CGHL Constitution - As of August 2011

 CGHL Constitution

The Constitution of the City Gents Hockey League

Revised October 2004, August 2011

Article 1  Purpose of the League

The City Gents Hockey League (CGHL) was formed, and exists today, to promote sportsmanship, goodwill and foster the sport of hockey on a friendly and competitive basis.

The rules, by-laws and regulations of both the CAHA and NBAHA, as well as any other rules, by-laws or amendments imposed by the League itself within this Constitution, shall govern the League. League Administration

Article 2  League Administration

The governing body of the League shall consist of a Board of Governors and an Executive.

The League Board of Governors shall consist of one voting representative from each team that completed the previous season.

The League Executive shall consist of a President, Secretary/Treasurer and Vice-president. This Executive will be elected by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Governors at the beginning of the season and will sit on the Board of Governors until the first League meeting of the following year.

The President and Secretary/Treasurer are to receive an honorarium, to be determined by the League Board of Governors, and to be paid in two equal payments in December and March.  In addition, there will be an executive expense account to be used to cover incidental costs associated with League activities.  Reimbursement to be based on receipts provided.

Article 3  Powers of the Executive

All members of the Executive shall refrain from making any public comment or statement on any League matters that have not yet come before the Board of Governors.

The League Governors can amend or change rules from time to time, at their discretion, to benefit the League.

Board of Governors

The Board of Governors shall consist of a representative and an alternate from each team in the League. No more than two members of any team shall attend a meeting and each team is allowed only one vote at League meetings.

To hold an official League meeting a quorum shall consist of a representation of a simple majority of teams in the League (i.e. 12 teams:an official quorum is seven (7)).

Responsibilities

1) Shall be responsible for the passing of any rule changes.

2) Shall be responsible for the passing of any constitution amendments and/or changes.

3) Shall have jurisdiction over the admittance of any new teams.

4) Shall have jurisdiction over anything not specifically covered in the constitution.

5) All decisions of the Board of Governors must be passed by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present (quorum).

6) All members of the League Executive are to be elected by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present (quorum).

7) Shall have the power to remove from office, for just cause, any member of the Executive by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present (quorum).

   a) Shall, within one week of the removal of the Executive member from office, appoint an individual as his replacement.

8) Any team not having a representative at an official League meeting, without just cause and prior notification, shall be fined twenty-five ($25.00) dollars.

Note: Any rule changes or changes in the constitution shall not be passed until after a second League meeting and shall not be applied retroactively.

The President

Responsibilities

1) Shall preside at all Executive and/or League meetings, and may at his discretion order the calling of any such meeting by notifying the Secretary/Treasurer.

2) Shall have the power to issue a suspension to any member of the League for any infraction of the rules and by-laws in accordance with the guidelines set out in Articles 7 and 8.

3) Shall vote only in the event of a split vote by the Board of Governors.

4) Shall serve as a consultant to the Suspension Appeals Board and shall vote on a suspension appeal only when a Board member must disqualify himself from a vote due to a conflict of interest.

5) Shall be considered the trustee of the League.

6) Shall be responsible for commencement of League operations including:

         a) Booking of appropriate ice times in city arenas

         b) Making arrangements for League game officials

         c) Calling of the first League meeting for each season

         d) Issuing invitations to all teams from the City Gents Hockey League of the previous season to rejoin the League.

         e) Make arrangements for a replacement for any team, which decides not to return.

         f) Making arrangements for League schedules

         g) Making arrangements for the annual banquet

         h) Is chair of the annual All Star Game Committee

7) Shall set agendas for all League meetings.

8) Shall act as the spokesperson for the League.

9) May appoint special committees.

10) Ensures that all members adhere to the rules and regulations of the CGHL.

11) Attends as many games as possible.

12) Presents awards and/or trophies to their recipients at the appropriate time and place.

13) Assists the Secretary/Treasurer with maintaining an effective and efficiently operated hockey league.

14) Communicates regularly with on-ice and off-ice officials.
The Vice-President

Responsibilities

1) Shall assume all the responsibilities of the President in his absence.

