We welcome you to the 2022 season of the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House Adult Hockey League (“Hockey League”), affording participants the unique opportunity to play on the same practice ice used by the New Jersey Devils. This recreational hockey program requires all participants to register with USA Hockey and will follow USA Hockey’s Official Rules of Ice Hockey (the “USA Hockey Rules”, which can be found on the USA Hockey Website), unless otherwise specified herein. It is our goal to provide Hockey League participants with a fun, energetic and competitive atmosphere in a world-class facility, while ensuring the safety of all participants and guests.
General Rules and Requirements
All Hockey League participants must register with USA Hockey prior to opening night, or they will not be eligible to participate. Each participant must provide proof of registration or a valid registration number, as well as a photo ID and sign in before every game. Players will not be allowed to play in a game in which they cannot provide a valid ID. (Players are asked to sign in at least 30 minutes before the start of each game). This rule applies to all roster and substitute players. There will be no exceptions to this rule.
Please register online at membership.usahockey.com.
In addition to registering with USA Hockey and signing the USA Hockey waiver, all participants must sign and return the Hockey League waiver. Team captains will also be required to sign and return a copy of the league rule book to the commissioner prior to the first game. Team captains are responsible for making sure all of their players are aware of and abide by the rules and guidelines within.
Participants must be at least 18 years of age and not currently enrolled in high school or participating in a high school hockey program.
The Hockey League will consist of two separate levels of play. Higher skilled teams will play in the “C” division, and lower skilled teams will play in the “D” division.
Use or possession of alcohol or drugs – by players, guests and fans – is strictly prohibited.
All players and fans must enter through the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House doors, located on the corner of Lafayette and Mulberry Street (by the Martin Brodeur Statue).
RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House is a restricted access facility. Anyone found to be in unauthorized areas is subject to suspension from the Hockey League as well as immediate expulsion from the building.
Each team will receive access to a locker room, which will be assigned prior to each game. Each team captain should inspect the locker room upon arrival to confirm that the room is clean and undamaged. Any condition to the contrary should be brought to the attention of a facility representative. Each team is responsible for leaving the locker room clean, undamaged and locked at the end of each game. Teams will have access to the assigned locker room for 30 minutes prior and 30 minutes after each game. Participants and guests should exercise caution with their personal belongings, as RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House will not be responsible for lost or stolen property.
The Hockey League commissioner (the “Commissioner”) has the right to review and make corrections to score sheets, and to determine, in the Commissioner’s sole discretion, all matters regarding player discipline, official rosters, and rules. All decisions are final.
Rosters and Fees
In order to participate in the Hockey League, each team will be responsible to pay a $3,250 non-refundable fee on or before their team’s third scheduled game. A $750 non-refundable deposit is due upon registration to reserve your team’s spot in the league (this deposit counts towards a team’s $3,250 entry fee).
An initial roster must be submitted to the league commissioner before the first game. The roster must include player names, numbers and valid USA Hockey numbers. Any additional players being added to rosters must be reported to the league commissioner and players must fill out all required paperwork and USA Hockey registration. No additional players may be added to a roster after a team’s third game of the season. NO EXCEPTIONS!
All teams are allowed to roster a maximum of 25 players (including substitutes).
Each rostered player (including substitutes) must meet the General Rules and Requirements listed above and abide by all applicable USA Hockey Rules, these Hockey League Rules and Regulations, and all applicable Prudential Center policies and procedures.
All substitutes must be on the team’s roster submitted before the third game and noted as substitute players. Any player not listed on a team’s roster after the 3-game cutoff will not be eligible to play in the league (emergency goalies are the only exception to this rule).
A substitute player may only be listed on one team’s roster.
Teams must dress a minimum of 5 players and a goalie, or 6 players and no goalie for every game. Failure to do so will result in a forfeit of the game. Forfeited games may not be made up and no refunds will be issues to either team involved in the forfeited game. Upon a forfeit, the ice time originally scheduled for the game will be available to the non-forfeiting team to use.
Team captains are responsible for their rosters. Any violations (including use of an illegal player) will result in a minimum 1 game suspension for the team captain and may subject the team to suspension.
Illegal Players will also be suspended if applicable.
An illegal player is defined as: (1) any player not registered with USA Hockey; (2) any player wearing another player’s jersey; (3) any player not wearing required or appropriate equipment; (4) any player on the premises while suspended; or (5) any player not on a team’s roster or approved sub list.
All substitute players must be properly registered with USA Hockey and must complete all required Hockey League waivers to be eligible to play in a game.
Only goalies may be borrowed from other teams in the league. No other substitutes (i.e. forwards or defenseman) may be borrowed from teams within the league. In emergency situations only, teams may request to use a goalie from outside of the Hockey League. Any request to borrow or bring in an outside goalie must be approved by the commissioner and the player must be registered with USA Hockey and complete all necessary paperwork before playing. If a formal request is not made, or the player is not approved by the commissioner, they will not be eligible to play. No exceptions.
All players must play in a minimum of 3 regular season games to be playoff eligible. Games-played will be calculated by the sign-in sheets used prior to each game. Players are responsible for signing themselves in prior to each game. Any player not signed in for 3 or more games will not be eligible to participate in playoffs. Forgetting to sign in is not an excuse!
Schedule and Playoffs
The Hockey League guarantees a minimum of 10 games for all teams.
Game start times will be either 8:00pm or 9:30pm; some deviation may be required to work around Prudential Center events.
All game dates and times are subject to change by the Hockey League.
Four* teams in each Division will qualify for the playoffs and will be seeded according to their regular season record.
*Subject to change based on total teams in each division.
