The following league rules have been refined over the past few seasons to offer the coolest style of games, as well as a very in depth but fun online league.  If there are ANY questions regarding any rule or statement made below, don't hesitate to contact the Rokhed League Commissioner at rokhedhockey@shaw.ca  Still, with all these rules, the Commissioner reserves the right to relieve a GM of his duties without warning if he feels the GM is a detriment to the league.


1.0  League Structure
1.1 Setup  -  The league is set up exactly as the real NHL; same teams, same conferences.  Every team must play an 82 game season against all other GM's in the league according to their schedule.  One team is never allowed to get too far ahead in the schedule.  Games are played in order they are listed in the teams schedule.  The league is hosted on a server, which is my computer, but still is online most of the day, and always during peak playing times.  Normal hours are 8am to 11 pm MT every day.  If you notice the server is down and I am online, DO NOT ICQ me notifying me of this, I am aware of it.  It is probably because I am working on the settings or doing trades.  If I am offline, I may be playing my game.  Please do not flood me with emails and ICQ's asking, "why isn't the server up?"  When in doubt? It usually is.  If you are NOT going to play a game that night, or for a couple days, DO NOT check your game out.  When you team is checked out, so is your opponent's, and I won't be able to make any trades.  Only check your game immediately before you are about to play, and check it in as soon as you are done with the game.
1.2  Scheduling  -   The schedule will be posted on the scheduling forum in the message board with a list of match-ups that need to be played over the next week or so.  If the game is not played and checked in by midnight of the deadline day, and I have not been notified regarding WHY it is not played, or have been asked for an extension, it will be simmed.  I need to be informed of the status of the game. (For ex: if you can't get a hold of your opponent, connection problems, had an agreed time and one team didn't show etc.)  Try scheduling games a few games in advance.  You know your entire season schedule; so try to set up a time to play for your next three games, so the league can keep rolling along.  If you need an extra day to get the game played, this MAY be possible but not a guarantee.  It must be a good reason, and can only be extended one day, and as long as neither team has a game scheduled for the next day.  Season file backups are done every night.
1.3 Contact  -  If you have not been in contact with myself, or anyone in the league for more than three days without any word, your team will be turned over to computer coach until you return.  More than about 10 days without contact, you WILL be replaced.  I am flexible when it comes to connection problems, but not if the problems are long term.  I would say the maximum allotted time for you to figure out your connection is two or three weeks.  During this time your team will be PC controlled.
1.4 Trades  -  will be processed as soon as they can be.  Transactions are sent to the leagues Chief Financial Officer Erich Gottschalk at RHL_CFO@hotmail.com  with "ANA/CMB trade" in the subject line; for example.  DO NOT send emails to the commissioner as well.   Once the trade has been authorized and approved, the CFO will send me an email with the same subject line, but also with the date.  Once I get this I will process the trade as soon as I can.  The salaries of the players involved in the trade must be included.  There is no limit to trades, but keep in mind they will not all be done right away.  Some may take a few days.  To process a trade, both teams involved in the deal as well as the teams they are scheduled to play next, must ALL be on the server. All teams must be checked-in in order to complete a trade, if the involved teams are not checked-in the transaction WILL NOT be completed. It is your responsibility to do this, and also make sure that the team you are trading with is checked in as well. Once a trade has been approved and processed, you must post an announcement on the Trading Forum.
1.5 Releasing Players  -  If you want to give a player on your team his outright release, you can do this by sending an email to the CFO announcing this.  Keep in mind that if the player has a yearly salary on his contract of $1,000,000 or more, then you MUST continue to pay out his contract until someone else claims him off waivers and therefore picks up his contract.  Players that are paid under the 1 million dollar level, can be released with no strings attached.
1.6  Waiver Signings  -  Picking up players off the waivers list is done on a priority basis depending on who has claimed before.  Once you have claimed a player from waivers, you move to the bottom of the priority list.  It is up to each GM to check the Waiver Forum periodically to see who has been released recently.   Once a player passes through waivers with no team claiming him, then the priority list is no longer in effect and it is on a first come/first server basis.  Waiver Offers are to be mailed to RHL_CFO@hotmail.com with "waiver pick-up" in the subject line.  As with trades, they will be done as soon as possible. Keep in mind that the minimum amount of players a team can have is 20 (18 skaters + 2 goalies.) Also you may not carry any less than 2 goalies at all times. In other words, goalies can only be traded for another goalie. Any transaction involving goalies not following this criterion will be voided.

1.6  Free Agents  -  Keep in mind, in the RHL we have free agency.  Any player OVER 30 years old will become an unrestricted free agent when his contract is up.  30 and under, will be restricted free agents.

2.0  Game-play

2.1 Disallowed goals  -  The blue line floater from around the blue line or beyond.  If this goes in, it should be common sense to pull your goalie and let your opponent score.  You did NOT earn that goal.  You are allowed to play as normal, trying to score while you have the sixth man, there's no rule against that. Naturally if time is winding down, let the goal count, otherwise a suspension will be enforced.  Once the other team has scored, you may replace your goalie.

If your opponent accidentally passes the puck into his own net with his goalie, the opponent must allow a goal to put things back to the same goal differential as before the goalie goal.  This is a glitch in the game. You try to play defense and poke check or try to block a shot while skating backwards and as soon as you get control of your goalie, it will pass it into the net.  This goal was NOT earned by the other team and therefore should not be counted. 

If you have a defenseman that gets control of the puck, and then as he is skating away from the net turns the wrong way and puts it into his own net, is also disallowed.  If the defenseman is being hounded by a player on the other team when this happens, it is NOT a disallowed goal.  If the attacking team is poke checking the defender with the puck and it goes in, that is a perfectly legal goal as well.

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