Rules

General Rules

Every member is here to have fun and play competitive hockey. The online Hockey association has a few general rules & guidelines to maintain this atmosphere.


  • We do not tolerate rage quitting.
  • We do not tolerate trolling.
  • Treat your teammates like teammates, and your opponents with respect. If you alienate a member of your team or the opposing team, and constantly bring them down, you will be ejected from the league.

The following may render you ineligible for prizes:

  • Forfeiting any scheduled games during the regular season.
  • Failing to have each player having played at least 10 games prior to playoffs.
  • Failing to provide the league with the correct stat pictures after every game won.



Chat/Forum Rules

  1. Absolutely no racism or racist comments, homophobic comments, sexism, personal attacks, derogatory or otherwise offensive comments relating to disabilities, posting personal information without the members consent, or anything else common sense.
  2. No posting anything pornographic or NSFW in nature.
  3. No spamming or flooding the chat.
  4. No spam tagging other members.
  5. No harassing other members.
  6. No posting or promoting other leagues or their discord servers. Anyone doing so will be banned from the server.

Punishment, unless otherwise noted, will be the following:
1st offense - 3 day mute
2nd offense - 1 week mute
3rd offense - 1 month mute / possible suspension

Depending on the severity, a 1st offense can be upgraded to a 2nd or 3rd offense

  1. The home team (left side) will host the game.
  2. The management from both teams will let the other team know when searching. The code that should be used is provided on the page for that game.
  3. Teams are allotted a 10 minute grace period. After the 10 minute grace period is up, the team that is ready may take a forfeit. Picture or video must be provided by the team taking the forfeit win showing that they were searching at the time of requesting the forfeit. This picture can and should be provided to OHA staff as proof when requested. Teams are always encouraged to reschedule games rather than take forfeits

General

  1. Ragging
    1. Ragging the puck is never allowed.
    2. If it has been determined that a team is ragging the puck, the non-offending team should take a clip and provide it to OHA staff.
    3. If the staff determines that ragging has occurred, it may result in replaying a part of a game or in the game being overturned, regardless of score.

  2. Board Play
    1. Board play may only be used below the goal lines. Board playing anywhere else on the ice is not allowed
    2. If a team board plays anywhere else on the ice, the team should turn the puck over intentionally to the non-offending team and skate back into their own zone
    3. If the offending team fails to turn the puck over, the non-offending team should take a clip and report it to OHA staff. Failure of the offending team may result in the replay of a period. If this is determined by OHA staff to be a ragging attempt, rule 3.1 article ii would apply

  3. Goalie Penalties
    1. Goalie penalties can not be intentionally drawn. Goalies are expected to know when to reasonably play the puck and when not to.
    2. If a goalie draws a penalty on purpose, the team with the offending goalie must take two (2) penalties. One (1) to cancel the other teams unfair penalty and one (1) for the infraction.
    3. If the team fails to do so, the non-offending team should take a clip of the infraction and send it to OHA staff. Failure of the offending team to take penalties may result in a forfeit loss.
    4. If a goalie continuously intentionally draws penalties, whether within the same game or across multiple games, this will be considered trolling and may result in being kicked from the league.

  4. Goalie Intentionally Tripping a Skater
    1. If a goalie dives out of his net with the intention of tripping an opponent that is forechecking, trying to get back to the defensive zone, or anything else deemed to be having the sole purpose of intentionally tripping a skater, the offending team should take a penalty each time this infraction occurs.
    2. If there are 3 infractions by the same goalie in a game, that player will receieve a five (5) game suspension in addition to the penalty that must be taken in the current game.
    3. If the goalie impedes a skater in 3 different games, that player will receive a one (1) week suspension.
    4. If the offending team does not take a penalty when this occurs, the non-offending team should provide league staff with a clip of this occurring. Failure by the offending team to take a penalty may result in the overturning of a goal if one occurs, replay of a period, or an overturning of the game.
    5. In all cases, the non-offending team should send a clip to league staff when this occurs.

