btsh.org

updated April 2011

The BTSH rules are NOT necessarily the USA HOCKEY rules, the NHL rules, or
any other hockey rules that you may be familiar with, but they are a
collection of rules that have been patched together to suit our needs. Read
them, know them, live them!

1 / NOT BEING A DICK
don’t be a dick!
this rule is the bedrock on which BTSH was founded.

2 / structure, OT, play-offs, weather
2.1 game structure:
a) games will start on time or within 5 minutes of the previous game ending. you should be arriving before your game is slotted to start. if you have trouble doing this buy a new alarm clock.
b) games are played in two 25 minute halves with a running clock. at at the half the teams switch sides. teams always switch defending goals after each half but NOT after the second half and before overtime. teams play with a max of 6 players on, including a goalie each.
c) each team is permitted to take one thirty-second time out per game.
2.2 over-time (OT)
c) if the game is tied at the end of the 2nd half, a 5 minute sudden-death over-time (running clock) will be played, wherein the first team to score wins and ends the game. the teams do not switch sides for over-time.
d) if there is still no winner after the OT then a best-of-3-player shootout shall occur involving three different shooters per team. one female shooter must be included in for each team in the 3 player round.
e) If the game is tied after the shootout, the game will end as a tie. 2 points will be awarded for a win and 1 point for a tie or shootout loss.
f) there is a maximum break of 2 minutes between halves, and between regulation and over-time.
g) if the gap in the score of the game reaches 10 goals, the game will end and will be declared a victory for the team in the lead. this is called the outdated rule.
2.3 play-off selection/structure:
h) Teams are ranked 1 – 20 based on Regular Season
Schedule, regardless of division or conference, with the exception of
division winners who will be ranked 1 – 4.  Playoffs Week 1  Bottom 8
square off to see which 4 will move onto to join Top 12 in the Round
of 16. Playoffs Week 2  Round of 16 (Top 12 plus 4 winners from
Playoff Week 1) Playoffs Week 3  Quarterfinals (typical bracket
system) Playoffs Week 4  Semifinals (typical bracket system) Playoffs
Week 5  Final (typical bracket system)
a) 5 Weeks of playoffs, no double headers for any team except if needed due to a prior playoff game being rained out.
b) Eliminated Teams will play exhibition game with games geared so
that you face Teams you missed in regular season, if possible.
c) Reseed every week.
d) Division A Winner will be ranked 1, Division B winner will be
ranked 2, Division C winner will be ranked 3, Division D winner will
be ranked 4.
e) when selecting and ranking teams for play-off berths, teams will be ranked by points, and teams tied for points will be ranked by the following criteria in the following order:
1. head-to-head wins between teams tied for points, and if they are tied for head-to-head wins, then;
2. by total wins in the regular season, then;
3. by greatest goal differential, then;
4. by coin toss, in which case the team that is alphabetically first gets to call which side of the coin is in their favor.
5. sword fight.
i) play-off games cannot end in ties and must be played till a winner is determined. if the game is tied after the regulation 50 minutes, then a ten-minute running-clock sudden-death over-time period will ensue.
the first team to score in the OT period wins.
j) if the game is still tied at the end of the first over-time period, then a 3-round shoot-out will ensue, in which a woman from each team must take part in the shoot-out, in accordance with rule 2.2.
k) if the score is still tied after the 3-round shoot-out, then single round shoot-outs will ensue, whereas the winning team will be the first team to score in a round in which their opponent does not score. no player from either team can shoot twice until everyone from their team has taken a turn at the shoot-out. the shoot-out order cannot change once it is established. the sudden death shootout round in not gender specific. teams will then be forced to ask themselves why they hate winning so badly.
l) When a playoff game is tied with 2-minutes remaining, in order to
avoid distraction and risk a controversial, season-ending goal, the
clock will remain running until either the final two minutes runs out
or someone scores.  The only exception to this rule would be a major
infraction or stoppage in play leaving it up to the ref’s discretion
whether to stop the clock.
2.4 weather
if bad weather threatens to make playing conditions dangerous, then either captain can cancel their game, but cannot do so later than 2 hours prior to the scheduled start time of the game, and in doing so must contacting one of the two league officials (league manager or director of officiating) and the captain or acting captain of the opposing team.
i. if a team cancels within less than 2 hours prior to the game and the opposing team is present and ready to play, then the game will be a forfeit for the canceling team.
ii. either of the two league officials can suspend or cancel a game at anytime if they determine that playing conditions are unsafe. all games suspended or canceled due to weather issues will be attempted to be rescheduled, although cannot be guaranteed to be rescheduled.
iii. captains must be aware of impending threatening weather and make themselves available to their opposition’s captain by phone or email. every captain should have the contact information of all the captains, league manager and league director of officiating.
iv. if two teams mutually decide that playing conditions are unsafe before the start of the game or at anytime after the game has commenced, they may suspend the game and must inform the league officials. unless completed at a later time, the status for the purpose of league statistics and rankings of games suspended after they have begun due to bad weather will be as if they were not played.

