Official League Rules & Regulations

1.0 Mission Statement & Introduction

We intend to offer weekly games of floor hockey in an 6-team league format where players come to compete, fellowship and maintain an active lifestyle. At all times players are expected to maintain a respectful attitude of common courtesy towards the opposition, teammates, team captains, the facility and the referee.

Facility Rules

  1. All areas beyond the bathrooms (i.e. Children’s Ministry hallways) are off limits to players. There is a shower in the men’s washroom that is available to players.
  2. All garbage, recycling and broken hockey equipment must be disposed of each week.
  3. The equipment room must be neat before teams can leave at the end of the night.
  4. If your team is scheduled for the early games (8:15), you are asked to show up at 8:00 to aid with the set-up of boards, nets and other equipment. If your team is scheduled for the late games (9:45), you are asked to stay afterwards to help tear down the boards, nets and other equipment

2.0 Registration

The KFHL is a male only league for individuals between the ages of 18 and 45 years old. Exceptions will be made for people not meeting those requirements that want to be a part of the league except individuals under the age of 18.

Proper registration includes handing in the $75 registration fee along with a completed registration form to Chad Utke, Commissioner. You can submit this in person or by email. The registration fee must be paid by the 1st of October. To ensure your spot in the league, please pay as early as possible (this also helps the league as we have some startup costs for the first semester of play, and it helps to have solid numbers before the season begins). You must also sign a league waiver (which will be provided the first week of play).

To be eligible to play in the league you must do the following things:

  1. Complete a proper registration form and submit it to Chad Utke or Bow Valley Church in an envelope labeled “KFHL Registration: Kyle Fraser”
  2. Submit League fees along with registration forms above according to the date you have registered. Registration completed before August 23, 2009 will be $65.00. Registration after that date and before October 1, 2009 will be $75.00. Late registration will be accepted until the league is full of participants
    1. Paying as early as possible will help the league cover costs incurred because of purchasing equipment (necessary start-up costs of the league)
  3. Sign the league waiver absolving the league of any responsibility in the event of an injury or death.
  4. MUST!!! Read through the rules package so that you can abide by league rules throughout the season.

3.0 Role of the Captain

  1. Captains are to participate in the Preseason KFHL Draft to take place at the end of the 3rd week of preseason (Sept. 24th), to put together a team to compete for the year. Information on all those eligible to play for the year will be provided.
  2. Captains will be the main link of communication from league officials about announcements, rulings, schedule changes or anything of the sort.
  3. Captains are responsible for keeping their players under control and harboring a sense of honesty during game play.
  4. Captains must choose a player of the game for his and the opposing team and write their names on the game sheet.

4.0 Referees/Scorekeepers

To keep control and accurate statistics during games, the league needs the help of one referee and one scorekeeper to work every game. You will be asked on your registration form which one you would prefer to do. Each person will be responsible for doing one of these jobs 1-2 nights throughout the season.

Referee Duties

  1. Referees are to keep control of the game by being verbal towards players in a preventative fashion. Issuing warnings, reminding players about rules they are close to infringing, and offering explanation when calls are made. They are NOT expected to justify their calls to players if they choose not to.
  2. The main purpose of the referee is to keep the game safe by enforcing KFHL Rules and Regulations. The last thing we want is an injury.
  3. Referees are expected to drop the ball to begin games and after every goal.
  4. Referees are expected to pay attention to the game by being on the playing surface, but not in the way of the play.
  5. Referees are to determine the team that last touched the ball regarding balls that have gone out of play.
  6. Referees Best Practices include:
    1. i.      Do not watch the ball carrier if you can help it. Watch the player defending the ball carrier as this is the most common penalty occurrence.
    2. ii.      Have the whistle close to your mouth in such a way to make a quick call. Hesitation often leads to unintentional non-calls.
    3. iii.      Be involved in the game. Pay attention by removing yourself from the distractions of the player’s bench.

