League Constitution

CONSTITUTION - QMOHL

 

 

 

Revised September 2022

 

 

 

ARTICLE # 1

 

This League shall be known as the Quispamsis Moosehead Oldtimers Hockey League.  It will consist of 96 players to make up 6 teams plus 6 coaches. (See special regulation # 22)

 

 

ARTICLE # 2

 

  1. The Officers of this League shall be as follows:

 1.      President

2.      Vice-President

3.      Secretary

4.      Treasurer

5.      Team Coaches and Representatives (2 per team - 12 in total)

               6.      League Statistician

 

  1. The League Executive shall be as follows:

 

1.      President

2.      Vice-President

3.      Secretary

4.      Treasurer

               5.      League Statistician

 

 

ARTICLE # 3

 

The Executive of this League shall have jurisdiction in the following areas;

 

1.  Discipline.

  1. Interpretation of the League Constitution, By-Laws, and Rules & Regulations.

3.  Referees.

4.  Contacting of League members.

5.  League play-offs.

6.  Conducting all League meetings.

7.  Other areas which may from time to time be designated by the comprising teams or which should, by their very nature, come under the jurisdiction of the Executive of the League.

 

 

ARTICLE # 4

 

When it comes to any and all league issues, each team has a right to representation.  If a team does not have a member of the Executive on the team then they have the right to elect a representative to participate in Executive meetings.  This representative will have voting rights.

 

ARTICLE # 5

 

The Treasurer shall be responsible for collecting all moneys owed to the League. He shall also supervise the paying of League bills.  His bookkeeping procedures shall be well organized and approved by the Executive.  All cheques issued by the League shall be his responsibility. (see By-Law # 8)

 

 

ARTICLE # 6

 

The Vice-President shall do the Presidents duties when he is unable to for any reason. He shall also act as a Publicity Director by putting and keeping a good image of this League before the public. He shall aid in every out of town activity of the league.  He will be responsible for co-ordinating any fund raising activities the League may have.

 

ARTICLE # 7

 

The League Secretary will be responsible for maintaining an accurate list of eligible players on a waiting list.  This list will be where a player is drawn from if the need arises. The Secretary will also be responsible for maintaining accurate team lists as well as oversee the registration day with the Treasurer.  He will be responsible for all the Leagues correspondence.

 

ARTICLE # 7-1

 

The League Statistician will be responsible for keeping time during League games, maintaining accurate statistics with regards to team records and individual records, and to act as an independent source of information regarding activities during games, i.e., such as match penalties or game misconduct penalties.

 

ARTICLE # 8

 

The League will not be responsible for any injuries incurred by a player or spectator, at any time, either on or off the ice.  Any League member causing intentional injury to a player or spectator will be subject to immediate suspension.

 

 

ARTICLE # 9

 

Where a dispute occurs over any matter covered by this Constitution, By-Laws or Regulations of the League and if the said matter is also covered by the Hockey Canada Handbook and if the said Constitution, By-Laws or Regulations are in conflict with the Hockey Canada Handbook, then the Hockey Canada Handbook shall apply.

 

 

ARTICLE # 10

 

The Constitution, By-Laws or Regulations of the League may not be amended, revised or otherwise altered except by the League Executive at an authorized special meeting called for that purpose.

 

BY-LAWS

 

1.  The President of the League shall be the Chairman at all League meetings.  In his absence, he may designate the Vice-President to be the Chairman in his place.

 

2.   The order of business at all League meetings shall be determined by the League Executive.

 

  1. All cheques issued by the League shall be signed by two (2) of the following parties, the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, or Secretary.

 

4.   The President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary are hereby appointed legal signing officers of the League, with authority to affix their signature to any document, cheque, etc., relating to the League, providing they have been properly approved by the League Executive.

 

5. ALL playing costs will be evenly distributed among the 96 players of the League and payable to the League through the Treasurer as per By-Law #8.

 

6.  It shall be the duty of the Executive to ensure that all provisions of the Constitution, By-Laws and Regulations are complied with by the comprising teams, and they are hereby vested with sole discretion, as they may deem necessary.

