Tommy Marshall Memorial Hockey Tournament Rules & Regulations

 Please Note :

The following rules cover all age levels.  These rules were recently updated so that the great sport of hockey in our communities can be played more fairly, with more sports “person” ship and structured to be more organized for all. 

Please abide by these rules as they are intended to be for the protection of all players, officials and tournament co-ordinators. 

Thank you,  TMMHT Committee.

For more information, please contact one of the following representatives:

Ms. Michelle Marshall-Johnson (Eskasoni, NS) or Jennifer Sylliboy (Eskasoni, NS)

 

Rules & Regulations

1           Performance Bond:  (At the discretion of the Tournament Organizer). Performance Bonds prior to the start of tournaments may be issued by the tournament co-ordinator to assist with tournament costs and guarantee team participations as well by either cash or First Nation Band cheque.  Personal cheques will not be accepted. You may pre-register by name before, but your team will be removed from the list if your registration is not in (if required).

2           Retraction of Teams : Upon realizing that your team has registered and for some reason cannot make the tournament (we've heard them all), you have up to four (4) days before the starting day of a tournament to withdraw your team. 

Teams that withdraw by contacting the tournament co-ordinator by person or by phone, will be refunded the entire registration fee, less 10% (ex: $400.00 - 10% = $40.00) which will go to the tournament committee for rink costs (icetime, officials, etc...).  Teams that fail to let tournament co-ordinators know they will not be attending in time will not be refunded their tournament registration.  Please make sure that when you register your team, make every effort to attend.

3            Team Rosters (All divisions):   (At the discretion of Tour. Organizer)

All teams must have their team rosters accompanying their registration fees, prior to the start of the tournament.  PLEASE NOTE: All players on your team roster must have their name signed by the player, or will not be considered as part of that team.

Size of Rosters :   Maximum twenty (20) players per roster.  Each team may have three (3) additional, non playing positions, set aside for any of the team’s coaches/managers/trainers.  Only those designated by the team to be their representatives as designated by their team roster are allowed at the bench area.  The minimum number of players that have to be signed per team roster is six (6), one of which must be a goaltender.  This is also the minimum number of players a team MUST HAVE in order to play any game.  If a team fails to ice at least six (6) players, one of which must be a goaltender that is designated to play nets, will lose that game by forfeit.

4               Penalties : All minor penalties will be three (3) minutes in length during straight time and two (2) minutes in length during stop time.  Any player that accumulates three (3) penalties in one game will be ejected for that game only.

5                    Protest of Games :   Teams wishing to protest a game for any particular reason can only protest once the first period has started and before the completion of the third period by notifying the official(s) on the ice that the game is under protest and for what reason.   Protests must be requested by the team captain, assistant captain and/or coach.

7                    Use of Goalies :   All goalies in the tournament must play for one team/division in the tournament.  The exception is that the goalies that are thirty five (35) years and older can also play in the Oldtimers division.  All goalies and players in the Oldtimers division must be 35 years and older.

8          Protection of Officials :   Definition - Referees / Tournament Committee Members / Staff :  

a. Verbal Abuse of the officials mentioned above ON or OFF the ice, will mean Immediate Ejection from that game and depending on the severity, a player may be suspended an additional number of games (1-4 games) of the tournament.

b.     Within the last ten (10) minutes of a game, if an official is verbally abused, the player will be suspended for the following game. 

9.         Fighting:  All Divisions - will automatically result in a player being ejected from the tournament.

*  Fighting / Punches thrown - with gloves off with the intention to fight

*  Intention to fight with gloves on

*  Fighting with gloves off & no punches thrown (Protecting yourself) - at the judgement of the referee(s), a discretionary call.  Depending on whether the player had the intention to fight or had the intention to protect themselves, and depending on the severity of the incident.

10.    Bench Brawls:   Team coaches, managers, team officials and players are all responsible for the actions of their team both on and off the ice at the tournament and hockey arenas/sites.  In the event of a fight, all players on the ice at the time of the fight, and all players that are on the bench at the time of the fight must proceed and/or stay at their respective benches. 

Team officials and players must refrain other players from getting involved in any fight.

11.    Teams, Captains & Assistant Captains / Requirements :   All registered teams participating in the tournament must be represented on the ice by a CAPTAIN and an Assistant Captain for the purpose of negotiating with the referee on any disputed calls.  Teams that do not have any of these shall appoint them as soon as they are notified by the referee and/or tournament coordinator by placing a AC and/or an AA on the chosen player’s front jersey.

13.       Deliberate Attempt to Injure  (Note : This includes deliberate body checking or deliberate checking from behind in the non-contact Senior divisions) :

Any player/coach/team representative who attempts to injure or deliberately injures another player will not be tolerated.

Minimum penalty:   Suspension from that tournament.

Note: Checking from behind - an automatic five (5) minute major plus a game misconduct.  This is for non-intentional checking from behind.  Intentional checking from behind falls into Deliberate Attempt to Injure category above.

14.    Eligibility :   All players must play in the age category that they are in, especially from the Junior level down.  The exception is in the men's and women's category where the players can vary, please read the following ; 

Please Note :  Players are allowed to play in more than one age division - for example ;   Player A plays on the Juvenile team for Millbrook... s/he is also allowed to play for a Senior B team for another team also.  Players are not permitted to play on more than one team in any one division. 

Age Restrictions :

Senior Men :           All players must be the minimum of sixteen (16) years of age and over on or before December 31^st of that previous year. Teams will be allowed to ice a maximum of two (2) fifteen (15) year olds, ONLY with written consent forms signed by their parent(s)/guardian(s).  Maximum two (2) underage players (15 year olds) signed per team.  This applies to all Senior A & B men’s divisions.  Players and teams caught with underage players may face ejection from that tournament as well as suspensions for those players and coaches involved. 