3 / face-offs
face-offs occur at the center of the court/rink at the beginning of each period and after each goal is scored. refs have the discretion to call face-offs when play is stopped, and such face-offs should occur near where play had stopped, unless otherwise provided for in these rules. players line up for face-offs behind the ball on the side of the court closest to their own goal (on-sides). All face-offs shall be knock hockey style in which each player taking the face-off must first hit the ground then each others’ stick 3 times before making a play for the ball.

4 / when bringing a ball into bounds
a) at any non-rink venue (without “boards” completely containing the playing surface):
1) the ball must be on or behind the out of bounds line when being brought in from the sidelines, then you bring it back into bounds. the player in-bounding does not have to be behind the out-of-bounds line, only the ball.
2) the ball must be passed or shot into bounds; it cannot be carried in from out of bounds.
3) a player in-bounding the ball may shoot the ball anywhere within the playing area, INCLUDING ON GOAL, directly or deflected.
4) opponents of players bringing a ball into bounds/goalies bringing balls into play are to be no closer than 6 feet from the ball while the ball is being in-bounded (that includes the player and his/her stick, of course).
5) players, including goalies, have 5 seconds from the time the ball is set by the referee to bring the ball
into bounds or into play; if they do not bring the ball into play within 5 seconds the referee may reverse possession.
6) when the ball comes to rest in an area that is in-bounds but in or near an obstruction which the referee considers problematic or potentially dangerous, then the referee may stop play to conduct a face-off or the referee may give possession over to the first player to contact the ball. when given possession, the ball is to be in-bounded from a normal out-of-bounds location parallel to where play stopped, unless otherwise provided for by these rules.
b) at a rink venue with continuous boards enclosing the playing surface:
1) when possession is given to a team, the ball must be introduced into play no closer to the opponent’s goal than the blue line nearest the opponents goal.
2) opponents must not be closer than 3 feet from the person “in-bounding” the ball.
3) once the in-bounder touches the ball, it is in play. thus, shots on goal from in-bounding at a rink venue are allowed.

5 / goalie safety
a) if an attacking player initiates any contact with a goalkeeper, incidental or otherwise, while the goalkeeper is in the goal crease, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.
b) if an attacking player initiates any contact, other than incidental contact, with the goalkeeper, while the goalkeeper is outside of the goal crease, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.
c) in all cases in which an attacking player initiates other than incidental contact with a goalkeeper, whether or not the goalkeeper is inside or outside the goal crease, and whether or not a goal is scored, this action will be considered a foul by the attacking player.
d) if the goalie initiates contact outside of the goal crease and a goal is scored, that goal is allowed.
e) in sum: no touchee the goalie.

6 / ground play
a) players may not lie on the ground to defend the goal and may not intentionally cover the ball to prevent play. its a chump move that causes more injuries than its worth and is a punishable offense. any act which endangers other players, such as sliding, is not permitted. if such chump moves occur, the offending player sits out a shift, and the opposing team gains possession from the sidelines.
b) going down to the knees is legal in BTSH and in most countries.

7 / goalies n balls
a) goalie throws are restricted to throws to the side or behind the goal line. goalies can not throw the ball forward. just noting this as they used to be able to. get with the times, people.
b) goalies may not cover, freeze, glove or close their hand on the ball unless they are within their crease (fully or partially). ie, goalies can’t run to mid-court and cover the ball.
c) goalies may not play the ball forward with their hand or glove (see above). if a goalie gloves or grabs the ball, he or she has roughly three seconds to either drop it where they grabbed the ball, or drop it behind the goal line. If they hold on to the ball, the ball will be frozen and there will be a whistle.
d) the ball is frozen when the goalie covers the ball with his or her glove or any part of their body and the ref determines that the goalie does not intend to play the ball further, at which point the ref blows the whistle to stop play. After the whistle, when the goalie is not prone, the goalie has five (5) seconds to reintroduce the ball into play. he or she can only do so by playing the ball behind the goal line, either by himself/herself or to a teammate, or to drop the ball in place and play the ball with their stick. if the goalie chooses the latter, once the ball is dropped it is live, unless it is behind the goal line extended. attacking players may not cross the goal line (with their body, stick or any part of their body) until the five seconds have expired or until the ball moves forward over the goal line. The five seconds starts after the whistle to stop play.
e) when outside their crease, goalies are subject to all rules governing the play of regular (non-goalie) players and may only play the ball with the stick and feet. this means they can not slide prone, raise their sticks above their waist, etc., even while in the crease the goalie may not shoot/pass the ball above the cross bar or while playing the ball have their stick go above their knee.