 

7.   A yearly draft of eligible players will be held on a date set by the League Executive.  The following format is to be used:

 

Players/Goalies:  Players are drafted based on where the team finished at the end of last season’s regular schedule.  Team 6 picks first and team 1 picks last in the first round.  The following format will be followed:

                     6-5-4-3-2-1

                     1-2-3-4-5-6

                     6-5-4-3-2-1

                     1-2-3-4-5-6

The repetition continues until all players are drafted.             

 

8. The registration fee is to be established each year by the League Executive.  Two Hundred and Fifty (250) dollars cash or cheque is required on registration night. The remaining amount is to be paid by post-dated cheques (dated for October 15th and January 15th of the next year) and left with the League on registration night.  The fees can also be paid in full on registration night.

 

               (A) Executive reserves the right, without vote, to modify bylaw number 8 to reflect increased costs to run the league.

               (B) NSF cheques will result in a fee charged to the player of “bank fees charged to the league + $5”.

 

9.  Any player not on the league’s ‘Full Time’ roster must have, at the minimum, their first fees paid at least one week prior to the Draft.  Failure to pay the fees without explicit consent from the league executive will result in their position being forfeited and another player from the ‘Wait List’ called to fill the spot.

 

10. Players who have not paid the preseason registration fees will not be allowed to dress for any games.  Players who have paid only a portion of the registration fees will not be allowed to dress for any games after the fees have been used up.  Players will not be allowed to dress until all past and future fees are paid in full.

 

11.  All teams must carry 16 full time paid players during the regular season.  Players lost to injury or for any other reason must be replaced.  The exception is the playoffs.  No skater can be replaced after the last game of the regular season or during the playoffs.

 

 

 

SPECIAL REGULATIONS

 

 

1. This League shall abide by the NBAHA playing rules except that body checking and slapshots are not permitted.

 

2.    (a) Snapshots will be permitted in this League. A snapshot shall be defined as any shot where the blade of the stick is not brought above the knee while preparing to shoot. It shall be the Referees responsibility to determine during a game as to when the rule has been broken by a player. His decision is final. In the event of an infraction of this rule, the player will be assessed a minor penalty.

       (b) A High Sticking call will be made on any player who intentionally touches the puck anywhere above the waist of the player.  A 2-minute minor penalty will be assessed.

       (c)  Any player who uses the action of a fake slapshot for the purpose of intimidating an opposing player or goalie, will be assessed a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

 

3.  (a) Fighting shall be dealt with harshly by this league.  Any player receiving a major penalty for fighting shall receive an immediate game misconduct plus a further three (3) game suspension from League play. The only variance from this would be if the infraction takes place during the last ten (10) minutes of the game. Then the game misconduct would be applied for the next scheduled game with the three (3) game suspension applied then. This would see the player off the ice for four (4) games total.

 

Off Ice fighting or abusing the coaches, arena staff and facilities, or the officials will be dealt with by the Executive. 

 

    (b) Any player who receives a second fighting major penalty during any season will have the incident reviewed by the Executive Committee.  Taking into consideration the severity of these offensives, a player will be subject to a minimum suspension of 5 games to a maximum suspension of being permanently removed from all league play.

 

    (c) Any player who receives a major penalty of any type during a season will have the incident reviewed by the Executive Committee.  Taking into consideration the severity of these offensives, a player will be subject to a minimum suspension dictated by the Hockey New Brunswick Minimum Discipline document.  The Executive reserves the right to increase the maximum suspension applied to any individual based on past disciplinary issues up to being permanently removed from all league play.

 

Any player who has received a season suspension and wishes to re-enter the League the following year, must appear before the League Executive who, upon hearing the case, may allow the player to re-enter the League, provided the player places a fifty dollar ($50.00) bond with the League plus the full years registration fees.  Should the player ever be involved in further incidents in the first season after returning, then the bond will be immediately forfeited, the executive will review the incident, and the player may be permanently expelled from the League.

