updated march 2008
The BTSH rules are NOT necessarily the USA HOCKEY rules, the NHL rules, or
any other hockey rules that you may be familar 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.
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
corlears, at the half, the teams switch sides; at moffo, the captains decide
whether they want to switch benches. 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) 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, a best of 3 player shootout
shall occur of three different shooters per team. one female shooter must be
included in the 3 person 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, between regulation
and over-time.
g) if the gap in the score of the game reaches 10 goals, the game will be
called as a mercy victory for the team in the lead. this is called the
outdated rule.
play-off selection/structure:
h) 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 and order:
1. head-to-head wins by teams tied for points, and if they are tied for
head-to-head
games, then;
2. by highest goal-differential (goals-for minus goals-against), and if
they are tied
for goal-differential, then;
3. by highest goals-for, and if they are tied for goals-for, then;
4. by greatest number of shut-outs earned, and if they are tied for
shut-outs, then;
5. by coin toss, in which case the team that is alphabetically first
gets to call
which side of the coin is in their favor.
6. 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
five-minute sudden-death over-time period will ensue with a running clock.
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
the game will go to double over-time, with 4-on-4, with each team having at
least one woman playing on the court at all times. the first team to score
in double over- time wins.
k) if the score is still tied after double over-time, then a 3-round
shoot-out will ensue, in which a woman from each team must take part in the
shoot-out.
l) 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.
3 / face-offs:
face-offs occur at the center of the court at the beginning of each half 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. 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 consisting of each player taking the face-off first hitting the
ground then each others’ stick 3 times before making a play for the ball.
4 / when bringing a ball into bounds:
a) at corlears:
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. see how
that works? however, the in-bounder 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 save the dribbles for basketball.
3) a player in-bounding the ball may shoot the ball anywhere within the
playing area, INCLUDING ON GOAL, deflected or not.
4) opponents of players bringing a ball into bounds/goalies bringing
balls into play are to be no closer than 3 feet from the ball as the player
is bringing it into bounds (that includes the player and his/her stick, of
course). a good rule of thumb if you can smell them/your stick can render
them sterile, you are too close.
5) players, including goalies, have 5 seconds to bring the ball back
into bounds or into play; if they do not bring the ball into play within 5
seconds the ref may reverse possession.
6) when the ball lands in the grassy section of the north court or past the
open gate on the south court, the first player to get to the ball gets
possession. that player is to place the ball on the edge of the court
nearest to where it landed in the grass with the 3 feet of clearance. the
grassy knoll is a fecal landmine so please watch your hands and feet. do not
intentionally flip the ball on to the grassy knoll just to get possession
and an easy pass, you¹ll be called for breaking rule 1.
b) at Moffo
1) when possession is given to a team, the ball must be introduced into play
no closer to the opponent¹s 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 MOFFO are allowed, especially since its a real court et
al and the whole out of bounds thing is just that much more rare.
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, the offensive
player will be reprimanded.
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 can¹t
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 one
second 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 his/herself or to a
teammate or 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 at Moffo and Corlears are the same size. Nets are
regulation 6-feet x 4-feet x 2-feet. Creases have a 4 foot radius from the center of the net 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) 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) to decrease injury and disputes, balls cannot be intentionally hit into
the air above the height of the goal crossbar (top of the goal). if the ball
passes over the crossbar on an attempted shot, it is the refs discretion on
whether the ball was dangerously high.
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.
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 team¹s 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. so yes, you can pull the goalie if yr really hurting that bad.
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) while teams should ideally have as many of their players as possible
represent on game days, a team of any size, from 2 upwards, can play.
c) if your team elects to bring on ringers (players who are not on your
team¹s official roster) to compensate for missing players, you may continue
to play for fun, but the game will be a forfeit. 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) rosters have no size limits.
e) 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.
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
incidental injuries are tremendous. 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 breakage of the rules is severe enough, intentional, or repeated,
the offending party will be written up by the head ref. a weekly review by
the head of officiating/DC director will then, based on the write-up of
the ref, 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
possible greater penalties or 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
pre-determined proxy). The DC director only votes in the case of 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 the disputed
incident. 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 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/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 end up being suspended, in front of the dc
and possibly out of the league.
19 / falls/injuries:
if someone falls or trips or there is any other reason to stop the game, any
player can 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, 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 you feel that you are being maliciously targeted by another player,
you have full authority to call a time-out and bring that player’s actions
to the attention of your captain and the person officiating the game, but
don’t even think of taking the law into your own hands.
/ 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 “drinking 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!
