ARTICLE 1                           NAME

 

            This organization shall be known as the Winnipeg High School Hockey League             (W.H.S.H.L.) Sanctioned by the M.H.S.A.A.

 

 

ARTICLE    2                        MEMBERSHIP

 

The W.H.S.H.L. shall be open to membership from any high school in Winnipeg and surrounding area provided its entrance is sanctioned by its school board.  Membership may be acquired by written application to the Executive prior to the annual meeting and by means of ratification of 2/3 of the membership.

 

 

ARTICLE    3                        PHILOSOPHY / OBJECTIVES

 

            The objectives of the W.H.S.H.L. are as follows:

 

q       to promote the aspect that the athletic arena is a classroom with moral and educational obligations at all times by both coaches and players.

 

q       to promote high standards of courtesy, respect, fair play and sportsmanship between players, coaches and referees.

 

           

ARTICLE    4                        EXECUTIVE

 

            The Executive members of the organization shall consist of:

 

8President                                       8Treasurer

8Vice President                              8 Public Relations/Special Events          

                        8Convenors (one per division)    8 Past President    

                        8Secretary                                       8Director of Officials                     
                        8Student Representatives            8Statistician 

8Member at Large

8MHSAA / Hockey Manitoba Liaison Representative

 

The Officers shall be elected annually at the W.H.S.H.L. Annual Meeting.  The student representatives shall be elected for a two year term. The Director of Officials, Statistician and Secretary will be appointed by the elected members of the Executive as non-voting Officers of the League and will report directly to the Vice President.  Each appointee will receive an honorarium from the League.

 

 

 

DUTIES: 

PRESIDENT

 

1)         The president shall preside at all Executive and Special meetings and perform the duties usual to the office of the President.

 

2)         The President shall exercise the powers of the Executive in case of an emergency, when it is impossible for him to obtain a vote of the Executive.

 

3)         The President should sit on all committees as an Ex Officio voting member.

 

4)         The President, can suspend member schools, teams, players or coaches subject to ratification at the next meeting of the Executive.

 

5)         The President will only vote in order to break a tie.

 

6)         The President, if possible, should not be directly affiliated with any member team.

 

7)         The President shall be one of the three (3) signing officers of the league.

 

8)         The President shall also act as the Liaison Representative, and, in this capacity will report  to the League Executive and membership regarding issues dealing with the M.H.S.A.A. and Hockey Manitoba.

 

9)         The President shall be the liaison with other provincial League Executives.

 

10)      The President shall be the official communicator for the Winnipeg High School Hockey League.

 

 

VICE-PRESIDENT

 

1)         The Vice President, in the absence of the President or in the event of his inability to act, shall have and exercise all the powers of the President.

 

2)         The Vice President shall be one of the three (3) signing officers of the league.

 

3)         The Vice President will oversee that the rules, regulations and procedures of the W.H.S.H.L. are carried out in accordance with the constitution.

 

4)         The Vice President will oversee, through the Divisional Convenors, the schedule, playoffs, team registration and player registration.

 

5)         Problems in either #3 or #4 above should first go to the Divisional Convenors who will then report to the Vice President.

 

6)         The Vice President shall enforce any suspensions in accordance with the constitution and CAHA rulebook.

 

7)         The Vice President will rule on any appeals with the appeals committee.

 

8)         The Vice President shall submit a report for the Annual Meeting.

 

9)               The Vice President shall act as a liaison with the Director of Officials, Statistician, and Secretary..

 

10)      The Vice President will receive all requests and will rule on sanctioning on all exhibition games and tournaments.

 

11)      The Vice President shall make recommendations and/or inform all members of any disciplinary actions taken.

 

12)      The Vice President shall act as chairperson at league meetings.

 

13)    The Vice President shall chair a search committee for the following year’s                                                   

executive with a slate of candidates to be presented to the membership no later than thirty (30) days prior to the AGM.

 

14)    The Vice President will be the Chairperson for the league awards.