2) Shall have a vote upon the removal of any member of the Board of Trustees.

The Secretary/Treasurer

Responsibilities

1) Shall provide a written agenda for the upcoming meeting.

2) Shall read the minutes of the previous meeting.

3) Shall produce copies of the minutes of the previous meeting for the Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees.

4) Shall record the minutes for any meeting of the League.

5) Shall, upon notification by the President, advise all members of the League Executive and the Board of Governors of any upcoming meeting.

6) Shall supply to the League Executive and Board of Governors a current report of the financial position of the League at a monthly League meeting.

7) Shall record all financial transactions for the League and prepare a year end report of all financial transactions which occurred during the year to be presented to the Executive and the Board of Governors.

8) Shall ensure that all monthly debts are paid in accordance with the terms advised.

Statistician and Timekeeper

The statistician/timekeeper’s primary responsibility is to record and report on all relevant League statistics arising from the playing of all League games.

The statistician/timekeeper will be paid for his/her services on a regular basis throughout the season at the rate which is to be determined on a per hour/game basis.

Responsibilities

1) Shall serve as timekeeper for all League games or, in the event of his absence, shall make arrangements for a suitable replacement to fulfill his duties.

2) Shall be responsible for preparing a written game report for each game and retaining a copy.

3) Shall advise local media of all games to be played and the results of each game.

4) Shall advise the President of any major infractions such as fighting, misconduct’s, match penalties, etc. as soon as possible after the infraction and  forward a copy of the game report to the President along with any written comments by the referees or officials.

5) Shall maintain the League Website .

6) Shall issue a complete team roster to each member of the Board of Governors one-week after player registration deadline.

7) Shall keep records of all suspensions and other statistics relative to team play.

8) Shall inform the officials and players (by way of clock) as to the amount of time available for warm-up and shall ensure that the game clock starts on time.

Suspension Appeals Board

A three man committee, plus an alternate, appointed by the Board of Governors, along with the President of the League, shall deal with any appeals of suspensions or protests that the players or teams feel have been unjustifiably dealt with by the President in his original decision.

The decision of the Suspension Appeals Board shall be by a majority vote and the decision shall be final.

Article 4  Protests / Appeals

The procedure for the filing of a protest or appeal is as follows:

1) The protesting team shall notify the opposing team of the protest before the completion of the game.

2) The President must be notified within 48 hours of the completion of the game under protest.

3) The protesting team or appealing player shall forward a written copy of the protest to the President and to the opposing team.

4) A sum of $50.00 shall be forwarded with the written copy of the protest.

5) The President shall then render his decision within 48 hours of receiving the official protest.

6) The $50.00 will be returned to the protesting team if the protest is ruled in their favor.

7) If the team or player feels the President’s decision is wrong or unjust, the team or player can appeal the decision to the Suspension Appeals Board whose decision will be final.

8) All applicable points will be awarded to the team that wins the protest.

Article 5  Official Tie Breaking Rules

1) There are no overtime games except for the playoffs. After regulation time has been played during the playoffs and there is still a tie, a 5 minute sudden death will be played. Upon completion of the 5 minute sudden death, and a tie still remains, a shootout consisting of 3 players chosen from each team will occur and a winner will be decided. If there is still a tie after the 3 player shootout, (1) new individual player will be chosen from each team until one player scores and a winner will be declared. 

 In the regular season games, ties count as one point in the standings and the group winners are determined by the highest number of points awarded in aggregate for the regular season games. Two points will be awarded  for a win and zero points for a loss.

2) If there is a tie for a group based on points then the tie is broken as follows:

Case 1.  In order of priority based on regular season totals.
a) record between the two teams.
b) greatest number of wins.
c) greatest positive difference of goals for and against.
d) highest total of goals for.
e) least amount of penalty minutes.
f) if there is still a tie then the two teams will play a  playoff game of which the team winning will win the group. The time of the game will be agreed to by the two teams.

