Operating Rules and Regulations

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(Last updated: 2017-2018 season)

The rules of Canlan (“Canlan”) and the Official Rules of Hockey Canada shall govern play within NAFHA. Any additional rules adopted by NAFHA and identified herein will also govern play. Any rules adopted by NAFHA will not contravene Canlan regulations but in some cases, may be more severe.

1. REGISTRATION
   1. Each NAFHA team (a “Team”) shall be required to pay an annual registration fee asdetermined by the Treasurer.
   2. A Team is a group of hockey players comprised of not less than twelve (12) players, (exclusive of substitute players). Each Team must submit an approved roster with a minimum of twelve (12) players to the league prior to their first regular season game.
   3. All players must be registered on a Team roster sheet that must be submitted to Canlan for
      registration prior to participating in their first league game. A Team will forfeit any game in which
      a non-registered player participates.
   4. Players are eligible to participate at any level for an unrestricted number of games. A player is eligible to be listed on more than one Team's roster. They must indicate their "home" Team at the time of registration so as to not pay any duplicate insurance fees, but is responsible to each Team for any required fees. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a player cannot be listed on more than one (1) Team's roster within a same division.
   5. Players can be added during the season subject to the foregoing:
      • Whenever a new player is added, the Team roster sheet must be submitted to the Tier Vice-President.
      • Players cannot participate until confirmation has been received from the Tier Vice-President that they have been registered.
      • No player can be registered on a Team after December 31 of a given season.
   6. Each Team is to post a bond of $100.00. Once the bond is consumed it must be reestablished before the Team can resume participation in the league. The bond is to remain with the league until the withdrawal of the Team after completion of a full season. Bonds are to be paid to the Treasurer prior to the start of the year's league schedule.
   7. Regular Membership shall be open to the following:
      • Any female team within a driving distance of 75km from Edmonton’s city center that satisfies the requirements of NAFHA.
      • Teams outside the set distance shall apply in writing each year according to the procedures provided herein. The address of the arena that will be used as their home ice will constitute the rural part of the measurement.
   8. All requests to not play on certain days (“blackout dates”) must be submitted to each Team’s Tier Vice President no later than August 1st. Blackout dates will be honored wherever possible.  The Scheduler may be required to evaluate on a case by case basis.
2. RESPONSIBILITIES OF TEAMS
   1. All Teams are expected to pay league fees, ice bills, and invoices within 30 days of receipt.  Failure to pay within the 30 day period will result in a $250 fine.
   2. All Teams must have at least one delegate at all General and Annual meetings. Failure to do so will result in a $100.00 fine being levied to the offending Teams.
   3. Fines levied against a Team must be paid within 30 days of receipt.
   4. Fines levied against an individual player must be paid within 30 days of receipt. If the player does not pay the fine, the Team is responsible for paying the fine within 30 days of notification.
   5. Teams may be required to provide a set number of volunteers to work at Provincial tournaments hosted by NAFHA. Failure to provide requested volunteers will result in a $100.00 fine, per missing volunteer, being levied against all offending Teams. In addition, the offending Team will not be eligible to work the NAFHA casino.
   6. All Teams are required to provide a set number of volunteers to work at NAFHA casinos.  Teams that do not work the casino will not receive any monies from the casino.
   7. Teams that consistently do not adhere to their NAFHA responsibilities risk being placed in bad standing. Any Team that fails to fulfill three of the above (a-f) responsibilities in the course of one season will be considered in bad standing. Such infractions will be considered cumulative (i.e. a Team that fails to pay any invoice within 30 days of receipt would be considered in bad standing).
   8. Once a Team is pronounced to be in bad standing with the league they must appeal in writing to the league president to be granted status within the league the following year. This must be done no later than August 1st. The governing executive will vote on whether to grant the Team status in NAFHA. If the Team is reinstated, they will be placed on probation for a period of no less than one year. During this time, such Teams will not be eligible to work the NAFHA casino, or receive any benefits thereof. Any subsequent violations by a probationary Team may result in their permanent expulsion from NAFHA.