 

CONVENORS

 

1)         Each convenor  will be responsible for the organization and administration of his/her Division.

 

2)        The Convenor will keep records of all suspendable offences reported by the convenor’s assigned teams.  The convenor will also clarify the interpretation of suspensions in the constitution for his/her assigned teams.

           

3)        The Divisional Convenors will be representatives on the Appeals Committee, Playoff Committee and additional ad hoc committees

 

SECRETARY

 

1)        The Secretary shall keep accurate minutes of the W.H.S.H.L. Executive meetings, General meetings and the Annual General Meeting.

 

 2)        The Secretary and/or President shall notify members of all meetings.

 

3)         The Secretary will prepare the minutes for each meeting and forward a copy to the league contact person to be emailed to each team’s contact person.

 

4)         The Secretary is responsible for contacting the media with  game results for all League games each day during which games are played.

 

TREASURER

 

1)         The Treasurer shall handle all league financial situations and shall be one of the three (3) signing officers of the league.

 

2)         The Treasurer shall present, at the annual meeting, a report of the year’s operation and will provide a written report at the monthly executive and league meetings.

 

PUBLIC RELATIONS/SPECIAL EVENTS

 

1)         The Public Relations/ Special Events is the direct contact or coordinator for the league, coaches, and managers with the public and media.

 

2)         The Public Relations/ Special Events shall set guidelines and inform all members of their responsibility to inform and/or deal with the media and public.

 

3)                 The Public Relations/ Special Events shall work closely with the league’s Statistician.

 

4)         The Public Relations/ Special Events shall be a member of the All Star Committee, the Playoff Committee and other committees as assigned by the executive.

 

PAST-PRESIDENT

 

1)         The Past-President will act as an advisor to the President.

 

2)         The Past-President will sit as an executive member.

 

3)                 The Past-President will be an Ex Officio non-voting member of all committees.

 

M.H.S.A.A. / HOCKEY MANITOBA LIAISON REPRESENTATIVE

 

1)         The Liaison Representative will report to the league executive and membership issues dealing with the M.H.S.A.A. and HOCKEY MANITOBA.

 

2)                 The Liaison Representative will be the liaison with other provincial league executives.

 

DIRECTOR OF OFFICIALS

 

1)                 The Director of Officials will assign referees for all WHSHL exhibition, league and play-off games.

 

2)                 The Director of Officials will act as liaison between the WHSHL Executive and Membership and the referees.

 

3)                 The Director of Officials will work closely with the Vice-President to ensure that the referees understand the philosophy and objectives of the WHSHL.

 

STATISTICIAN

 

1)                 The Statistician is responsible for compiling all statistics pertinent to the operation of the league.

 

2)                 The Statistician shall work closely with the Public Relations Officer to ensure that the media is informed of league statistics.

 

3)                 The Statistician shall attend all regular league meetings, the Annual General Meeting and executive/special meetings.

 

4)         The Statistician is responsible for phoning in the league game results to the media each and every night that games are played.

 

5)         The Statistician shall be responsible for maintaining the league website.

 

6)         The Statistician will be the official communication officer for the League.

 

MEMBER  AT  LARGE

 

1)                    The Member at  Large shall attend all regular league meetings, the Annual General Meeting and executive/special meetings.

 

2)                    The Member at large shall be the Representative of the Executive and Chairperson of the All-Star Committee and the Executive representative on other committees as assigned by the Executive.

 

3)                    The Member at Large shall oversee the undertaking of any special projects that are not inherent to the roles of any other Executive Members.

 

STUDENT  REPRESENTATIVES

 

1)         The Student Representatives shall attend all regular league meetings, the Annual General Meeting and executive/special meetings when requested.

 

2)         The Student Representatives shall assist in the organization of the annual players, coaches and referees’ meeting that is held prior to the start of the league schedule.

 

3)         The Student Representatives, when requested by the Public Relations/Special Events committee, shall assist with League events such as playoffs, all-star game, and International tournament.

 

4)         The students will be appointed for a two year term.