Seeding will be determined by the NHL point system (2 points for a win, 0 points for a loss, and 1 point for an overtime/shootout loss). If two or more teams have an identical number of points following the regular season, playoff seeding will be determined by a tiebreaker. The team with an advantage in the first of the following tiebreakers will receive the higher seed:
- Wins;
- Head-to-head match-up;
- Least goals against;
- Least penalty minutes;
- Most goals for; and
- Coin toss.
Playoffs will follow a single-elimination format. *The first seeded team will play the fourth seeded team, and the second seeded team will play the third seeded team. The winner of each game will meet in the championship game. *Subject to change based on total teams in each division.
Game-play Rules and Penalties
The Hockey League will follow the rules and regulations of USA Hockey, except as otherwise specified herein.
Games will consist of three 15-minute start/stop periods. Prior to each game, teams will be allotted 3 minutes of warm up time.
Each team will be allotted one time out per game (not per period).
Icing will be determined by the red line, not the blue lines.
If the score is tied at the end of regulation time, the game will be decided by a 5-minute 4 v 4 sudden death overtime period, followed by a shootout (if necessary). During playoffs, tie games will be decided by the following format: a 5-minute 4 v. 4 sudden death overtime period, followed by a 5-minute 3 v. 3 sudden death overtime period (if necessary), followed by a shootout (if necessary).
Checking is not permitted at any time.
In an effort to protect all participants, the Hockey League will enforce a strict no-fighting policy. Discipline for fighting will be determined based on the guidelines set forth in the Player Discipline section below.
The “Blood Rule” applies to all games. This means that any player who is bleeding to the point where blood is visible to a Hockey League referee or the Commissioner will be required to exit the game and cannot return until the wound is cleaned, bleeding has stopped and soiled clothing and/or equipment is adequately cleaned or replaced. No Exceptions.
Mercy Rule – When the goal differential reaches 8 or more in the third period, the game clock will run continuously. Stop time will resume if the goal differential is reduced to 2 or less.
The Hockey League will enforce a strict penalty cap on all games. If there are a total of 10 penalties committed between both teams in a game, the clock will immediately run for the remainder of the game, regardless of the score or period of play. If the total number of penalties reaches 15, the game will immediately be ended.
Player Discipline
On-ice officials have the right to eject any player from a game.
Game misconduct penalties will result in an automatic 1 game suspension and be reviewed by the Hockey League; at which point additional suspensions may be added.
Fighting majors will all be reviewed by the Commissioner and participating players will receive an automatic game misconduct penalty and 2 game minimum suspension for their first offense. A player’s second offense will result in an automatic 3 game minimum suspension. A player’s third offense will result in the player being suspended for the remainder of the season, and eligibility for future seasons may be revoked at the discretion of the Hockey League and Commissioner.
If a player is deemed to be the instigator in a fight, the play will be reviewed by the Hockey League and may result in additional suspensions.
If a fight or other incident is not witnessed by the commissioner, player discipline decisions will be made by the commissioner after obtaining details from officials, referencing the penalties called on the play, and security camera footage when applicable.
Players leaving the bench during a fight will also be subject to suspensions (minimum of 1 game), to be determined at the discretion of the Hockey League and Commissioner.
Any player ejected from a game is to change in their locker room and leave the rink immediately. If a player refuses to leave the facility, additional discipline may be handed down to the offending player and team captain.
If a player fights during the last 3 games of the season, the player will automatically be ineligible for playoffs and the suspension may carry over into the next season, when applicable.
Any player who receives 4 penalties in one game will receive an automatic game misconduct penalty.
Any player who receives 3 game misconducts in one season will be suspended for the remainder of the season, including playoffs.
The Hockey League will not issue refunds for suspended or banned players under any circumstances.
The Hockey League will enforce a zero-tolerance policy for abuse of officials. Players who are caught abusing or ignoring officials will be disciplined by the Hockey League accordingly, at the sole discretion of the Commissioner.
Any failure to adhere to any player discipline order or these Player Disciplinary Rules will result in further penalties.
Required Equipment
The Hockey League will follow the protective equipment requirements of the USA Hockey Rules. Hockey League participants should review USA Hockey Rule Nos. 301-309 before the first game to ensure their equipment is in compliance with the USA Hockey Rules.
Each player is personally responsible for providing and wearing protective equipment for all games, warm ups and at any time while on the ice, on the bench, or in the penalty box in the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House. Such equipment shall include gloves, shin pads, shoulder pads, elbow pads, hip pads or padded hockey pants, protective cup, tendon pads plus all head protective equipment as required by the USA Hockey Rules. It is recommended that all protective equipment be designed specifically for ice hockey. See USA Hockey Rule 304 for additional requirements for protective equipment.
The Hockey League requires all players to wear a helmet with a chin strap properly fastened. All helmets must have a half shield/visor at minimum.
The Hockey League strongly recommends that all players and goalkeepers wear an internal mouthpiece, a USA Hockey League approved helmet and full face-mask for all games and practices.
It is compulsory for all goalkeepers to wear helmets and full face-masks. Hanging throat/neck laceration protectors are recommended. No form fitted face-masks shall be permitted. See USA Hockey Rule 303 for additional requirements for goalie protective equipment.
Prizes
All players will receive a voucher for 2 FREE tickets to a New Jersey Devils 2022-23 home game*!
The Championship winning team from each division will each receive their own FREE SUITE to a 2022-23 New Jersey Devils home game*, and will be recognized on the scoreboard during the game!
*Game tickets for participants and suite tickets for championship teams are subject to availability and game selection will be made at the sole discretion of the New Jersey Devils.
Contact
For questions regarding registration, rules or anything related to the Hockey League, please contact Hockey League Commissioner, Kylie Stauble at kstauble@prucenter.com or (973) 757-6565.