3. PROPERTY OWING
   1. A player may not register with any Team in the NAFHA if she still owes money or Team property to any Team(s) she has previously registered with.
      • If applicable, at the commencement of each season a list must be submitted by Teams to the President indicating player(s) in default of money or Team property, with documentable proof. The League will monitor these cases. If the Team to which a player owes money/property ceases to exist, the money/property owing will be owed to the league. If the Team to which a player owes money/property evolves into a new Team, any money/property that has been paid to the league will be forwarded to this new Team.
4. COMPETITIVE AND RECREATIONAL DIVISIONS
   1. NAFHA will operate a number of divisions as determined each year by the Executive including both competitive and recreational divisions.
   2. The President will decide in which division a given Team will play in consultation with the Executive and the Team representatives.
   3. Re-seeding may occur during the season at the discretion of the President.
5. SUBSTITUTE PLAYERS
   1. Teams may substitute laterally; that is, they can use substitute players from within their own division, or from one division either higher or lower. (ie. A Rec B Team may use a substitute player from Rec A, B or C; A Rec C Team may only use a substitute player from Rec C or B). Any substitutes utilized must be clearly denoted as such on the game sheet. Notwithstanding the above, goalies may substitute at any level.
   2. When a Team utilizes substitute skaters, they may have a maximum of 11 players (10 skaters and a goalie) listed on the game sheet. If a Team only utilizes a substitute goaltender, they may dress skaters as per usual. Teams that do not adhere to this maximum will forfeit any game in which they have played additional substitutes.
   3. Substitute players must not to be used to improve the caliber of a Team; they must be used to ensure Teams have enough players to play.
6. MINOR PLAYERS
   
   1. Players under the age of 18 must register on a minor team if one exists in their local area.  The President may consider exceptions in extenuating circumstances. This rule is in place to support and promote minor female hockey in Alberta.
7. REFEREES
   
   1. The NAFHA referee assignor will assign officials to all NAFHA games played within Edmonton city limits (including Enoch). Unless arrangements have been made with the NAFHA assignor, Teams playing outside of Edmonton city limits are responsible for coordinating officials with the appropriate Referee in Chief.
   2. Referee fees are to be paid in cash (exact change) to the referees by the home Team prior to the game. The referees will issue a receipt. Referee rates will be determined each season at the Fall Meeting.
   3. No protest shall be considered involving a referee’s judgment. Any protest regarding a referee's conduct must be submitted in writing to the President who will then determine an appropriate course of action.
8. COACHES
   1. A certified coach is not required for any division of play.
   2. It is recommended that Teams have a responsible adult on the bench during game. At the discretion of the referee, Teams that are deemed to be out of control and do not have a responsible adult on the bench will have one of their captains retired to the bench to control their
      Team.
9. LEAGUE PLAY
   1. League format, number of games and playoff structure shall be determined on an annual basis at the Fall Meeting.
   2. Teams that utilize their own home ice are required to provide their division Vice President with a minimum of 15 home ice dates no later than August 1st of each season. These ice slots must be 90 minutes in length.
      • If a Team does not provide a minimum of 15 home ice dates, or these dates do not adequately span the full length of the season (October until March), that Team may be placed on league ice for some games in order to allow for balanced schedule creation.
   3. Teams that are utilizing league ice will be charged the amount determined at meeting per ice slot.
   4. Games will consist of one fifteen (15) minute first period and second and third periods of twenty (20) minutes.
   5. The Executive will take all possible considerations to contract reasonable league ice slots.
   6. A break of no more than 45 seconds will be taken between periods.
   7. If necessary, the time remaining in the third period will be reduced to two minutes when there are five minutes remaining in the ice slot.
   8. Each Team is entitled to one 30 second time out per game. If there are less than two minutes left in the ice permit (not time on the clock) no time outs will be allowed for either Team.
10. GAMES AND GAME SHEETS
    a) Game sheets for league and playoff games must be emailed to the appropriate Tier Vice-
    President by the home Team within 72 hours of every game played. Failure to do so will result
    in a fine of $50 for every 72 hour period in which the game sheet is late.
    b) In any game where major penalties (any 5-minute penalty), misconducts, game misconducts,
    gross misconducts or match penalties occur, the home Team must email the game sheet and
    incident report to the Governor (or the President in the Governor’s absence), within 24 hours.