 

 

ARTICLE      5                      MEETINGS

 

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

 

The Annual Meeting of the W.H.S.H.L. will be held in May at a location, date and time to be decided upon by the Executive.

 

Amendments to the constitution can only be made at the Annual Meeting or any special meeting of the organization, provided that ten (10) days of notice of the special amendment has been given to the President and members of the organization.

 

REGULAR   MEETINGS

 

1)                 A regular meeting to conduct league business will be held once a month from September to February.

 

2)         Teams are expected to have a school representative at all league meetings.  A school may only be absent if permission is granted by the league president due to exceptional circumstances.  Failure to attend will mean that a fine of $50.00 will be levied and subtracted from the school’s performance bond.

 

SPECIAL   MEETINGS

 

At the request of three (3) executive members or six (6) league members, the President shall call a Special Meeting.  This meeting must be held within fourteen (14) days of its request.  Only the subject specified in the request may be discussed at the meeting.

 

 

ARTICLE 6               VOTING

 

1)         Each member school of the W.H.S.H.L. shall be allowed one (1) vote.  The member voting must be a teacher or a school appointed member.  A school appointed member must submit a letter of recognition from their school’s administration.    All executive members will be allowed voting privileges with the exception of the Director of Officials, Statistician, Secretary and Past President  No one person can have two (2) votes.  (ie. Coach/manager representing his school and also an executive position).

 

2)         The voting majority shall be a simple majority of the votes cast at the meeting.

 

3)         Quorums       -           Regular meeting - 40% of membership

                                    -           Special meeting - 60% of membership

                                    -           General meeting - 30% of membership

            Executive members do not count in determining a quorum.  

 

 

ARTICLE 7               ELIGIBILITY

 

The W.H.S.H.L., being compatible with the aims of M.H.S.A.A., will follow the eligibility rules of the Association.

 

1)         Players must be under nineteen (19) years of age as of midnight on August 31 of the current school year.

 

2)         Players must be a registered student of their High School.  In semestered schools, a player will only be eligible to play in the semesters in which he is a registered student.

 

3)         Players under suspension from W.M.H.A. or any other registered hockey organization will not be allowed to play until that suspension has been served or overturned.

 

4)         Players will not be allowed to register or play for another hockey team during the same season unless a proper release is acquired by the W.H.S.H.L.

 

5)         Players who have graduated will not be eligible for further play in W.H.S.H.L.

 

6)         Once a student enrolls in high school, he will be allowed four (4) consecutive years of high school hockey.  One of his four (4) years must be his Senior 1 (grade 9) year. Refer to Letter of Agreement with MHSAA.

 

7)         All eligibility appeals must be made through M.H.S.A.A.

 

8)         We follow the Manitoba High School Athletic Association guidelines when it involves the eligibility of players not registered within a particular school.

 

9)                 Players deemed to be eligible by the Manitoba High School Athletic Association will be allowed to play within the W.H.S.H.L.

 

 

ARTICLE 8               ROSTER

 

1)         All teams will submit an official team roster of no more than twenty three (23) players to the League Statistician, and in person to the Winnipeg Minor Hockey Association by the date selected each year by the Executive. Failure to comply will result in a $200 fine and forfeitures of any games deemed ineligible by the league.

 

N.B. The letter of agreement with Greater Winnipeg Minor may affect roster size.

On the date established in the M.H.S.A.A. guidelines rosters will be finalized and only in extreme circumstances will the WHSHL’s Appeals Committee in conjunction with the M.H.S.A.A permit additions. 

 

2)                 All teams must have a minimum number of seventeen (17) players registered on the roster.

 

Caution:  Some hockey districts only allow nineteen (19) players to be listed for exhibition and tournament play.  (ex. Westman Zone)

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE 9               SCHEDULING

 

1)     The season will begin with three divisions A, B, and C with each team declaring their division at or before the September General Meeting.  Should a team wish to change their chosen division, they may do so after the first eight games.

