The purpose of the league is for entertainment only. No prizes of any monetary value will be given, ever. Additionally, there shall be no membership fee for joining, ever. Any potential owner of a team must prove ownership of the game of Face-Off and MUST have a real ".net, .com, etc" address. No "Yahoo, Bigfoot, Hotmail, etc" addresses will be allowed as a main address. All owners MUST be able to zip files and unzip files sending and receiving.
League Commissioner and Gripe
Committee
The League Commissioner will over see the LaBatt Blue Hockey League keeping
the league stats, track rosters, coach files, and trades. The gripes committee
is a 3-member panel appointed by the commissioner to rule on any trade and
rules disputes.
E-mail the Commissioner Don Powell
The sequences of events for a gripe to be heard are as follows:
Commissioner makes initial rules interpretation.
One of the parties involved, or a third party makes a formal gripe to the
Commissioner.
The Commissioner notifies the gripe committee chairman
The gripe committee chairperson solicits the opinion of the parties involved
and the commissioner.
The grip committee votes, with each of the 3 members receiving one vote for
a decision.
An appeal of the ruling goes to a vote of the entire league. The person making
the gripe may not appeal if the ruling is not in his favor. A gripe must be
made within one week of the time the entire league is informed of the action.
The Commissioner's responsibility is merely to break a tie on a league vote.
If one of the parties involved, or a third-party files a gripe and they are
on the gripe committee, they are not aloud to get involved or vote within
the committee or if it goes to the league as a whole.
League History, Structure, and Regular Season
The first year 1998/99 season consisted of twenty teams with each individual
picking a NHL team. The top six NHL teams with total points from the 1998
NHL season were not able to be selected. So for the 1998-99 season Dallas,
New Jersey, Detroit, St Louis, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Philadelphia Flyers
are excluded from being picked. Nashville had no team so they are not included
either. The six teams made up the six round weighted free agent draft and
the free agent pool. Teams were divided by their respective division as per
the 1997-98 season with the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers moving
to the Central Division of the Western Conference to even out the divisions.
All teams play a balanced schedule of 76 games. Each team will play every
team in the league 4 times. The division winners and top six non-division
champions from each conference will advance to the playoffs each year. The
Regular season will run November through the first week of April with the
last three games of the season being completed the first week of April. The
tie breaker is as follows for regular season, wavier wire, playoffs, and re-entry
draft: 1. total points, 2.most wins 3. divisional record 4. team goals for
5. team goals against 6. record within the division 7. a one-game playoff.
Rosters
Each LBHL team will consist of a roster as small as 32 players and as large
as 35 players maximum when the season starts. Rosters can expand no higher
then 40 once the regular season starts by way of trades only not by free agent
pickups. If free agents are picked up and roster is at 35 or over then a player
must be dropped to allow pickup. Twenty players must dress for each game (18
skaters and 2 goalies). Rosters are frozen 5 weeks before the end of the regular
season. Two weeks before the regular season teams must get down to the 35
player rosters. Once the rosters are set two weeks before the regular season
any movement after that is only through trades or the free agent pickups (see
Free Agent Draft and Free Agent Pickups).
Player Usage
All players are restricted to playing their actual number of games played.
If a player goes past his allotted games, he is suspended for the remainder
of the season and playoffs.
Injuries
Injuries will be used for the game being play only. Once the game has been
played all players are eligible to play again.
Seasonal Play
The season will start with a 2 week Exhibition Schedule. These games and their
stats will not count toward season records or statistics. Each team will play
an average of 15 games every month, with each team playing their home games
averaging 7-8 per month. The first week of April will have the final 4 games
played. Each owner will play only his home games, the "computer coach"
will play the away games. The league statistician must receive by the 28th
of each month the XXX.fot file "ZIPPED" which contain home games
stats for the given month. XXX.fot files not received by this deadline may
be auto played at the discretion of the commissioner. Repeated offenses will
be grounds for disciplinary action, which might lead to expulsion.
The Playoffs
The division champions and top six non-champions in each conference will advance
to the playoffs. The first round will be 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5. Home ice will
be awarded to the top seeds using a HHAAHAH format. The lowest surviving seed
in each round will be paired against the highest seed left in each round,
with the top point team have home ice for the BLUE CUP. If any game(s) during
the playoffs are to be quickplayed then the commissioner will quickplay the
games. Both teams will send strat's with in proper time and label them properly.
If no strats are received then one(s) will be made up by the commisioner.
The tiebreaker is as follows for regular season,
wavier wire, and playoffs:
most win
divisional record
team goals for
team goals against
record within the division
coin flip
For determining playoff eligibility the following
formula will be used.
Players are allowed to play each round according to the following NHL games
they played.
