Organization, Philosophy, & Rules Summary

ANN ARBOR MASTERS HOCKEY
This document is intended to give you an overview of the AAMHL organization, schedule, and rules. Team captains and league directors have full copies of the league rules and will make them available to you upon request. The league is organized and run by fellow skaters, so please work with us to make it the kind of league we all want.

TEAMS:
Team captains are responsible for drafting teams and having a full team at every game. They also take part in league decisions and manage their teams.

Teams are drafted with a balance of skill levels between teams, so having a full roster for every game is crucial to the competition. Players must notify their team captain when they will miss a game. The captain is responsible for getting an approved sub for the missing player.

AAMHL team members who are substituting for on another team do not pay a sub fee. The sub fee for a non-rostered substitute (a player not drafted on a league team) is $20.00 per game for the first game per week (that is, there is no fee for a second or third game on any given week). The league will invoice non-rostered players at the end of each season. This fee is waived for non-rostered goalies. Note: this fee is commensurate with the per week fee for rostered players.

GAMES:
Games are running time with two 21 minute periods.  All games are on Wednesday at 8:00pm, 9:00pm, or 10:00pm at the Arctic Coliseum in Chelsea.

Each team must have 11 players at each game. Players must notify their team captain of absences so a substitute player can be scheduled.

PHILOSOPHY:
The Ann Arbor Masters Hockey League provides experienced hockey players (age 40 and over) with competition in regularly scheduled hockey games against balanced teams of similar abilities. While competition between teams and players is expected, the underlying purpose of the league is to have fun by promoting a spirit of sportsmanship among all the participants.

ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD:
The league is governed by a board of directors and team captains who are responsible for decisions pertaining to the AAMHL.

LEAGUE RULES:
Current USA Hockey rules apply to all league games. Team captains have complete copies of AAMHL rules and will make them available upon request.

All players must be registered with the league insurance carrier and sign an agreement to abide by USA Hockey and AAMHL rules. When a dispute arises, players may appeal to the league directors (through team captains) for a ruling. Board rulings are final.

It is required that all players wear protective hockey equipment for all games. Helmets must be worn at all times. Face shields or cages are required!

In addition to USA Hockey rules:

• All teams must have a full roster of registered players or approved substitutes at every game.
• No intentional checking.
• Currently, slap shots are allowed.

PAYMENT POLICIES:
Unless an alternative payment plan has been arranged and approved in advance by the league treasurer or the league president, players will have league participation privileges automatically suspended for one full week if their player account is more than $125 in arrears as of 4:00 PM on the 1st Monday of the month in which league playoffs are scheduled to begin. Once non-payment sanctions have been imposed, one week suspensions will automatically renew each successive Monday at 4:00 PM until all past due balances have been cleared. Additionally, ALL past due balances must be cleared in order for any player to be draft eligible in subsequent seasons. Payment means funds have been received electronically or a check has been physically  received by the treasurer prior to the stated deadline. Players should be aware the timing of checks delivered via the U.S. Postal service may not be predictable or reliable.

• Any player who receives three penalties in one game will be suspended for the balance of that game.
• A rostered league player who receives a fighting penalty or is ejected from a game is suspended for the remainder of the game and the next league game.
• While suspended, a rostered league player may not play as a substitute for any other team in the AAMHL. Playing during a suspension will result in an additional 3 game suspension.
• Any player who is ejected from 2 games will be required to participate in a review by the Board of Directors to determine whether the player will be allowed to continue to participate in the league.
• Any player who has an unreasonable number of penalties (as determined by the team captains and league directors) will be subject to a review by the board of directors and may be placed on probation. Further excessive penalized play may result in dismissal from the league.

SUBSTITUTE PLAYERS:

• All subs must register with the league insurance carrier and have a signed AAMHL registration slip turned in to the league.
• Substitute players must have their name and jersey number added to the score sheet prior to the start of the game.
• A substitute player who is ejected from a game will be suspended from playing for any AAMHL team the following week. Playing during a suspension will result in an additional 3 week suspension. Further action to assure the safety of other players may be taken by the league directors.