 

2)     Whenever possible, all scheduled league games are to be played to their fully scheduled time, a two (2) hour block of ice time shall be made available. Whenever possible the start time will be no sooner than 4:30 p.m.

 

 

ARTICLE  10            GAME CANCELLATION

 

1)         A minimum time frame of 48 hours is required for the cancellation or change of all league games.

 

2)         All game cancellations or changes shall be made through the League Convenors, Director of Officials and the league Statistician.

 

3)         Any team cancelling a game within the time frame is responsible for the ice fees and game officials’ fees for that game and/or the rescheduled game.

 

OR

 

If the team is not willing to endure all costs then it must forfeit the game to the   non-offending team.

 

This rule would not apply for games cancelled due to unforeseen weather conditions or other special cases authorized by the League Conveners.

 

NOTE: Number 2 above still must be followed to ensure that all persons concerned in handling the game and both team officials are notified that a game has to be postponed due to weather conditions or other special cases.  

 

 

ARTICLE  11                        INSURANCE

 

Members are insured through Hockey Manitoba/Hockey Canada.

 

Members shall be responsible for ensuring that their players have adequate insurance (ex. Blue Cross, Reliable Life, etc.) when playing non-sanctioned CHA teams.

 

 

ARTICLE  12                        SANCTIONING

 

1)         Exhibition games between W.H.S.H.L. teams may be played at the discretion of the teams concerned.  However,

            a) Certified referees and certified timekeepers must be used.

b) The official game sheet must be sent in to the Division Convenor within 2        working days by the Home Coach, and

c) suspendable infractions must be reported to the Division Convenors. A copy of the game sheet shall accompany each infraction.

 

2)         In order for an exhibition game to be “Sanctioned” and counted as a game in which suspensions can be served, the procedures as described above must be followed.

 

3)         Any team playing a game outside of the W.H.S.H.L. jurisdiction must obtain sanction from the league by submitting a written request to the President of the W.H.S.H.L.   A formal letter containing date, time, location, roster, and the on-site contact person must accompany the sanction request.

 

                          i)        date

                         ii)        time

                        iii)        location

                        iv)        roster

                         v)        on-site contact person

 

 

ARTICLE  13                        GAME SHEETS

 

1)         a)  Game sheets of all games (league, playoff, tournament, or exhibition) must be faxed into the league statistician by the home team by the end of the next school day.  Teams that are at a tournament or exhibition game(s) out of the WHSHL must also fax the game sheets of all the games they played to the league statistician by the end of the next school day.  (Failure to do so will result in a fine of $50.00 being levied and subtracted from their performance bond.)

 

            b)  The home team for each league and playoff game is required to phone or email in the results to the statistician immediately after the game or before 9:00 pm the same night.  Failure to do so will mean that a fine of $50.00 will be levied and subtracted from their performance bond.

 

2)         A team official must contact the Division Convenor before the close of the next school day if the team’s last game sheet contained a suspendable offense.

 

3)         Teams in violation of Article 13 (1 a or b or 2) will be fined $50.00 and it will be subtracted from their performance bond.

 

 

ARTICLE  14                        SUPERVISION / COACHES

 

1)         Any school, which does not have an on-staff teacher-coach, must have a supervising teacher present in the arena.

 

2)         All coaches and managers on the bench must have a minimum of a Level 1,

and/or a Coach Level, or National Coaches Certification Program Certificate.

 

3)                 All non-teachers must be cleared by the Child Abuse Register.  Schools are responsible for any cost and for ensuring that this occurs.

 

 

ARTICLE  15                        DUES

 

1)                 The Executive shall set a registration fee each year at the Annual General Meeting.

 

2)         Each team will present, on or before the annual general meeting date of the past year, a cheque of Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) as a performance bond.  Any team folding operations after the schedule has been made or in violation of the W.H.S.H.L. constitution bylaws will forfeit its performance bond to the league.  Any member school in good standing will have the performance bond carried over for the next year’s operation.