SKATERS | SKATERS | GOALIES | GOALIES |
REGULAR SEASON | PLAYOFFS | REGULAR SEASON | PLAYOFFS |
41GAMES | ALL GAMES | 45 GAMES | ALL GAMES |
31-40 GAMES | 4 GAMES | 35-44 GAMES | 6 GAMES |
21-30 GAMES | 3 GAMES | 25-34 GAMES | 5 GAMES |
11-20 GAMES | 2 GAMES | 15-24 GAMES | 3 GAMES |
1-10 GAMES | 0 GAMES | 8-14 GAMES | 1 GAMES |
1-7 GAMES | 0 GAMES |
Faceoff Configurations Options
The following are to be set in the options for the game:
Skaters Limit: 18
Goalie Limit: 2
Modern Day Fatique
Injuries: Random
Overtime: 5 minutes, skaters 4 on 4, end on a goal, and overtime loss points
will be awarded as in the NHL
Visitors Instructions (STRATEGY EDITOR)
The Faceoff Strategy editor will manage each teams road games. At the beginning
of each month each team will wait until the NEW league files are sent before
programming or altering their Strategy file. Each owner is responsible for
sending out their XXX.fot file zipped to the league by the 8th of the month
or permission is given to your opponents to play with the computer managing
your team, which includes the computer selecting the starting roster. If a
problem arises that a XXX.fot file can't be sent you must notify the League
Commissioner of this for other arrangements to be meet. Teams will distribute
one zipped XXX.fot file each month to the league every month or the previous
coach file will be used.
Trades
Trades may be done anytime during the season and must be done by the 25th
of each month with roster moves take effect on the 28th of the month when
all player movements are due. All GM's are REQUIRED to use the official roster
files provided by the League statistician. The new league files will be e-mailed
to each team by the 8th of every month. Each team must announce the trade
to the league commissioner before it is to take effect then if they wish to
announce it to the league. All trades are subject to review to the league
commissioner. NO TRADE shall be voided by the League Commissioner unless it
is NOT in the best interest of the league.
Trade Deadline
Trading of players and draft picks end with 5 weeks to go in the regular season
and begin once the championship is over.
Annual Free Agent Re-Entry Draft
At the end of each season each team will be required to submit a protected
list of players totalling anywhere from 25-30. Only players that were on the
the previous seasons LBHL team rosters are able to be protected. Draft order
based upon LBHL last season's standings with the team that has the least amount
of points drafting first through the top point team drafting eighteenth. The
two teams in the championship will draft with the league runner up drafting
nineteenth and champion twentieth. The regular draft will last 5 rounds and
with all teams having all the picks they have acquired through out the season
too. After the regular draft a supplemental draft will be conducted with the
teams that protected less then 30 drafting a maximum 5 rounds or till their
team reaches 35 players. Only carded players will be allowed to be selected
in the supplemental draft. Some teams at the end of the re-entry draft may
be over 35 players (see Rosters for cut down time). Teams not at the minimum
of 32 players after the annual draft, will draft additional players in the
supplemental draft. These picks will follow the draft order and only to the
minimum of 32 players. If a GM cannot be available for the draft, he must
supply the League Commission with DETAILED draft instructions and understand
that this system is imperfect and that the Commission is in no way responsible
for draft mishaps.
Free Agent Re-Entry
Draft order
Draft order is last place to champion of the league
Free Agent Pickups
Players left over from LBHL five round re-entry draft, and supplemental
draft will form the base of the free agent pool. At the beginning of the
year the
only time a free agent may be taken is when a teams roster drops below
32 players from an unbalanced trade. You will be allowed to pickup a pool
player(s)
to get back to the 32 player roster. Once the season starts a limit of
3 pickups for the season with a maximum 1 pickup for the given month will
be allowed
and the players are not allowed to be protected after this season. If the
player that has been picked up is traded then the team receiving the said
player will not be able to protect that player when protected lists are
due.
All free agent pickups are return to the free agent pool at the end of
the season. The rating of the free agent pick up from the player pool that
the
team selects shall be no higher then 2/2 defenseman or forward or a goalie
with a .890 percentage. The team with the lowest point total has priority
if more than one team wants players. If a team needs to select more than
one
player (below 31) team(s) will choose the additional players by round which
is based on a reverse order of the standings if more than one trade occurs.
Player pickups will be at the time of the trade due to multiple trading
in
months so teams will know who are available. All pickups will be completed
by the 25th of each month with notification done to the commissioners and
the statistician.
Annual All-Star Game
New Rules
Any member can propose a new rule or amendment from the period after the season
until the beginning of the Exhibition season the following year. The league
then votes on all proposed rules. If the majority of the league doesn't vote
for the rule then the change in the charter or rule is dropped