Rules

D.M.H.L. League Rules

The Downtown Men's Hockey League (DMHL) plays by Hockey Canada Playing Rules. The rule book can be found at www.hockeycanada.ca

The DMHL follows the Hockey Canada Playing Rules with some amendments and modifications (e.g. Blue Line Icings).

All players in the DMHL must sign a waiver form before playing in the league.

All penalties that cause a team to play shorthanded are stop time.

League Policy

Waivers
- All players must sign a waiver prior to playing in a game.
Team Rosters
- All players must be at least 18 years of age at the time of playing.
- Rosters must be submitted prior to the first game of the season.
- For a game to be official, both playing teams must have a goalie and five skaters dressed in proper equipment.
- A team may start a game without a goalie in net by starting six skaters instead. If the goalie has not arrived by the start of the second period the game is automatically defaulted.
- Any “grace period” provided for a goalie to arrive is done upon referee / convener discretion.
- In an emergency situation, a player is allowed to play in goal so long as he or she is wearing the proper equipment.
- All players must be wearing a jersey with a number on it.
Alcohol
- The arena’s the D.M.H.L play out of reserve the right to ban teams or players that bring alcohol into the arena.
- Any team that brings alcohol into an arena is subject to being banned from the league.
Mandatory Equipment
- It is recommended and players are encouraged to wear a full cage or visor, a mouth guard and a neck guard. A half visor is mandatory.
- It is recommended and players are encouraged to wear full equipment, including shoulder pads. Goalies must wear a full set of proper goalie equipment.
- Players will not be allowed to participate in a game unless they are wearing skates, shin pads with hockey socks, hockey pants, elbow pads, sweater, helmet and gloves.
- All equipment must be up to date and C.A.H.A. approved.
Insurance
- The D.M.H.L does not provide health or dental insurance.
- Any player not wearing proper protective equipment is putting themselves at risk.
- All accidents and injuries must be reported to league staff immediately.
Personal Property
- The league is not responsible for any lost or stolen personal property.
- The league is not responsible for locking dressing rooms.
- Teams are responsible for locking their own dressing rooms prior to games.
Willful Damage to Personal Property
- Any player or team that damages arena property is responsible for paying for set damaged property. Payment to the respective arena must occur prior to any further participation in league games.
- The league reserves the right to take any further action as it deems necessary.

Game and Playoff Format

Game Length
- Games consist of a 1 minute on ice warm-up followed by three 15 minute run-time periods.
- The game will be stop-time in the last 30 seconds of the first and second periods, and the last 2 minutes of the third period, so long as the game is within 2 goals (Ex. The score is 5-3, the game is then stop time in the last 2 minutes of the third period).
- The clock will not be stopped during any altercations such as fights or scrums, regardless of the time remaining in the game.
- In the case of injury, the clock may be stopped at the discretion of the referee or convener.
Playoff Player Eligibility
- Players must play 7 regular season games in order to be eligible for playoff hockey.
- Exceptions can be made for goaltenders but must be approved by league staff prior to the game.
- A player that is on a team’s roster is eligible to play in a game so long as they arrive prior to the start of the third period.
Playoff Series Format
- Playoff seeding is determined total points - most wins - least losses - goal differential - goals for - goals against - least penalty minutes - coin toss
- A playoff series is a two game “race to three points” elimination series. Teams will be given two points for a win, and one point for a tie.
- There will be no overtime in game one.
- If after game 2 the series is tied at 2 points each, a sudden death overtime period will take place.
  - PENALTIES DO NOT CARRY OVER FROM THE END OF GAME 2 TO THE BEGINNING OF OVERTIME
- Overtime will be played at four on four, and will be a 5 minute run-time period, followed by a three person shootout if necessary to determine the winner. Both teams will shoot at the same time in the event of a shootout. If the game remains tied, both teams will choose one shooter in a sudden death shootout. No player can shoot twice unless all players on a given team have already shot.

Game Rules

If an individual rule or penalty is not covered in the below rules, then the standardized Hockey Canada Playing Rules are in effect.

All penalties will be stop time.

All 5 minute penalties result in automatic ejection from the game.

Match Penalties Involving League or Arena Staff
- A match penalty will be assessed when a player or coach verbally or physically threatens, intimidates, or abuses any league or arena staff preceding, during, or after a game.
- The penalized person will be indefinitely suspended subject to review by the league
- If the incident occurs during the game the penalized team is to be assessed a 5 Minute Major penalty.
Icings
- The line which determines whether an icing has been initiated will be a team's defensive blue line.
Intentional Body Checking
- Any player who intentionally body checks another player will receive a penalty.
- Either a 2 Minute, or a 5 Minute penalty will be assessed, at the discretion of the referee.
- A 5 Minute penalty will be assessed if in the opinion of the referee the body check was with substantial force and could have resulted in injury of the victimized player.
Head Contact
- A head contact will be called when a player intentionally or accidentally makes contact with any part of an opponents head or neck with any part of their stick or body.
- Either a 2 Minute, 4 Minute, or 5 Minute penalty will be assessed at the discretion of the referee.
- Degree of force, intent of offending player, and result in injury will be what determines the severity of the offence.
- A 2 Minute head contact is any accidental and non-forceful contact with an opponents head that does not result in injury.
- A 4 minute head contact is any intention OR forceful contact with an opponents head that does not result in injury.
- A 5 minute head contact is when in the opinion of the referee head contact which is egregiously dangerous, forceful, or results in injury occurs.
Match Penalties Involving League Player
- Any player who injures another player, or shows intent to injure another player, or any player who fights off the ice, or fights on arena property, will be indefinitely suspended with the strong possibility of being banned from the league
- If the incident occurs during a game the offending team will be assessed a 5 Minute major penalty
Gross Misconduct
- Generally assessed to any player who makes a travesty of the game.
- Any obscene gesture, racial slur, derogatory slur, or fighting during the post-game handshake will be assessed a gross misconduct.
- A player who is assessed a gross misconduct will be ejected from the game and receive a minimum 3 game suspension and possibly be banned from playing in the league.
Game Misconduct
- A player will be ejected for the remainder of the game and may be suspended for additional games depending on the severity of the game misconduct.
10 Minute Misconduct
- Any player receiving a 10 minute misconduct with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game will be removed from the game.
- When a player receives a 2 minute minor and a 10 minute misconduct, the 10 minute misconduct only begins after the 2 minute penalty ends
- The offending team will send a player to the penalty box to serve the minor penalty.
Fighting
- There is not fighting in the DMHL. Any player assessed a fighting major will be removed from the game and receive an additional minimum 2 game suspension.
- Any player receiving a penalty for leaving the penalty box or the players bench to join in an altercation will be suspended indefinitely and possibly banned from the league.
- Any player who receives a second fighting major in the same season will be suspended indefinitely and possibly banned from the league.
- The D.M.H.L reserves the right to suspend or ban players as it see's fit.
Third Penalty Rule
- Any player receiving three penalties in one game will be ejected for the remainder of the game.
- A double minor is considered two penalties (e.g. a trip and an unsportsmanlike penalty is two minor penalties).
- There is no additional game suspensions.
Suspensions
- All suspensions will be posted on the league website. It is the teams responsibility to inform players of the length of their suspension.
- Any player who plays in a league game while they are suspended will be suspended indefinitely and the length of the suspension will be decided by the league.
- If a player plays on two teams in the league gets suspended on one team he may be allowed to play for his second team, depending on the severity of his first suspension.
- It is up to the team to talk to the league convener to determine if the player is eligible to play on his second team.
- Any player who plays on two teams and incurs a serious penalty and has been suspended indefinitely will not play for either team.