  5. Reschedule Procedure
    1. Teams are encouraged to reschedule games when possible rather than forfeit games or take forfeit wins.
    2. Any full unplayed game may be rescheduled any time within the same week of the season.
    3. Single or multiple periods that are not a complete unplayed game may not be rescheduled.
    4. Both teams should give reasonable notice to each other as to when the reschedule will take place. Example, the team requesting the reschedule should not be told that the game must be played within the next 30 minutes unless both sides agree.
    5. Screenshots should be taken by the team requesting the reschedule of the other team agreeing to the reschedule as proof the game was not a forfeit.
    6. It is up to the team requesting the reschedule to ensure the game gets played. If the team requesting the reschedule has a screenshot of proof the team allowed a reschedule, and has made reasonable efforts to play the game and the team that agreed to the reschedule has not made an effort to play the game, screenshots should be taken and send to OHA staff and this will result in a forfeit loss for the team that agreed to reschedule and a forfeit win for the team that requested the reschedule. Sufficient proof is required that the team agreeing to the reschedule has not made any attempt to play the game.
    7. If the team that agreed to the reschedule has made reasonable efforts to play the game during reasonable times and the team requesting the reschedule cannot meet those times, the team requesting the reschedule will receive a forfeit loss and the team that agreed to the reschedule will receive a forfeit win.
    8. Remember, it is up to the team that requested the reschedule to accomodate the team that agreed to the reschedule

  6. Lagout Procedure
    1. If a skater lags out, finish the period, take the necessary stat pictures, and start a new game. The score remains the same for both teams at the end of the lagout period. For example, if the right defense lags out in the second period, stat pictures should be taken. If the score was home 3 & away 2, the score will remain home 3 & away 2 at the beginning of the restart. The first period of the restarted game would then be considered the third period of the game.
    2. If the lagout results in the computer replacement scoring any goals, the goal(s) will count
    3. If a goalie lags out, the same procedure as article i applies, except play will be resumed at which the goalie lags out. For example, if the goalie lagged out with 11:23 left in the third period, upon restart, the teams would stand still on the ice until the time reached ~11:30
    4. If a goalie lags out in the first 5 minutes of the game and no goals are scored by either team, the entire game should be restarted.
    5. Any lagout requires the offending team to take a penalty. That team should win the faceoff and either take the penalty immediately at the start of the period, or if it was a goalie lagout, take the penalty when the period runs down to the appropriate time remaining.
    6. If the non-offending team begins play before the offending team takes the penalty, play will resume as normal and a powerplay will not be awarded.
    7. A player may only lag out twice in a game. After the player lags out a second time, they must be replaced by another player from the roster. The offending team will have 5 minutes to get a replacement.

General Roster Rules

  1. Each roster must maintain a minimum of ten (10) roster players and a maximum of twenty (20) roster players at all times.

  2. Every player must play a minimum of 10 games in the regular season to be eligible for playoffs.
    1. Players that do not meet this minimum requirement will not be eligible to play in playoffs.
    2. If a roster does not contain at least ten (10) players with ten (10) games played at the end of the regular season, they will be deemed to have less than then minimum of ten (10) roster players and will therefore be disqualified from playoffs.
    3. Players obtained either via trade or free agency will only be required to play two (2) games times the remainder of weeks remaining. Ex. If a player is received during week 2, they will only be required to play eight (8) games to be eligible for playoffs instead of ten (10).

  3. Owners and GM's may not be traded or dropped.

  4. Every player has the right to be scheduled two (2) games at minimum per week depending on availability. If they are available for at least two (2) games they are required to play the two (2) games for the week.
    1. If a player is available and is not scheduled, screenshots should be provided to OHA staff by the non-scheduled player proving that they have told their management that they are available for at least two (2) games.
    2. If it is deemed by OHA staff that the player has been available but was not scheduled, the player may be granted the right to be removed from the roster, as well as the management may face a 5 game suspension.
    3. This rule will not apply in the case where management attempts to schedule a player but they do not show up for their scheduled games.