    Failure to submit a game sheet requiring discipline review within 24 hours will result in a fine of
    $50 for every 24 hour period that the game sheet is late.
    • Major, match and misconduct penalties will be strictly enforced as per the Hockey
    Canada Rule Book and NAFHA penalty guidelines. In the case of a Match Penalty
    against an official, the official will retain the white copy of the game sheet.
    c) All game sheets indicating that a player or Team official is serving a suspension need to be
    emailed to the Governor to demonstrate that their suspension has been served in full.
    d) League games and League playoff games scheduled by the NAFHA will take precedence
    over exhibition or tournament games. This will be strictly enforced by the Governor
11. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE HOME TEAM
    All home Teams must provide:
    1. A competent timekeeper/scorekeeper - one person is required; two people are preferred. Failure to provide a competent timekeeper will result in a forfeit.
    2. A NAFHA game sheet.
    3. A at least three pucks in good condition.
12. TEAM UNIFORMS
    1. Team colours must be submitted to the NAFHA Executive at the time of registration. New Teams may not be approved if their colours duplicate those of existing Teams.
    2. For the purposes of league play, the home Team must wear light jerseys.
    3. Teams are expected to carry two sets of jerseys to prevent jersey conflicts. In the case of any colour conflicts, the visiting Team will be required to change jerseys.
13. POSTPONED, RE-SCHEDULED AND FORFEITED GAMES
    1. Cancellation of games due to severe weather conditions will be permitted. Teams are to telephone the opposing Team representative a minimum of 3 hours prior to game time indicating if they do not wish to play. If both Teams agree that they do not wish to play due to inclement weather and/or road conditions the game will NOT be played and the score will result in a 0-0 tie. Both Teams will earn 1 point in the standings and the game will not be rescheduled.  The Home Team is responsible to pay all ice and officiating costs as originally required. The Home Team is required to email the Tier Vice-President, President, Ref Assignor and Opposition Team Contact indicating the game has been cancelled. The Home Team is required to email the scoresheet to the Tier Vice-President and Opposition Team Contact.
    2. Should the Teams not agree to cancel the game because of inclement weather and/or road conditions, the game will NOT be played. The Tier Vice-President will determine whether the game ought to have been cancelled and may declare a forfeit.
    3. A game will be considered forfeited when one Team is not present, or cannot play due to neglect or fault. A Team cannot play with less than seven players, and will be deemed to have forfeited in such a situation. A forfeit will be recorded as a 1-0 win for the opposing Team. The Team who forfeits the game is responsible for paying for both the ice and the officials. If a forfeiting Team does not alert their Tier Vice-President and the opposing Team at least 24 hours prior to a forfeit, they will also be fined $50.
    4. A forfeited game may be replayed if both Teams agree to reschedule the forfeited game. It will be the responsibility of the Teams to coordinate all details relating to the game, including acquiring and paying for an ice slot and coordinating payment of officials.
    5. The procedure for rescheduling a game is as follows:
       • Both Teams must be in agreement to reschedule
       • If the game was to be played on league ice, the Teams will be responsible for any associated cancellation costs.
       • If less than 48 hours’ notice is given to reschedule a game, the Teams will be responsible for paying the officials assigned to the old time slot.
       • The Teams wishing to reschedule must agree to and provide a new slot in which to play the rescheduled game. This must be done before any rescheduled games will be approved.
       • The Scheduler will confirm with the referee assignor that officials can be assigned to the rescheduled game before it will be approved.
       • Once a new date and time for the game have been confirmed, the Scheduler will notify the representatives of the two Teams, the President, the Treasurer and the Tier Vice-President of the changes
14. NEW TEAMS
    1. New Teams interested in joining NAFHA must provide an expression of interest in writing to the NAFHA President by August 1st prior to the season in which they wish to join. They must express the following:
       • An understanding of and compliance with the Objectives, Bylaws and Operating Rules of NAFHA
       • Acknowledgement that they will be required to provide volunteers for Casinos and other league events such as Provincials, league meetings, etc.
