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DRAFT
(June 1, 2011)
BY-LAWS OF THE
NORTHERN INTERNATIONAL
HOCKEY LEAGUE
This document is a
DRAFT under consideration for the 2011-2012
hockey season and it will be voted on at the NIHL Spring
Meeting in April, 2012.
This is a
DRAFT which has not yet been officially approved. Send any comments or
suggestions to the current Commissioner for consideration
and review prior to acceptance.
1. NIHL MEETINGS
Requirements and guidelines are contained in NIHL Constitution
Articles V, VI, VII, VIII, X, XV, XVII, and XIX.
2. MONETARY MATTERS
a) Performance Bonds: Upon approval of the membership in the
NIHL, each member association shall post a $ 250 cash bond
for one team and $500 for two or more teams as a guarantee
of their participation in scheduled games, proper filing of
game results, and other participatory requirements which may
be established by the Board of Directors. Performance bonds
shall be place in escrow.
b) Annual Administration Fee: Each association shall be
assessed an annual fee of $80 per year as a participating
member of the NIHL.
c) Annual Fees: Each team shall be assessed an annual fee of
$600. If a team does not make the playoffs, $100 will be
returned to the team.
d) All performance bonds and fees are payable in U.S. funds and are
due by December 1st.
e) The Board of Directors will review all performance bond
requirements and fees annually prior to the Annual Meeting
and make adjustments as needed for the following season. The
Board of Directors will also review currency differences and
adjust or modify rates for Canadian teams as needed so that
their charges and fees are in balance with those assessed
U.S. members.
3. SCHEDULE: CHANGES, POSTPONEMENTS, CANCELLATIONS, AND FORFEITURES
a) Annual Schedule: NIHL game schedules shall be developed
at the Scheduling Meeting. The divisions, number of games
within divisions, and schedules shall be agreed upon by the
consent of the Board of Directors at the Scheduling Meeting.
Any scheduling not completed at the Scheduling Meeting must
be finalized within 30 days of the meeting. Each team must
provide a copy of their confirmed schedule to the NIHL Vice
Commissioner/Statistician for recording and posting on the
NIHL web site. All league games shall be completed by
January 31st unless approved by the Commissioner.
b)
Changes to Schedules: The coaches or team
representatives that wish to change games on the schedule
shall work together to determine acceptance dates and times
for rescheduled games. Upon agreement of the teams, they
shall notify the Commissioner and Vice
Commissioner/Statistician for approval and posting of the
revised schedule. If an agreement cannot be reached, the
Commissioner and NIHL Directors of the associations involved
in the conflict may be asked to mediate as needed.
c) Number of Games: Each team shall play a minimum four
games with each team in their division. Two games are to be
scheduled at home and two away games in the opponent’s arena
Divisions with seven or less teams will play in one
conference. Divisions with eight or more teams shall play in
two conferences. Divisions with four or five teams may play
six or eight games with each team in their division.
d) Postponement of Games: Scheduled games may be postponed
if necessary for reasons of severe inclement weather, an
accident, or other disruptive or calamitous conditions which
a reasonably prudent coach would not have foreseen.
Postponed games shall be rescheduled as soon as possible
using the procedures specified in Changes to Schedules. If
it is determined that the games were postponed for arbitrary
or frivolous reasons, the offending team shall be subject to
a penalty by the NIHL.
e) Forfeiture and Cancellation: NIHL teams, whether home or
visitor, shall be deemed to have forfeited a scheduled game
if they fail to appear and play such game, due to any
circumstances which were not reported in a timely manner,
and subsequent official postponement not obtained.
f) Failure to Play: Any NIHL member team which fails to
appear for a scheduled game will be fined for each game at
which they fail to appear. This fine will be used to cover
the cost of the home team’s ice time and the fees for
referees who had been contracted to officiate the game. The
fine will be withdrawn from the association’s performance
bond and the association will be required to restore their
performance bond to the original level. If fines exceed the
performance bond, none of the association’s teams will be
allowed to compete in the league until the full amount of
the performance bond has been restored. All fines must be
paid by January 31st
to be eligible to compete in the league playoff tournament.