Case 2.  Three (3) or more teams tied in points for a group.
a) best record among the teams from playing only those games against the tied teams.
b) the same as case 1.
c) the same as case 1.
d) the same as case 1.
e) the same as case 1.
f) if there is still a tie, the remaining tied teams will play a mini-game of 5-minute periods starting one (1) hour after the regular season games are over. If  three or more teams are still tied after applying these rules, then the mini-games will be played in a round-robin fashion. If there is still a tie, the results of the mini-games shall count as a round-robin result and the above rules shall be applied.

Article 6  Playoff Format

League Championship

The top eight teams during the regular season will qualify for the playoffs for the League Championship.  The following format will apply for the League Championship playoffs:

First Round: Best of Three Series.

1 vs. 8

2 vs. 7

3 vs. 6

4 vs. 5

Second Round: Best of Three Series

The four winners of the first round shall advance to the semifinals. The top

remaining team shall play the lowest ranked team, with the two remaining

teams playing each other.

Third Round: Best of Five Final Series

The two remaining teams play each other for the League Championship.

CONSOLATION PLAYOFFS

In the spirit of fair play there will also be a consolation playoff series.

First Round: 9 vs 12 and 10 vs 11, best of three
 

Second Round: Best of Three Final Series

Article 7  General Rules

The rules herein set down by the City Gents Hockey League shall prevail and in all other instances the CAHA and/or NBAHA rules shall apply.

1) The City Gents Hockey League shall consist of twelve (12) teams. Each team will be required to maintain a $150.00 performance bond (to be topped up and/or paid at the first of each season) to cover the payment of any fines incurred during the year.

2) The teams shall play a balanced, 33 game schedule, playing each other team three (3) times.

3) Players must be 18 years of age by October 30^th of the playing year.  A variance may be granted with a majority vote of the Board of Governors.

4) Deadline for player registration will be Oct. 31 of the playing season and must be submitted to the President. Any players registered with this League cannot play in any other organized League in which full contact is permitted.

5) Each team is permitted to carry up to three (3) players who played at the senior hockey level or higher during the previous season.  Two (2)  of those must have played previously in the CGHL thereby allowing only one new player per team who played senior hockey or higher during the previous season.

6) Maximum number of registered players allowed is 20 per team and the minimum number is 12 players. Note: The goalie is considered a player.

7) A first year player must play fifteen (15) regular season games to be eligible for playoffs. A goalie must play ten (10) regular season games to be eligible for playoffs.

8) Teams may pick up a registered goaltenders from another CGHL team or similar caliber league during emergency situations only.

9) Any team caught playing with unregistered players shall forfeit the game or games in which the ineligible player participated.

10) A team must ice 5 skaters and a goaltender to constitute a team.  The game may begin without a goaltender, however, the team must have a properly equipped goaltender on the ice by the 6:00 minute mark of the 1st period. Failure to do so shall result in the forfeiture the game.

11) Forfeited games will result in the team forfeiting to reimburse the other team one hundred and fifty dollars ($150) plus the points for that game. This fine must be paid within 7 days and will be paid to the League, which will then turn it over to the other team. If the fine is not paid within the seven days, the team forfeiting will be suspended from further play until the fine is paid. If both teams forfeit the fine will be paid by both teams directly to the League. A forfeited game is not a League-sanctioned game.

12) The CGHL will not allow any team in the League to postpone a regularly scheduled game (exceptions may take place at the discretion of the League Executive).

13) Each team is allowed one captain and no more than two alternates. These players must have a jersey clearly marked in contrasting colors with “C” or “A”. Only these players will be allowed to speak to a referee over a dispute.

14) Mandatory equipment - helmets properly fastened with chin straps, gloves, pants, and shin guards. Goaltenders must also wear facemasks.

15) Sticks must be in good condition with no cracked or splintered edges, etc.

16) Teams must have team sweaters of the same color and sweater numbers must be assigned each player on registration deadline.
Senior teams shall have preference with existing team colors.

17) Teams are permitted to take a 30-second time out, provided that the score of the game is within a five-goal spread and there is time permitting.

