issue in the event a claim is made.
  3. The body checking penalty will be interpreted in the following manner. Any body contact which is not incidental to the play but is directed towards gaining an advantage will be a penalty. For your assistance, the following interpretations will be applied:
  4. Two players who collide while both playing the puck will not result in a penalty to either player.
  5. Two players who collide accidentally will not result in a penalty to either player.
  6. If a player on a break (with or without the puck) is impeded by an opposing player (defenceman or otherwise) who initiates body contact (ie. gets in the way) without, in the referee’s interpretation, a legitimate attempt to play the puck, the opposing player will receive a penalty.
  7. Where a player “rides out” the puck carrier into the boards without displaying an intention to play the puck, that player will receive a penalty.
  8. There will be zero tolerance on slashing, cross-checking and highsticking. The significance of the contact will be irrelevant. In addition to the obvious infractions, the following will be considered penalties:
  9. A defenceman using his stick to move players in front of the net.
  10. A backchecking player who uses his stick while chasing an opponent.
  11. Any swing of the stick which, even though it doesn’t actually make contact, is not directed towards the puck (obviously it will be a penalty even if directed towards the puck but it is, nonetheless, considered a high stick or slash).
  12. Obstruction type of penalties will be called. These include hooking, holding or otherwise interfering with players away from the play.
  13. It is the responsibility of every team to ensure that the timekeeper is provided with a roster before the start of the game. In the event a roster cannot be provided, the team must ensure that someone sits with the timekeeper and advises her/him of the names and numbers of the players prior to the start of the game. Any team who does not comply with this rule will be assess a minor penalty for delay of game at the start of the game.
  14. The following rule has been instituted by the CAHA and will apply in our league:

A minor penalty shall be assessed any goaltender who, while outside his crease, deliberately falls on or gathers the puck into his body, or holds or places the puck against any part of the goal, thus delaying the game unnecessarily.

For your assistance in understanding when this applies, the following interpretation appears in the Rules:

The intent of this rule is to eliminate unnecessary stoppages caused by the goaltender. The following guidelines should clarify the application of this rule.

  1. A goaltender may freeze the puck in the goal crease when under pressure from attacking player(s).
  2. The goaltender comes out of her crease to cut down the angle and after stopping the shot, covers the puck or catches the shot. This is legal.
  3. Rule 61(b), a Minor penalty shall be assessed to a goaltender who after one warning freezes the puck in the crease when not under pressure from attacking player(s).
  4. The goaltender comes out of her crease to beat an attacking player to the puck and simply jumps on the puck causing a stoppage of play. No warning shall be issued in this instance. A Minor for Delay of Game shall be assessed the goaltender.
  5. When a goaltender leaves her crease, she shall not be allowed to freeze the puck. No warning shall be issued. A minor penalty for Delay of Game shall be assessed to the goaltender.
  6. There are no timeouts in our league.
  7. If an injury or altercation occurs, the referees/timekeepers are instructed that the clock is not to be stopped. We have only our allotted time for games and, as unfortunate as injuries are, we cannot run over our allotted time.
  8. If a goalie does not arrive before the scheduled start time, the team has the following options:
  9. Start the game, without penalty, and play with 6 skaters until the goalie arrives.
  10. Be assessed a delay of game penalty and wait an additional 5 minutes. In the event the goalie does not arrive prior to the expiry of the additional five minutes, the game will start but the team will still be subject to the delay of game penalty at the start so it will start with only 5 skaters.
  11. There is no mercy rule. The last 5 minutes of the second period will be stop time unless both teams agree that it will be running time.
  12. Every team must have a captain designated with a “C” on his jersey and up to two alternates designated with an “A” on their jerseys. These must be on the jersey and indicating these players on the scoresheet is not sufficient. These are the only players who are entitled to question a referee’s call. Of course, they must do so in a respectful manner and are subject to a penalty for any inappropriate words or conduct. Any player who does not have a “C” or “A” on their jersey and who attempts to question a referee’s call will receive a warning and if they persist, a penalty.

The above is intended to be in addition to and a supplement to the other memo regarding the rules in our league. A copy of those accompanies this memo. Please be sure you and your players are also familiar with them.

Also, please keep in mind that the intention of this is to make the games as free flowing and safe as possible. Obviously the more penalties that are called, the less free flowing a game will be. However, everyone must remember that penalties are only called when there is an infraction. All players should be aware of the rules and, therefore, if players are becoming concerned about the number of penalties, they only have themselves to blame.