WE’RE PRIORITIZING YOUR SAFETY

Some of our locations will transition to 5-on-5 this Fall, but we’re making some tweaks to the rules to ensure it’s a game that prioritizes your safety. We’re creating more space, less incidental contact, and a suite of rules designed to help our 5-on-5 game adapt to the current environment.

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ARRIVING AT THE RINK

If you haven’t already, familiarize yourself with some of the new protocols we’ve got in place at the rink.

We know things are going to look a bit different — but as we work together — we’re going to safely bring back hockey and get back to saucer passes, highlight-reel goals, and, uhh, maybe we’ll leave it at just getting back on the ice.

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5-ON-5 GAME PROCEDURES

Before we dig into the rule changes, let’s bring you up to speed on some of the new procedures to be aware of.
  • Location Rules: Please be advised that Provincial guidelines may determine the number of participants that can be present at a game, as well as other potential variances in structure from location-to-location.
  • Division Rules: Where applicable, division specific rules will continue to apply (e.g. 30+, 40+ age restrictions; limits on the number of goals scored in Coed, etc.). League Managers at each location will be able to provide specific details pertaining to these divisions.
  • Water Bottles: Participants will be required to have an individual water bottle while at the arena, keeping it on a designated spot on the bench.
  • Spitting: Given our current circumstances, spitting will be prohibited at any time while in the facility. Violators will be issued one (1) warning before being asked to leave the facility, should a second offense occur. So yeah, don’t spit!
  • Gloves: Participants will be required to wear gloves on the ice at all times. In the event of a lost glove, that player will be required to retrieve their glove immediately from the ice.
  • Switching Ends/Line Changes: Teams will defend the same goal for the entire duration of the game. Line changes will be permitted either on the fly or after play has been blown down by a whistle.
  • Handshakes: Until further notice, handshakes and first-bumps shall not occur before, during, or after the game.
  • Game Time (Ties + Delays): Due to time constraints associated with the number of participants on a rink, any games that will not be possible to be completed within the allotted ice-time may have the game clock reduced in order to ensure the game ends at its appropriate time.


NEW RULES FOR FALL ’20 5-ON-5

New face-off rules? Hybrid Offside? No problem. Let’s talk about some of the new rules this season.
  • ▪  The New Offside: We’re introducing the hybrid offside to create larger attacking zones while retaining the neutral zone for transition and stretch passes. How does it work? In order to gain the attacking zone, the blue-line remains as the line of entry for the purposes of the offside rule.
    • Once the line has been gained and possession has been established, the red line now becomes the clearance line. Until the defending team clears the puck past the red line, the puck remains in the attacking zone.
  • ▪  Face-off Adjustments: All face-offs will take place at one of the four (4) face-off dots located closest to the crease, or the centre-ice face-off dot in the case of the start of a period, goal scored, offside, or any other need for a neutral zone face-off. None of the four dots adjacent to the blue-line will be used at this time.
    • Any of the players not taking the face-off will need to line up at least two (2) metres apart, outside of the face-off circle. No player shall be permitted to enter the face-off circle until the puck has left the circle.
    • Furthermore, the two (2) participants taking the face-off will only permitted to use their stick to gain possession of the puck, or direct it out of the face-off circle
    • In the event of any encroachment by players into the face-off circle, or a scenario where the centre uses any other part of their body to direct the puck, the play shall be blown down and the face-off will subsequently be re-done. In the event of continued breaches, the referee shall be permitted to issue a discretionary delay of game penalty.

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PENALTIES

Let’s all be on our best behaviour this Fall, sound good? If a penalty should occur, here’s how it’ll work:
  • Penalties: Any penalty that’s called will result in the player serving the infraction in the penalty box, unless: (1) If another player is already serving an infraction in the penalty box, the second infraction and beyond will result in penalty shots being issued as there can never be two (2) players in the same penalty box at the same time; or (2) a major penalty is assessed, at which point the player would be ejected and another player from the team will be required to serve the infraction.
  • Penalty Shots: In the event that an infraction is required to be served through the issuance of penalty shots, the following scenarios shall apply with penalty shots initiated from centre-ice: (Two-Minute Infraction) one (1) penalty shot; (Four-Minute Infraction) two (2) penalty shots; (Major Penalty) two (2) penalty shots and a game ejection to the penalized player
    • Shooter: The player who is the victim of an infraction will be required to take the penalty shot(s). An alternate may be selected only in the event of injury, or an infraction not against another skater (e.g. Goaltender Interference, Too Many Men on the Ice)
  • Fighting: If a player(s) drops their glove(s) and continues an altercation, an automatic game ejection shall be assessed. Any player(s) that is assessed a fighting major in any division will be subject to a suspension for the balance of the season, including playoffs, subject to location variance.
  • Body Contact: Any intentional body contact that results from a player not playing the puck with their stick will result in a four-minute body contact infraction being issued.
  • Crease Violation: Any instance of a player intentionally entering the opposing team’s crease will result in a goaltender interference infraction being issued
  • Penalty Thresholds: Players will be ejected from the game if they accrue any combination of: (1) Two 4-minute penalties; (2) One 4-minute penalty, and two 2-minute penalties; (3) Three 2-minute penalties; or (4) One 5-minute major penalty.
  • 10-Minute Misconduct: A 10-minute misconduct will result in the player being ejected from the game.
  • End of Game: If a team is losing or tied at the end of game and is awarded one (1) or two (2) penalty shot attempts, even if the clock reads 0:00, the team will be permitted to take the attempts if the sum of the attempts allows for the team to either tie or win the game. (e.g. A team is losing 3-1 and is awarded two penalty shot attempts. They would be awarded the two attempts, and assuming they score on the first goal, they would subsequently be able to take the second attempt to try and even the score at 3-3.)