18)  A maximum of 10 goals total will be released to the media. Any personal goals or assists above the 10 goals shall be credited as usual.

19) Players and teams are to be held responsible (i.e. including financial restitution) for their actions and for any damage done to any arena and/or personal or public damages while playing with the City Gents Hockey League.

20) Teams may have their membership suspended or canceled if their money is not paid by date set by the League at the beginning of any new season.

21) All minor penalties are two minutes in duration during stop time (three minutes if the clock reverts to straight time). All major penalties are five minutes in duration during stop time (seven minutes if the clock reverts to straight time).

22) All high stick infractions will be treated as minor penalties (i.e., two minutes) unless an injury occurs, and then the infraction will be treated as a major penalty.

23) Slapshots will be permitted.

24) The CGHL will play three twelve-minute stop time periods during all regular season and playoff games. If with five minutes or less remaining in the third period, the goal spread is five or more, the timekeeper will be instructed to allow the clock to run on straight time. Stop time will take effect again if a sufficient number of goals are scored to reduce the goal spread to less than five (last five minutes of any game only).

25) Delayed offside will be observed in an effort to speed up play and to eliminate unnecessary stoppages in play. As well, the removal of the center ice red line will be observed in relation to two line offside for the same reasons.

*Note: Pending trial period and final approval
26) If there is 6 minutes or less remaining in the scheduled time slot and there is a greater amount of time remaining on the game clock, the timekeeper and referee are instructed to reduce the game clock time to equal that of the remaining timeslot and all play will continue at straight time.
Both teams will be notified by the referee and timekeeper of this situation.
No timeouts will be allowed during this period of straight time.

Article 8. Major Penalties, Fines and Suspensions

1) Fighting

First Offense

a) Occurs in the first or second period, results in a suspension for the remainder of that game and as well the subsequent game played by his team.

b) Occurs in the third period results in a suspension for the remainder of that game and the subsequent two (2) games played by his team.

c) The player shall be fined in the amount of fifteen ($15.00) dollars. Player remains suspended until fine is paid to the Secretary/Treasurer or the Timekeeper.

Second Offense

d) Notwithstanding paragraph 1(b) above, any player assessed a second fighting major penalty at any time during the same regular or playoff season, shall be suspended immediately for the subsequent five (5) games played by his team and he shall be fined twenty-five ($25.00) dollars which must be paid in the above manner before he is permitted to play.

Third Offense

e) Suspended immediately for a minimum of 10 games, Including playoffs and shall be fined fifty ($50.00) dollars and must be voted back in by a majority vote of the Board of Governors to be allowed to continue to play in the League.

1A) Misconducts; any player receiving 3 misconducts receives an automatic $25 fine and 1 game suspension. Each ensuing misconduct results in an additional $50 fine accompanied with a 1 game suspension. Players receiving 5 misconducts are eligible  for additional suspension by the President.

2) Gross Misconducts/Match Penalties - disciplinary action at the discretion of the President and a fine to a maximum of fifty ($50.00). Suspensions of 10 games or greater must be accepted back into play by a majority vote of the Board of Governors.

3) Minor Penalties - if in any game a player receives four minor penalties, he will be ejected from that game. A double minor is considered to be two penalties.

4) If a player wishes to join our League after being suspended from another League must be accepted into the League upon review and approval by the board of governors.

5) The League registration fee shall be divided into two payment  installments with due dates set out by the league.  Teams will be fined $5 per day for late payment of the first installment and subsequently $10 per day for late payment of the final payment.

6) All team and individual fines assessed by the League shall be collected by deducting an equal amount  from the teams existing performance bond held by the League.  Should the teams performance bond be insufficient to cover these fines, the team must make full payment prior to their next game or risk possible suspensions as determined by the League.

Note: All suspensions and fines will be carried over to any subsequent season for which the player registers.

Narcotics: Effective 2011-2012 season teams caught smoking narcotics in the arenas will be fine $25 for first offense, $50 for second offense and $100 for the third offense. Any team repeating the offense may be subject to suspensions of games or removal from the League. The President shall have express authority in such matters.