8 / nets – creases
a) creases and nets shall be consistent at all playing locations. Goals are regulation 6-feet x 4-feet x 2-feet. Creases have a 4 foot radius from the center of the goal along the goal line.
b) a goal shall be disallowed if any body part of a member of the offending team is in or touching the crease when the ball crosses the goal line. if a shoelace is on the tip of the crease the goal will not be allowed. this rule is in effect to protect the goalies. deal.
c) no attacking player can be in or have contact with the goal crease at any time, including their stick, except that a stick is allowed to be inside the crease when the ball enters the crease as long as it is not making contact with the goalie (see rule 5).

9 / stick and ball play
a) In the interest of safety, the ball may not be shot into the air higher than the goal crossbar. if the ball is shot higher than the crossbar, it is immediately whistled a dead ball with possession reversed at the nearest sidelines from the spot of the infraction. Only in the cases of a deflected shot, or, a shot on goal with an arc slightly higher than the goal crossbar, may play continue. (A shot on goal is a shot that will enter the goal if it is not stopped by the goaltender. A shot on goal must result in either a goal or a save.)
b) slap shots are illegal. a slap shot is loosely defined as winding up or lifting your stick (in preparation for a shot) above knee level. (see rule 1 for further clarification). The follow through must also not go above the knee.
c) players are not allowed to run with their stick or play the ball with their stick above their waist. A goal scored by playing the ball with a stick above the waist shall be disallowed.
d) stick checking is NOT allowed. any play for the ball must be just that; a play for the ball. you can not lift the stick, hold the stick down, or come down on the stick. a “sweep” for the ball is allowed.
e) On the west court, if the ball becomes trapped in either of the two dugouts considered neutral territory, the first player that enters the same side as the ball receives possession at the spot where the ball entered and is given the 6 feet to inbound. If a ref believes a player intentionally hit the ball into the dugout, possession is awarded to the other team at the side closest to where the ball entered the dugout.

10 / hand-body deflection (some stolen from a little league called the NHL)
a) if a ball is traveling off of the ground, a player shall be permitted to catch the ball out of the air but must immediately place it or knock it down to the ground. he/she may not catch it and run with it.
b) a player shall be permitted to stop or “bat” a ball in the air with his/her open hand unless, in the opinion of the ref, he/she has directed the puck to a teammate in any zone other than the defending zone
c) play will not be stopped for any hand pass by players in their own defending zone. A hand pass in the defending zone is considered to have occurred when both the player making the pass and the player receiving the pass have both of their feet inside their defending zone. the defending zone is defined as the area closest to the team’s defending goal up to the mid-court face-off dot.
d) a goal shall not be allowed if the ball is intentionally directed (swatted, kicked, head-butted, etc.) in to the goal by any part of the players body other than the stick. if the ball is UNintentionally deflected
off of a part of the body, the goal counts.
e) any ball that is directly deflected off or knocked in by a ref and goes in to the goal unobstructed shall not be allowed.

11 / subs
subs can enter the game at anytime, however, no more than 6 players (including the goalie and 2 women) from any team can be playing on the court at any time. subs may only shift on/ off the court when they are on the same half of the court as their team’s ‘bench’. If a player or team is caught shifting on/off on the other team’s half, it is a delayed call for Too Many Players and possession is reversed to the other team.

12 / ref interaction
a) NO player may speak to officiators during games, unless the officiator initiates communication. if you have something you think an officiator should know, tell your captain and they will relay the message to the officiator at an opportune time. An opportune time includes after whistles or in between halves, not during play.
b) keep in mind that the officiator’s call stands, so if you have a dispute with a call, suck it up and shut it up.
c) any attempt to yell, scream, bitch, whine, molest, or otherwise annoy the ref will result in, first a warning to the player and the captain of the players’ team, then ejection from the game and possible DC committee action. (again, rule number 1.)

13 / teams
a) teams are coed and must have at least two female players playing on the court at all times (not including the goalie) or else play short.
b) Rosters will be limited to 20 active players plus 1 goalie and will be
locked on September 15th.  Captains must submit a playoff roster on
September 15th and certify that all players on that roster have played
at least 5 regular season games. Captains are held responsible should
a team be caught playing someone with less than 5 games experience.
Exceptions may be granted by a majority vote of the captains.
c) in no instance may a team use players who are not registered with BTSH. if your team elects to bring on ringers (BTSH registered players who are not on your team’s official roster) to compensate for missing players, you may continue to play for fun, but the game will be a forfeit and may not be officiated. a game that is forfeited before it begins or because one team refuses to play results in a score of 0 (zero) for the forfeiting team and at 10 (ten) for the non-forfeiting team. if the game was in progress at the time it is declared forfeited, the score shall be recorded as 0 (zero) for the loser and 1 (one), or such greater number of goals that had been scored by it, for the winner. short version: ringers bad.
d) if a team does not have a goalie, a player on that team may play in place of the goalie. if goalie equipment is not available, the player may not play as a goalie and will be subject to player rules (6 players and no goalie on
the court). a team may ask another member of BTSH to play goal if it is first approved by the opposition’s captain.
e) teams must provide at least 2 referees for training at the beginning of the season and must have 2 referees available on a regular basis. if the head of officiating determines that there is an inadequate contribution from a team by their designated referees (having failed to accept a refereeing assignment when called upon for two weeks in a row), then the team may be forced to forfeit subsequent games until 2 referees from that team are supplied who make themselves available for training and refereeing.