 

All major penalties and match penalties while a player plays in the league are recorded and will be used in determining lengths of all suspensions.

 

  1. Any player receiving three minor penalties during a game will be ejected upon receiving the third minor. A player from the bench will be selected to serve the minor.  After the second occurrence in a season of a player receiving three (3) minor penalties in a game, they will be suspended one game.  Each additional occurrence of a three minor penalty game will result in a one game suspension.

 

  1. Any player receiving a game misconduct (not including rule # 4) will receive a one- (1) game suspension. Additional game suspensions may be assessed depending on severity and/or frequency of game misconducts.

 

  1. A graduated suspension policy will be applied to players who accumulate a large number of penalty minutes during the regular season.  Suspensions will be applied to the games after the game in which the player reaches each penalty plateau.  The offending player may remain in the game in which they reach the penalty plateau unless a misconduct removes them from the game.

 

20 minutes – 1 game.

30 minutes – 2 games.

40 minutes – 3 games.

50 minutes – 4 games.

60 minutes – Executive Review

 

The playoffs will carry the same penalty policy.

 

12 minutes – 1 game.

16 minutes – 1 game.

20 minutes – 2 games.

26 minutes – Executive Review

 

 

  1. If a goalie incurs 3 ‘minor’ penalties in any game then the goalie may stay in the current game but the last minor penalty will be changed to be a 5 minute ‘major’ penalty to be served by a skater.  If the goalie incurs a ‘major’ penalty or match penalty or game misconduct then the goalie will be removed from the game and the game is forfeited unless the team can find an immediate replacement, or, they are willing to play with 6 skaters.

 

8.    Teams in this League will be permitted to play exhibition games against teams not in this league and shall also be permitted to register for Provincial Play-offs and Tournaments.

 

9. All players participating in League play must wear approved helmets.

 

10. All games will be officiated by two (2) Referees and they will have equal authority.

 

11. The opening face-off will be no later than ten (10) minutes after the commencement of the Ice time.

 

12. Any team responsible for causing a game to be started later than the above mentioned ten (10) minutes shall forfeit that game.

 

13.  0fficial game sheets will be provided by and administered by the Statistician.

 

14.  League games will be comprised of two (2), eighteen (18) minute stop time periods.

 

15.  All minor penalties incurred will be of two- (2) minute stop time duration and will commence at the first face-off after the infraction.

 

16.  The League Executive will be responsible for re-scheduling any regular games if needed.

 

17. Anyone under the age of thirty-five (35), after December 1st of the current season, is ineligible to play in this League. An age of twenty-five (25) will apply for full time goaltenders.  Goaltenders who are used as temporary replacements for a full time goaltender must be 20 years of age or older.

 

18.  Overpowering teams will be subject to a change of players to balance the League. This will be the responsibility of the League Officers to deal with. All changes must take place prior to December 15th of the current season.

 

19.  Absolutely no alcoholic beverages will be allowed before or during a game.  Any player or League member suspected of breaking this rule could face suspension.

 

20. Any player ‘banned’ from any other organized or registered League is ineligible for play in this League.

 

21.  A waiting list of players will be kept by the Secretary in the event of a player opening within the League for any reason.

 

22.  No refund will be made to suspended or dismissed players.  All other refunds must be approved by the League Executive.

 

23. This League will permit a one- (1) year leave of absence. Leave of absence may be extended at the discretion of the Executive.

 

24.  Full time members on leave of absence may call the Secretary and place themselves back on the wait list at any time during the year.  Full time members will be given first option on any openings that become available.