Scorekeeper Duties

  1. The scorekeeper is responsible for watching the game and recording players who score goals. One assist will be given to the player on the scoring team who passed the puck to the scorer immediately preceding the goal.
  2. The scorekeeper is responsible for recording penalties throughout the game.
  3. The scorekeeper is responsible for turning the score-clock on at the outset of each half (marked by drop of the ball).
  4. The scorekeeper must turn in final game sheets to the league commissioner. Must also ensure the players of the game are recorded on game sheets by each team captain.

5.0 Team Building

According to the league schedule, the first 3 weeks will be set up as a scrimmage type format. All players are asked to attend these three nights. Temporary teams will be made to give players a chance to show their skills. These nights will also be a chance for players to get to know the system of play and rules employed by the KFHL. It will be a choosing of teams based on who comes first. King’s Court  games to 5 will be the format just to get as many people a chance to play.

During the last hour of the third week of ‘pre-season’ play, all captains will leave the playing surface and hold a draft to choose teams for the season. Players will be notified after the evening, or during the next week of what team they are and when their first game is to be played.

6.0 Roster Rules

  1. The KFHL will try and be as flexible with scheduling to meet our player’s needs. We understand that each team will have different abilities to field a team on any given night. This is the reasoning for the scheduling outlined in section 5.4
  2. The league will allow drop-ins on a weekly basis up to a maximum of 8 players per week. This will be on a first come – first serve basis. The team that they play for will be decided by the team with the least amount of roster players or at the discretion of the league commissioner.
    1. If the walk-on wishes to play on a specific team because they have ties to that team, they are entitled to do that for one week only. The next week they must follow rules to ensure fairness, or register and go through the ‘waiver wire’.
  3. New Players must sign up through the commissioner ONLY. League fees will be $75 until October 8th. After October 8th it will cost $7 per week for each week remaining in the regular season schedule.
  4. Teams must field a squad of 4 roster players (1 goalie, 3 runners). If you bring a friend to fill out your team please report it to the commissioner so a proper decision can be made on the basis of fairness.
    1. If a team cannot field a team within 5 minutes of the scheduled start time of the game, then the result will be scored as a default loss of 4-0. A scrimmage can then be played with no bearing on standings.
    2. Teams can make special requests to use players from teams who are not scheduled at the time their game starts if they are desperate for substitutes. These decisions will be made at the sole discretion of the league commissioner.
  1. i.      If a player is recruited to play on another team as a substitute, their scoring statistics for that game will not count toward their overall season point total. (Please write ‘SUB’ beside the name of the player)
  2. ii.      Captains will be brought in to help with these decisions to ensure fairness of competition is upheld.
  1. Playoff rosters cannot contain players foreign to your team. You must have played a minimum of 6 regular season games prior to playoffs with a team to be eligible for playoff action.
  2. Walk-Ons are only eligible to play before the roster freeze. If a walk-on from a previous week would like to continue with a team or in the league, they must properly register and will then go through a ‘Waiver Wire’, where the team with the worst record has the option to claim them for their team.

7.0 Gameplay

General Gameplay

  1. Games will be 30 minutes in length (2 – 15 minute halves) without extra time. Each game will include 5 minutes of warm-up and a 5 minute half-time.
    1. If a game is tied after regulation, a shoot-out will be played with 3 shooters a side to determine a winner.
  1. i.      If no winner is determined after 3 shooters, sudden death will take over until a winner is determined.
  2. ii.      The winning team of the shootout will gain 2 points in the standings whereas the losing team will gain 1 point.
  1. Games will be played 3 on 3 with a goalie. A team may pull their goalie to bring a 4th player onto the playing surface.
  2. Each week of play will be split into 3 time slots. 8:15, 9:00, and 9:45. 4 teams will play the early games and the other will play the late games.
  3. Schedules will be made so that each team play during all three time slots as evenly as possible.