Eligibility (Age restrictions):

Sr. Women:             All players must be the minimum of twelve (12) years and over on or before December 31^st of that previous year.  Each team will be allowed to ice a maximum of two (2) eleven (11) year olds, ONLY with written consent forms signed by their parent(s) and / or their guardian(s).  This applies to all Senior women divisions.
 

Age Limits for all hockey tournaments :

Oldtimers :                Age 35 + over ( two 34 yr olds allowed per team)

                                     Goalies can be 25 yrs & older, but cannot be playing in "A" Division

Seniors :                    Age 16 + over (incl. 2 - 15 yr.olds per team)

Juniors :                     Age 22 + under

Juvenile :                   Age 19 + under

Scouts :                      Age 17 + under

PeeWees :                 Age 13 + under

Atoms :                       Age 11 + under

Novice :                      Age   9 + under

Mites :                         Age   7 + under

Playoff Eligibility :

Please Note: All players in all divisions must play at least one (1) regularly scheduled preliminary game for the team that they have signed for. See tournament organizer for more information.

Status Cards:  All players playing in the tournamenta must have a band number and status card.  Metis Cards will be accepted as proof of Aboriginal Status.

15.     Time of Games:    All teams have a maximum of fifteen (15) minutes from the start of the clock to start their game.  Teams will be forfeited if they cannot ice a minimum of six (6) players for that game.  The tournament will be allowed to start their earliest games at 8:00am of any morning of the schedule and with the last game of the night to start at 11:00pm maximum time. 

16.     Forfeit Games :  In cases of a no show - the team that is ready to play, is on the ice with a minimum of six (6) signed players for that team will receive a total of 7 goals for or a +7.   Games lost or won on a called Protest shall be awarded a plus / minus of 7.  Teams that do not show will lose by 7 goals or a -7.

17.    Maximum goals allowable : Teams can only claim or lose a maximum of 7 goals for or against per game.  For example, if you win by 12-1, your team can only claim a +7 for that game and if you lose 12-1, your team will be deducted a maximum of that same number but instead a -7.

18.    Registration Fees :  $500.00 depending on the location and ice time availability for that tournament and organizer.  This will also be at the discretion of the tournament organizer.

19.    Choice of Home Game Shirts : The home team has choice of color - either by home schedule or place of finish in the playoffs or toss of coin.  Note :    All hockey jerseys in all divisions must have numbers with the names assigned to them on the accompanying score sheets.  Players on the ice with no numbers or players that are not on the game sheet with their number will be ejected from that game.  Please come prepared to play.

LOANER SHIRTS :   The new idea of Loaner Shirts for teams that do not have either the right color shirts or enough shirts with numbers on them has now been introduced.  Depending on the availability through the tournament coordinator(s), these jerseys will be allowed to be used.  These will be available from the tournament officials but must be returned in person with the same number of shirts loaned out.  There is no cost for this, but if your team does not return those same number of shirts, they will be responsible to pay for that missing shirt(s) or will not be allowed to use the loaner shirts again. 

20.    Game Information:

Each win is worth two (2) points, each tie is worth one (1) point.  No overtime games in the preliminary rounds.  All preliminary games shall consist of three periods of fifteen (15) minutes (minimum straight time).  These periods will run straight time, until the last two (2) minutes of the final period, which will then be stop time, ONLY IF the goal span is within two (2) goals.   During this stop time, there will also be a “CHANGE ON THE FLY RULE” imposed to both teams.  Referees will have the discretion to call a minor penalty if teams do not use this “change on the fly” rule.

After all preliminary games are played and there is a tie in the standings, the following format will be used to determine placing:

       The team with the best +/-, or goals for and goals against will advance to the next round.

       The record between the two teams, ex: If Team A defeated Team B in the preliminary round, and they are tied after Round 1, Team A will advance to the next round.

       The team with the least number of penalty minutes for all games.

       The team with the most goals scored for in the tournament.

       The team with the least goals scored against in the tournament.

       Flip of a coin or playoff, tournament co-ordinator’s discretion depending on icetime availability and time of game.

Note: All Playoff and Championship Games will use the following tie breaking rule(s) to determine the winner:

1.                 A five (5) minute sudden death overtime period.

2.                 If the game is still tied, a shootout will occur.  Each team must select five (5) players, who in turn have a penalty shot attempt.  The total score from these five shooters will determine a winner.  If a tie remains, then each team will alternate shooters until a winner is decided.

3.                 Or/ at the co-ordinators discretion, an additional overtime period may be used depending on time and ice availability.
 

21.    Helmets:  All players must wear helmets with a chin strap as they are mandatory in all divisions.  Full face shields/Half shields are mandatory in the Juvenile age categories and under.  The wearing of BNQ approved throat protectors are mandatory for all players in the tournaments in the Women and Juvenile age categories and under. 

         VISORS:   Any player that is also 18 years of age and under must wear a FULL shield or full cage or half shield/visor.


CLOSING COMMENTS

Your co-operation will be appreciated to incorporate styles of play that are more in tune with the current hockey philosophies of sports ‘person’ ship.  Remember, these rules are developed with the intent of protecting all of our players, officials, tournament co-ordinators and our fans.  Also, remember always that there are the little eyes of children watching us and they learn what we do, so let’s teach them about fair play and that winning isn’t everything, it’s how you play the game and how hard you try.

Good luck to all players at all tournaments, and if you have any suggestions or comments, please forward them to the tournament officials.