14 / NO stick throwing/smashing
no one is to ever smash a stick or anything else against the ground with force, and no one is ever to throw a stick, on the court or off, because the potential for severe injuries. such infractions may lead to penalties, ejection from the game or both. we take this seriously; save your tantrums for romper room.

15 / penalties
a) if any infraction of the rules is severe enough, intentional, or repeated, the offending player will be written up by the head ref. a weekly review by the head of officiating/DC director will then, based on the referees’ write-ups, determine a penalty that is suitable to the offense based on the below (part 15, sec. b) chart. If an offense is severe enough, items marked with a “(DC)” can be brought up to the disciplinary committee (part 16) for further discipline and consequences, including expulsion from the league.
b)minimal offenses (written warning to 1 game suspension):
1. holding
2. hooking
3. lofting
4. stick check
5. goalie covering out of crease
6. goalie delay of game
medium offenses (written warning to 3 games suspension)
1. high sticking
2. slapshot
3. breaking Rule #1 (DC)
4. sliding (players AND goalies)
severe offenses (1 game – 5 game suspensions)
1. slashing (DC)
2. throwing/smashing stick (DC)
3. tripping (DC)
4. verbal abuse (DC)
extreme offenses (1 game suspension to season expulsion)
1. ref abuse
2. pushing/roughing/fighting

16 / disciplinary committee (DC)
a) if a severe disciplinary infraction is committed and the head of officiating/DC director deems it necessary, then the disciplinary committee (DC) will meet as soon as possible to deliberate on the matter. the DC may
also from time to time evaluate players with documented discipline problems.
b) the DC is comprised of a DC director who coordinates and initiates the meetings and the representatives of the league teams (generally captains or proxy appointed by the team captain). The DC director only votes to break a tie vote.
c) the dc will have the authority to sanction players with reprimand, game suspension, probation or league expulsion. the DC is ultimately responsible for upholding their decisions, and their decisions are final. expelled
players forfeit their fee and must consider their expulsion permanent baring the discovery of new evidence or information involving their expusion. only with such information can the player ask the dc to reexamine his/her case and revote on his/her position in the league. notice here are no jokes in this rule, because we are dead serious.
d) best way to avoid the DC? see rule 1.

17 / prohibited actions
this is a non-contact game where we chase an orange ball around the playground. As such, there is no pushing or using physical force against another player. All players are responsible for being in control of their actions at all times on the court and sidelines.  Prohibited actions include and are not limited to:
* intentional physical contact with another player with your body or stick
* checking
* chopping (bring the stick down on another stick and also holding down a
stick)
* upward stick checking (flipping sticks up from behind and underneath)
* hacking/slashing (shin-slapping)
* tripping
* hooking
* spearing
* stick end-butting
* high sticking (stick above the waist)
* vengeful shots made purely to induce injury
* verbal taunts and abuse
* fighting
* any infraction covered by the rules of USA Hockey, not stated above, and
at the discretion of the refs
* basically doing anything that would embarrass your loved ones.. if you
feel your temper getting the best of you, take yourself out of the game
before someone else does it for you.

18 / warnings
a) if you are repeatedly seen by or are reported to the game officiator as doing any of the above violent no-nos, you will be given a warning and then ejected from the game if necessary.
b) if the behavior continues, you may be suspended, in front of the DC and possibly out of the league.

19 / falls/injuries
if someone falls or trips or there is any safety issue, any player can ask the referee to call an emergency time out until the situation is rectified.

20 / chain of command
a) officiators provide the final say in terms of goals and behavior on the court or rink, but the players and captains are responsible for regulating themselves and those around them, and are expected to do so in an adult manner.
b) if a player feels that he or she is being maliciously targeted by another player, that player may bring the matter to the attention of their captain and the referee, but may not retaliate.

THE BOTTOM LINE
These rules have been annually updated since the league’s founding in 2000, and are tailored for a low-key, fun, friendly, non-aggressive, social hockey league. Every player must know and follow these rules. BTSH strives to be less than a “sports league” and more than a “social club,” if that makes any sense. It’s not all about the wins, it’s not all about the trophy, it IS all about getting together with some friends and having FUN. Abiding by the rules in a strict manner will help you accomplish that goal!