       • A complete list of the names, mailing addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of the Team’s representatives, which shall consist of at least one manager and one Team representative.
       • Annual membership fee deposit, as specified in the Operating Rules, which will be refunded in full if the Team withdraws prior to August 1st of the season in which they wish to join.
    2. Subsequent to the above, the NAFHA President must then receive by August 1st prior to the season in which the Team wishes to join:
       • A copy of an ice rental contract that indicates that the Team has a minimum of 15 ice slots per season. If the arena is not within the City of Edmonton’s boundaries, it must be within a 75km driving distance of Edmonton.
       • If possible, a roster with a minimum of 12 players and 1 goalie which includes their names, how long each player has played and at what levels. This information will be used not only to determine the viability of the Team, but also to  determine the appropriate division in which the Team should play.
15. LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
    1. League playoff structure will be determined each year at the Fall Meeting.
    2. All players must play in a minimum of five (5) NAFHA league games to be eligible for league playoff participation.
    3. Substitute players are not permitted in playoffs, with the exception of goalies, who may be permitted at the discretion of the Tier Vice-President and the President.
    4. If Teams are tied in total points for a playoff position, the following procedure will apply:
       • head-to-head standings between the tied Teams.
       • If Teams are still tied, then the Team with the most wins overall would qualify for the higher standing position.
       • If the Teams are still tied, then the Team that received the fewest penalty minutes over the course of league games would qualify.
       • If Teams are still tied after all procedures have been applied, the higher rank will be determined by a coin toss.
    5. Tied playoff games will be decided by shootout, as per the Hockey Canada rulebook, or as determined at a league meeting prior to commencement of the playoffs.
16. PROFANITY AND ABUSE
    1. Profanity and abuse by players, Team officials or league representatives will not be tolerated and will result in disciplinary actions. Team coaches, assistant coaches, managers and trainers shall be held strictly accountable to the Governor for their conduct and that of their players at all times. In particular, they are responsible for preventing disorderly conduct before and after games or practices, on and off the ice, and at any place in or about the rink.
    2. The person(s) acting as Team official(s) shall sign the official score sheet before the start of the game and shall be deemed the official in charge of the Team while that Team is in the arena (from arrival to departure).
17. DISCIPLINE/SUSPENSIONS
    1. The Governor must receive the game sheet within 24 hours of the game in which the infraction occurred, as outlined in 11(b).
    2. Within 48 hours of receiving the game sheet, the Governor will send email notification to the coach or Team contact of the affected Team with the suspension and/or fine. Any suspensions imposed must stipulate the length of time or number or type of games or any combination thereof be missed. (Example: league, tournament, playoff or Provincial games
    3. In the absence of a Governor, the President shall act as the replacement.
    4. If a player or Team official receives a second Game Misconduct/Gross Misconduct penalty at any time throughout the current playing season, that Team member will automatically be suspended for one game and fined $100.00. This is in addition to any other penalties and/or suspensions assessed and will include all exhibition and unsanctioned tournament games played outside of league play. Any additional Misconducts received by a player or Team official within the same playing season will result in further fines and/or suspensions to be assessed by the Governor and/or the disciplinary committee.
    5. Any player incurring a total of three stick penalties during the game shall be ejected from the game.
    6. If a player receives a second major or match penalty at any time throughout the current playing season, that player is automatically suspended for the next sanctioned league/playoff game, in addition to any exhibition and unsanctioned tournament games played during this time, and fined $100.00.
    7. Minor players are not eligible for fines. Wherever fines are stipulated, the minor player will receive an additional game suspension in lieu.
    8. If the Governor is of the opinion that a Team is being assessed too many penalties of a serious nature, then the coach, manager and/or player(s) will be put on notice that they are liable receive to suspension and/or fines for failure to control their Team or themselves.
    9. Failure by a player or Team official to serve an automatic suspension as outlined in NAFHA regulations shall result in disciplinary action being taken by the Governor against the player and Team management as outlined in NAFHA’s Bylaws and Regulations. The Team will also forfeit the game in which the suspended player participated and will be fined $100.00.