Clock Rules

  1. We must enforce the game clock begins at the pre-set times – 8:15, 9:00 and 9:45.
  2. No extra time will be added to the end of the game regardless of result.
  3. The clock may only stop for injuries and to give the officials reasonable time to decide on a difficult call. (With the fact in mind that, we are playing two separate games on run-time with the same clock, so this is only IF NECESSARY)
  4. During playoffs, teams will be granted 1 – 30 second timeout per game. These may be called during these three times ONLY:
    1. The goalie of the team calling the time-out has covered the ball.
    2. A goal has just been scored.
    3. The team wishing to call the time-out has clear possession of the ball without ANY pressure from their opponent. He must signal to the ref and timekeeper that he wants a time-out.

Scoring  Rules

Decisions on goals will ultimately be made by referees. However, we are a league that relies on player honesty and input is critical to make those decisions sometimes.

  1. The ball must entirely cross the goal line for a goal to be scored.
  2. The ball may not be kicked or gloved into the net
  3. There may not be any goalie interference or the goal will be disallowed.
  4. The ball may not be put in by a high stick.
  5. If a goal is scored when the net is dislodged it is a no goal, unless a player on the defending side purposely dislodges it.
  6. If a defender puts the goal in his own net, the goal will be awarded to the last attacking player who touched the ball.
  7. One assist will be given to the attacking player who touched the puck prior to the goal going in. Unless a defender had clear possession between those events.

Possession Rules

  1. When a change of possession occurs, the team who gains possession must ALWAYS restart play in their defensive end.
  2. When the ball goes out of play, the team who shot it out loses possession. If it is unclear who the ball went off of before it went out of play, the defensive team gets the benefit of the doubt.
  3. Goalies may freeze the ball within their crease. His team will then receive possession behind their own goal line. The fore-checking team cannot pressure the ball until it has either:
    1. Crossed the goal line (meaning the ball is in play) or
    2. They can count aloud to 4 so that the defender can hear it.
    3. Goalies may also play the ball with free time and space similar to the defender in the above situation.
  1. i.      Goalies are not allowed to throw the ball forward with their hands, but may use their stick to propel the ball down the court.
  1. At the outset of a power-play, the offensive team will receive the ball in their offensive end.
  2. A face-off will be taken at center court to start a game and after every goal.
  3. Goals can be scored from ANYWHERE on the court.
  4. Glove passes in the offensive zone will result in loss of possession.

Penalty Rules

All players must follow rules called by referees. It is at their discretion to call penalties or allow a game to flow. Teams can be penalized down to 1 player left on the floor if multiple penalties are called. If more than 2 penalties accumulate at once, the third and subsequent penalties will not be timed down until only two penalties remain.