4. RINK OR ARENA REGULATIONS
a) The home team is responsible for all expenses related to ice
time, referees, and officials.
b) There shall be no gate charge allowed for regular season games.
c) Ice resurfacing shall be undertaken after two consecutive
periods of play.
d) In the event that an arena is running behind schedule, the arena
manager may shorten periods of play or institute running
time periods providing that all game officials and both team
coaches have been so notified.
5. GAME
OFFICIALS
a) The home team shall provide on-ice officials consistent with USA
Hockey or Hockey Canada regulations.
b) The home team shall provide sufficient competent and unbiased
officials present in the scorekeeper’s box to properly time
and record game information and operate the penalty boxes.
6. GAME REGULATIONS
a) Games shall be played under current USA Hockey, MAHA, and CHA
game regulations.
b) Each team competing in the NIHL shall designate a contact person
who will communicate game results to the Vice
Commissioner/Statistician. This contact person shall
communicate games scores for both home and away games to the
Vice Commissioner for posting on the NIHL web site. In the
event of a conflict in reported results, the Vice
Commissioner/Statistician will resolve the difference
immediately and may ask to see a copy of the game
scoresheet.
d) All games shall consist of three 12-minute periods of stop-time
play, with a minimum three-minute initial warm-up and a
minimum two-minute rest times between periods. It is
recommended that all PeeWee, Bantam, Midget, and Girls games
consist of three 13-minute periods of stop time play.
e) Equipment rules and regulations shall be enforced using USA
Hockey rules for U.S. teams and CHA rules for Canadian
teams.
f) There shall be no body checking in games in the Squirt and Girls
divisions.
7. LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
a) The League Championship in each division will be declared on
standings determined by points at the end of the regular
season. Points will be awarded as follows: Win = 2 points,
Tie = 1 point, and Loss = 0 points. There will be no
overtime games in the regular season. In the case of a
positional tie, final standings will be determined by the
current USA Hockey Annual Guide, Method of Determining
Champion.
b) A banner, suitable for arena display, shall be provided for the
league champion in each division.
8. LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
a) League playoffs shall be scheduled on an annual basis for the
top four teams in each division
b) In the event of an uneven number of games played by teams in a
two-conference arrangement within a division, final
standings for the division shall be determined by
percentage. The
percentage shall be calculated by points earned divided by
the number possible points (i.e. number games played times 2
points per game).
c) The playoff format will be a three-game round robin followed by
a third place and championship medal games. There will be no
overtime games in the round robin phase. During the round
robin phase of the playoffs 2 points will be awarded for a
Win, 1 point for a Tie, and 0 points for a Loss, to
determine seeding for the medal games. In the event of a
positional tie after the round robin phase, USA Hockey
Procedures for Tiebreakers shall be used to determine final
seeding. The teams with the highest and second highest
points will compete in the championship medal game. The
teams with the third and fourth highest points will complete
in the third place medal game.
d) All medal games shall be played to a decision. An overtime
followed by a shootout shall be used as needed.
e) A banner, suitable for arena display, shall be provided for the
playoff champion in each division.
f) Individual medals shall be presented to members of the playoff
champion, runner-up, and third place team in each division.
9. CODE OF CONDUCT
All team members, coaches, officials, and parents shall abide by
the published USA Hockey or Hockey Canada Code of Conduct.
10. PROTESTS AND SUSPENSIONS
a) Any formal protests must be reported to the Commissioner within
72 hours of the competition of the game in question. The
protest must include day, date, and location of the game,
teams involved, and an explanation of the protest.
b) Protests will not be considered if based solely upon the
judgment call of a referee.
c) Only protests of actions or circumstances which directly
affected the outcome of a game (win/loss/tie) will be
accepted.
d) The Commissioner shall act upon the protest by consultation with
other Officers and Directors, or by calling a special
meeting to decide the matter. A final decision on a protest
shall be made within two weeks and the petitioner duly
notified.
e) Any player suspensions will follow the appropriate USA Hockey,
State Associations, and CHA process for team members
involved in the incident.
11.
AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS
These By-Laws may be amended by a minimum 2/3 favorable vote of the
Board of Directors at either the Annual Meeting or the
Scheduling Meeting provided that notice has been given to
each Director at least 10 days prior to the meeting and
posted on the NIHL web site.
Dated:
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