    10. Team players or officials serving a suspension will not be allowed in, on or near the dressing room, players’ bench, press box, or to act as an off-ice official before, during or after a game.
    11. Any situation involving unregistered players participating in a game will be forwarded to the Governor for investigation. Disciplinary action may include, but is not limited to: fines levied against the Team; suspension of Team official; suspension of player in question. The game in question will also be forfeited.
    12. All suspensions being served must be recorded on the game sheet. If a suspended player is not denoted on the game sheet as “suspended (game x/x)”, that game will not count towards their suspension.
18. PROTESTS AND APPEALS
    1. Protests shall be considered by the Disciplinary Committee and Governor when based on the violation of a League Rule or the use of an ineligible player only. The coach or manager of the Teams involved shall have the sole right to make a protest.
    2. Any decision made by the Governor may be appealed to the League Discipline Committee providing a written appeal letter is delivered to the League Governor within 48 hours of said decision. A $150 appeal fee must be delivered prior to a hearing being called. The Discipline committee will then call a hearing and notify the parties involved.
    3. In the case of an Appeal, the person(s) involved must be given the opportunity to be present at the hearing, by written statement, by conference call, or depending on the severity of the incident, in person at the hearing. The game sheet and referee's report must also be provided.
    4. Discipline Committee Hearings will be held within five business days of receipt of an appeal.
    5. The appeal fee will be returned if the suspension is overturned and forfeited if the suspension is upheld.
    6. The suspended player, coach, or Team official will not participate in any sanctioned (league, exhibition, tournament, playoff or Provincial) games until a final decision is determined.
19. BINGO REGULATIONS
    1. Every Team participating in Bingos must provide a Bingo Delegate, who will sit on a Bingo Committee, as a Coordinator, with the NAFHA Financial Committee Designate.
    2. Worker/Time Schedule for Bingos will be established by the Financial Committee Designate bi-annually.
    3. New Teams may be eligible for unassigned Bingos after participating in the NAFHA for one season. New Teams may be placed on the Emergency Bingo Worker’s list.
    4. If a Team declines from working a Bingo when called from the waiting list, that Team will be moved to the bottom of the list.
    5. If a Team declines two (2) Bingos in a row, that Team will be removed from the waiting list for a period of twelve (12) months from the date of their second (2nd) refusal.
    6. If a Team provides twenty-one (21) days’ notice to the Financial Committee Designate that they cannot work at a scheduled Bingo, they must work together with the Financial Committee Designate to find a replacement from the other participating Teams.
    7. If a Team provides five (5) days to twenty (20) days’ notice to the Financial Committee Designate that they cannot work at a scheduled Bingo, they will be fined $50.00, and they must work together with the Financial Committee Designate to find a replacement from the other participating Teams.
    8. If a Team provides less than five (5) days’ notice to the Financial Committee Designate or does not show up at their scheduled Bingo date, that Team will be fined $50.00 per worker they were expected to provide, and be suspended from working Bingo’s for a period of twelve (12) months from the date of the infraction.
    9. If one of the scheduled Teams cannot provide the correct number of workers for a bingo, the other Teams may supply extra workers providing both Teams agree and the Financial Committee Designate is notified. It is the responsibility of the scheduled Teams’ Coordinator to call the other Teams and to inform the Financial Committee Designate.
    10. If a Team gives up a Bingo for any reason other than that they have a league/playoff/provincial playdown game scheduled, the Bingo will not be replaced.
    11. If a Team’s workers are not there on time, a fine of $10.00 per person per time slot will be levied.
    12. If you do not have all of your players show up, a fine of $50.00 per person will be levied. In addition, for the next bingo, you will be required to supply the number of workers as was missing at the previous bingo. Your share of the bingo proceeds will not increase. (ie. If you were 3 workers short, your fine would be $150 and at the next bingo you would be required to send 3 extra workers. The amount that your Team would make would be the same as if you didn’t have any extra workers.)
    13. No concession tabs will be run at any Bingo Hall.