  1. Penalty Types
    1. Minor Penalty – will be served for 1 minute creating a 3 on 2. These penalties may expire when a goal is scored against the penalized team.
    2. Double Minor – will be served as 2 separate 1 minute penalties.
    3. Major Penalty – will be served for 3 minutes.
  1. i.      Players committing these penalties will receive a Misconduct Penalty barring them from play for the rest of the evening.
  2. ii.      Players may also receive further discipline from the league.
  3. iii.      These penalties include the following:
    1. Hitting from behind.
    2. Aggressive play that puts other player’s safety at risk.
    3. Excessive Swearing.
    4. i.      Any stick striking something above the height of the crossbar.
    5. ii.      This is not limited to sticks contacting people, but also balls.
    6. iii.      Any high sticking penalty that draw blood will be considered a double minor penalty.
    7. i.      Any stick in the motion of shooting a puck that is deemed to have gone above a player’s waist is considered a slap shot.
    8. i.      Our league will allow contact if it is safe and in the interest of healthy competitions
    9. ii.      Any contact deemed to be ‘over-aggressive’ will be penalized.
    10. iii.      A player will first receive a warning, then a minor penalty. If the penalty occurs again the player will be called for a major penalty (see section the Penalty Rules’ – 1.c.iii.2)
    11. i.      The runner going on to the floor and coming off of the floor must remain within 1 meter of their bench. If there is more than 1 meter between either player and the bench when both players are on the floor, a penalty will be called.
    12. i.      Goaltender freezing the ball outside the crease.
    13. ii.      Goaltender covering the ball through the inside of the net when the ball is caught on the back of the net.
    14. iii.      Intentionally dislodging the net to prevent another team from scoring.
    15. i.      This rule is at the sole discretion of the referee.
    16. ii.      We want to create an atmosphere of enjoyment, and the use of profanity seems to take away from the fun environment we are trying to create.
    17. iii.      This also includes over-celebrating goals.
    18. iv.      Doing any of these in excess may warrant a double minor or a Major Penalty all depending on the decision of the ref.
    19. i.      Where if your stick or body causes an opponent to fall
      1. This includes stepping on someone’s stick to prevent them from making a play.
      2. Unintentional tripping is still a penalty.
      3. i.      Any person fighting will be automatically suspended.
      4. ii.      Persons partaking in a fight will be addressed by the commissioner and the length of suspension will be decided at that time.
      5. i.      Hooking, Holding, Slashing, Cross-Checking, etc…
      6. i.      If any two players get into an outrageous circumstance involving pushing or shoving, both players will be asked to leave the gym for that night.
      7. ii.      If a player commits two violent penalties in one game, he will automatically be asked to leave the gym for that night. This includes penalties for:
        1. Elbowing, Slashing, High Sticking a Player, Hooking, Cross Checking, etc…
        2. iii.      Repeated aggressive play, abuse of the referee or destruction of facility/equipment.
        3. iv.      Players will be automatically suspended if they reach the following plateaus in total penalty minutes as show below:
          1. 8 PIM – 1 Night
          2. 12 PIM – 2 Nights
  1. Penalized Acts
    1. High Sticking (Minor)
    1. Slap Shots (Minor)
    1. Unnecessary Physical Contact (Minor)
    1. Too Many Men (Minor)
    1. Delay of Game (Minor)
    1. Swearing/Profanity/Taunting (Minor)
    1. Tripping (Minor)
    1. Fighting (Automatic Suspension)
    1. All Other General Hockey Penalties
    1. Suspensions

3.15 PIM – 3 Nights

4.18 PIM – Indefinite Suspension

    1. Penalty Shots
  1. i.      The following acts will result in a penalty shot.
    1. A runner covers the ball in his own crease.
    2. A player throws his stick at any point in the game.
    3. A player is tripped from behind during a breakaway.
    4. If the referee and team captains cannot come to an agreement about a controversial goal.

Remember, the right attitude is crucial for this league to work. We strongly encourage everybody involved to treat others how you’d like them to treat you. Be honest, and do not argue about controversial calls

8.0 Equipment

Runners

  1. Runners are expected to bring a t-shirt bearing the color of their team. (Players will be notified what team color they are prior to the start of the season)
  2. All players must wear proper running shoes.
  3. Wood sticks and composite sticks are allowed, but it is recommended that you tape your sticks.
  4. Your stick may not be splintering in any way. If your stick shows signs of splintering, it must be covered with tape. You may be asked to use one of the church’s sticks if your stick is deemed unsafe.
  5. Helmets are not allowed. Gloves are optional.

Goalies

  1. All goaltender equipment must be seen as “Street Hockey” gear aside from the following pieces of equipment:
    1. Helmet
    2. Stick
    3. Protective Cup
    4. Blocker
    5. Hockey Pants
  2. Restricted Goalie Equipment
    1. Glove – must be street hockey size or close
    2. Chest Protector – cannot raise your shoulders by more than 1”
    3. Goalie Pads – may not exceed 34 inches in length and 11 inches in width
    4. This all has to be checked with the commissioner to ensure fairness in the league. PLEASE come talk to me about this stuff. Small exceptions can be made.
  3. We have 4 sets of equipment available at the church for any one who needs it.

*Rules are subject to change at the discretion of a meeting between Team Captains and the Commissioner. Please enjoy the season, but try to do it in a rule-abiding manner.*

CLICK HERE for a picture file of the league rules. A PDF File will be available soon.