 

25.  The final selection of all registered players will be the sole responsibility of the League Executive.

 

26.  Spare skaters will be allowed to play in the QMOHL under the following criteria:

 

  • Spares must play for a minimum of 4 games.
  • Players requesting a spare cannot return to play prior to the 4 game minimum.
  • Spares are always taken from the top of the Wait List so one spare may play multiple times before the next spare is called.
  • Spares can only be requested for injury replacement, extended work requirements or for personal family reasons.
  • The league will not be directly involved in the financial dealings between the spare and the player requesting the spare.  Per game fees are determined each season based on per game costs per player.
  • If a Full Time spot opens, the position will be offered the first person on the Wait List regardless if they are sparing on a different team.  If they accept they will join the new team immediately and another spare will be called.  If the spot is declined, then the next player on the Wait List will be offered the position.
  • The Executive will have final decisions on any circumstance that fall outside the above parameters.

 

27.  A behavior policy is enforced for players in the QMOHL.  The Policy not only impacts on-ice behavior but off –ice behavior as well.  The policy is enforced to protect the players of the league and to maintain a quality hockey program that is enjoyed by all participants.

 

On Ice Behaviour 3 Strike Rule

The QMOHL drafts teams each year and add players based on applications that come often from recommendations of current players. QMOHL recreational hockey is intended to be fast paced, competitive and enjoyable.  Those who do not fully appreciate the intention of the league will lose their privilege of playing in it.  As such, we have in place a ‘3 strike and you are out’ rule.

  • Any issue that needs to go before the executive is subject to a strike. This would automatically include any major, gross or match penalties, misconducts and game ejections.
  • In addition, team representatives are able to present an incident to the President and the executive even if it did not receive an infraction by the officials. Team representatives will be given protocol to bring these issues forward.
  • Strikes will carry over from year to year. If you receive 2 strikes this year, and another next, you are out.
  • Any fees already paid will be forfeited if you are asked to leave the league

 

 

Off Ice Behaviour

 

  • Conduct or chronic display of behavior /attitude contrary to the spirit of the sportsmanship of the league to result in expulsion from the league

 

The QMOHL has a formal process to deal with certain behaviors outside of the on-ice 3-strike rule.

A complaint must be submitted in writing (e-mail) to the President of the league and must include the nature or context of the complaint and its justification for expulsion from the league. The complaint must be verified and backed by at least 3 other players in the league. The President will bring the complaint to the team representatives (6) and the rest of the Executive committee and will be discussed and voted upon. The President will inform the player in question of the final decision. If the player is removed from the QMOHL then all fees will be returned to individual on a pro-rated basis.

 If the complaint is against any one or more of the deciding body, that person(s) will excuse themselves from the deliberations.

 

28.  The following format will be used to determine final team standings:

 

  • A teams’ position will be determined first by total points.
  • If two or more teams are tied at the end of the year, the following criteria will be used to determine final placing.
    • Total wins
    • Goals for minus goals against.  The larger spread takes the higher position.
    • Record against one another.
    • Least goals against.

 

29.  The playoff format will be a double round robin.  Each team will play each other team twice.  Tied games stand.  See rule 29 in the case of a tie between two or more teams at the end of the round robin. 

30.  After the double round robin is complete, the teams will play a single second round game to determine the winners of Section A, Section B and Section C.

  • First Place vs. Second Place for Section A.
  • Third Place vs. Fourth Place for Section B.
  • Fifth Place vs. Sixth Place for Section C.

 

31.  The first place team always begins a playoff series with the early game. 

 

32.  In the event of a tie after a championship game:

 

  • Overtime will be used to determine the winner, with the league covering any extra costs of ice and referees.
  • Unexpired penalties will carry over into the overtime.
  • Penalties incurred before the OT count against the 3-penalty rule.

 

33.  In the event of a tie between two or more teams after round robin series is complete, the tie breaking format shall follow the same process as in Rule # 26.

 

34.  Overtime in case of a tie in a Section Final will follow the following format:

  • 5 minutes straight time 4 on 4.  Line changes are allowed.
  • If still not settled then 5 minutes straight time 3 on 3. Line changes are allowed.
  • If still not settled then 5 minutes straight time 2 on 2 with no line changes allowed.
  • If still not settled then a shootout will be held, one pair a shooters at a time for the win. 
    • Home will be entitled to pick which team shoots first. 
    • Shooters cannot shoot twice until all members of the team have shot once.
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