 

3)         Teams wishing to retain their memberships with the Winnipeg High School Hockey League must make a payment of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) not later than the first September meeting of the current year.  The league must receive full payment of the outstanding balance by October 1st of the current year.

 

4)         Teams failing to meet that deadline will lose their membership in the W.H.S.H.L. and forfeit their performance bonds.

 

5)                 Teams withdrawing from the league, ceasing operations or are suspended from the league after October 1, will forfeit their full registration fees.

 

 

ARTICLE 16             AFFILIATION

 

1)         The W.H.S.H.L. is affiliated with the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League and the Manitoba Junior B League.    Players on W.H.S.H.L. rosters may play a maximum of five (5) games prior to January 10 and five (5) GAMES AFTER January 10 with an above named team.   If the combined total of games played with an above named team exceeds five (5), prior to January 10 or five (5) games after January 10, the player involved will lose his W.H.S.H.L. eligibility.   (ie. A player who has played two (2) games in the M.J.H.L. has only three (3) games left to play in either of the other named leagues.)

 

2)         The W.H.S.H.L. allows the “AP”ing of players according to their classification by Hockey Manitoba.

Refer to letter of agreement with the MHSAA.

 

 

ARTICLE  17                        JERSEY ADVERTISING

 

Advertising is to be placed at the very bottom part of a player’s jersey i.e. one centimeter from the bottom of the jersey, and the name of one sponsor is not to exceed 10cm. in height and not more than 51 cm. in length.   In addition, the placement of the top sponsor bar is not to exceed a distance of 13cm. from the bottom of the jersey.   (Note: Advertising on jerseys is allowed only in our league, at present, sponsor bars made of Velcro might be the best way to solve this dilemma.)

 

 

ARTICLE 18                         PLAYOFFS

 

1)                 The playoff format for the upcoming season will be determined at the second scheduling meeting. All rounds including the Division Finals will be a Best of Three format.

The league playoffs will be organized by groups of teams as determined each year by the final games of the A, B, and C division.

 

2)        At the end of each playoff round, teams will be re- seeded.

 

3)         The finals for each division will consist of a 5 on 5 - 10 minute stop time overtime period should the game finish in a tie after three periods.  At the end of the overtime period a five round shootout will determine the winner of the game.  If at the end of the five rounds, the shootout will become sudden death.  The shootout will end in the first round that one team scores and the other team does not score.

 

 

ARTICLE 19 OVERTIME FOR LEAGUE GAMES

 

 

: At the end of regular season games which end in a tie, a “3-on-3”, 5 minute running time will be implemented.  The teams will play a “3-on-3” with changes only allowed on the fly.  If one team receives a penalty, they will keep 3 players on the ice, with the non-penalized team allowed to play with 4.  At the end of the penalty, the player receiving the penalty shall be allowed to return to the ice creating a “4-on-4” until the next stoppage in play when the “3-on-3” play will resume.  If the game is still tied there will be  a three player shootout, followed by a sudden death shootout if required.

NB. In addition, if a team is two players short at the end of regulation time, a five on three will take place in overtime following the rule of the “4-on-4”.  At the end of the 5 minute overtime, a sudden death shootout will determine the winner of the game.  The shootout will end in the first round that one team scores and the other team does not score.  The shootout will continue until there is a winner

 

NB: In addition, if a team is two players short at the end of regulation time, a five on three will take place in overtime following the rule of the 4-on-4 situation.

 

 

 

ARTICLE 20             TIE BREAKING CRITERIA

 

The tie breaking criteria for league standings is as follows:

 

1          -           head to head point totals

2          -           most wins (providing an equal number of games played)

2          -           most wins between tied teams (head to head)  

3          -           lowest goals against total in league play

4          -           Most goals for in total league play

5          -           lowest number of team penalty minutes

 

 

 

ARTICLE 21             VIOLENCE

 

A violent act in hockey is considered both a hockey suspension and a school suspension.  School administrators will be asked to administer the school suspension in accordance with the school’s guidelines.