  5. Rosters will be locked at 5:00 PM on the Sunday of Week 4. After 5:00 PM, teams will not be eligible to claim players via free agency or process trades.
    1. Any players obtained via free agency after the deadline will be removed from the roster.
    2. Any trades processed after the deadline will be reversed and players will be placed back on their origninal team prior to the trade.
    3. Players may not be released after the deadline.

  6. Each player who is playoff eligible has the right to play at least one (1) game in the first three (3) games of a five (5) game series, or four (4) games of a seven (7) game series.
    1. If a team plays four (4) games and has a player on their roster that is playoff eligible with no games played, game 4 will be a forfeit loss for the offending team.


Free Agency

  1. Any non-banned player may be signed to any team that has less than the maximum of twenty (20) players.

  2. If multiple teams offer a roster spot to a free agent, the free agent has the right to determine which team they agree to sign with. At time of signing, any other offers will be auto-rejected by the system and notifications sent out to the managers who offered to sign the player.


Trades

  1. Players may be traded to other teams at any time. There are 3 different trade scenarios.
    1. A trade for a free agent spot. This will entail a team trading a player or players away and getting nothing in return freeing up a roster spot. This trade will not be allowed in instances where the team gaining the player(s) already has the maximum roster size of twenty (20) players, or the team trading the player would drop to below the minimum roster size of ten (10) players.
    2. A trade involving equal numbers of players on both sides. This will entail both sides trading the same amount of players and receiving the same amount of players.
    3. A trade involving one team trading more players than the other. This will entail one team trading more players than they are receiving. This trade will not be allowed in instances where the team gaining more players would be taken over the maximum roster size of twenty (20) players, or the team trading more players would be taken under the minimum roster size of ten (10) players.

  2. If a player is traded to another team and refuses to play, the following actions may be taken:
    1. If the player has told the previous team management that they no longer wish to play the season prior to being traded, screenshots should be provided to OHA staff. If staff deems that the player had let their management know that they no longer wish to play prior to being traded, this will be deemed a bad faith trade and will result in the trade being reversed and a possible five (5) game suspension for the trading team's management
    2. If the player has refused to play after trading for the team they were traded to, or quit after the trade has occurred, the trade will be reversed and the offending player may receive a ban for the remainder of the season.


Dropping a player

  1. Players currently may be dropped at any time for any reason. When a player is dropped, they become a free agent and are then able to be signed by any team that sends them an offer.

Management Responsibilities

  1. Management should always be knowledgable of the current rules and any rules that may be updated. Remember, it is the management's responsibility to ensure their team is aware of the rules.
  2. Every player must play a minimum of ten (10) games throughout the regular season. Failure to do so will render them ineligible for the playoffs.
  3. Every player has a right to play a minimum of two (2) games per week and should be scheduled as such.
  4. The winning team is responsible for getting the appropriate stat pictures after the games. The stat pictures required are as follows:

    Box Score


    Game Stats


    Player Summary
    Note that you should scroll over to include from Goals to Shots
  5. Failure to post complete stat pics may result in players not getting correct stats, or games needing to be replayed.


Tips for Better Team Management

  • Create your availability thread Thursday night and have your team post their availability for the week as soon as they can.
  • Create lineups for the week, rather than day by day, provided the team posts availability in time.
  • Try to build your team based on needs. A good example would be to have two (2) centers, two (2) goalies, four (4) wingers and four (4) defensemen. This way, there's less of a chance of people playing out of position.
  • At game time, try to have two (2) backups ready in the event you need somebody to fill in. This will eliminate potential forfeits and issues if someone lags out or has connection issues mid-game.
  • Make your team aware of the rules so there will be no discrepencies that could lead to themselves or team management getting in trouble.