Post by Drew - Flames on Jun 20, 2009 19:59:33 GMT -5
GCHL stands for Great Canadian Hockey League. Though not all our general managers are Canadian they love the sport of hockey just as much as we do so we let them in.
The most important rules in the GCHL is to have fun and respect other GM's while keeping a competitive attitude. On the other hand we do have other guidelines to follow when it comes down to managing your team and ask that you obey them.
1. Introduction[/size]
Welcome to the GCHL Rule Book. This is where you will get all the answers to anything you wish to know about the league and how it is operated. One of the first things you should do in this league is make sure you have downloaded the STHS Client program on to your computer. This is used to manage your roster and lines, there is a separate thread on how to download it.
No rule is ever permanent, if we ever feel obliged to change a rule that doesn’t fit or add one that we think is necessary we will do so while also letting you know. Often we will ask GM’s opinions on it before doing so. We are always open to new ideas and concerns so don’t be afraid to let yourself be heard!
General Managers' Responsibilities:
This league lives and breathes with its core of GMs. Without an active group of participants the league will sooner or later fold. Therefore we shall strive for a small but very active community.
A GM shall be registered at the forum, and be a fairly “active” member of the league & forum. Initiating trade negotiations, replying to trade offers & postings at the forum once in a while is expected from you. It is very much expected that each GM take care of his team and send line updates to League Office. It is also more convenient to have MSN because we all know using the personal message service can get irritating when it comes down to hacking out a deal.
And finally, a GM is required to take the best possible care of his team, and to, at all times, put an effort into making it a successful & winning franchise.
A GM not contributing to the league and/or his team will be removed after a certain period of inactivity. If the GM has a reason for being “away” he should let the commissioner know about the whereabouts. If not then there are no guarantees you will be able to keep your team. Should a GM fail to live up to the fairly moderate standards set by the league then he will be removed from the post and replaced with a new manager.
2. GCHL Salary Cap/Contract Information[/size]
The GCHL uses a hard fixed cap which is currently set at $58,000,000. The league floor is set at $32,400,000. No team is permitted to go over or under the fixed cap at any time from the start of the regular season to the end of the stanley cup playoffs. The only exception is during the 48 hour time "freeze" for the trade deadline.
If a team fails to remain under the cap, their top player(s) will be suspended and they will be fined $200,000 each game they are still under.
The max allowed salary for one player is $11,500,000. This will change on a yearly basis in connection with the fixed salary cap.
No-Trade Contracts:
You can sign any player to a NTC but be aware that this player will only waive his NTC if:
-It is within a week of the trade deadline
-The player is in his last year of the contract (going to be a UFA at the end of the season
-The team is a potential playoff contender
-The player is not your captain
Entry-level Contract Rule:
It's common knowledge you can exploit players financially by signing them at ridiculously cheap long-term contracts. To make it more realistic in the GCHL and give the whole contract system some kind of coherence, Contract lower limits will now be used for prospects in the league. Though they do not exist in the NHL, they will reflect in the GCHL the role of the players' agents, who for instance would never settle for a 300.000 yearly contract if their client was drafted in the 1st round. Since in the NHL the real value of a prospect isn't known until he hits the ice in pro, the players' agents usually rely more on the draft rank of their clients. Thus it was decided to use the same line of thinking in the GCHL, which does present nice little side-effects:
. assuming prospects who may get a potential boost and those who are very talented yet inconsistent are usually drafted in later rounds, this rule will make them cheaper, which makes sense since they're a gamble on the GM's part;
. the rule also is an incentive to pay more attention to the draft, as GMs who don't draft well enough are now stuck with prospects who'll earn more than what they're worth.
Minimum Salary Requirements:
1st-5th OA: 950.000 base salary
6th-15th OA: 800.000 base salary
16th-30th OA: 600.000 base salary
2nd Round: 500.000 base salary
3rd Round: 450.000 base salary
4th Round: 400.000 base salary
5th Round: no limit
These lower limits apply to prospects, when they sign their first GCHL contract, no matter their age; and the length of the contract is automatically 3 years. Two-way options are still allowed.
3. Roster Restrictions[/size]
Each team must have a minimum of 20 players on their pro roster and a maximim of 23 (not including injuries/suspensions).
Additionally a team must have a minimum of 2 goalies, 6 defensemen, and 12 forwards on their roster. All though a forward can be used on any position, a team must carry at least 3 centers, 3 left wings and 3 right wings on their pro roster.
If you think a certain player should naturally play a different position then let the commissioner know and provide legitimate proof to back it up. This includes a player biography from an official source like tsn.ca, nhl.com, etc.
Any player over the overall of 68 may NOT play on your farm team
4. Waivers/Buyouts[/size]
If a player is over the age of 25 or has played more than 15 NHL games he is subject to waivers when being sent down to the farm.
There is a 48-hour grace period for a team to lay a claim on that player. If a team has already put a claim in for another waiver player then they cannot bid.
The winning claim goes to the team that is lowest in the standings. If you claim the player he will be sent to your pro team and will be subject to waivers again to be sent to the farm
Buyouts
If you would like to buyout one of your players (making him an UFA) you will still count 20% of his contract towards your cap total.
5. Prospects[/size]
Prospects may ONLY be signed in the offseason. Your prospects have no rated as they are not given a rating in the game until they are signed by you. If you would like to know a prospects information then use the hockeysfuture site as a guideline.
Prospects must be signed within 2 years of being drafted or they will be recycled into the next draft.
6. GCHL Entry Draft[/size]
The GCHL Entry Draft will consist of five rounds and will involve players that are to be drafted in the actual NHL. Like your prospects these players have no rating in the game, so using hockeysfuture ratings will provide a solid scouting basis. This means you are more likely to draft "bust" players in the first round if you do a weak scouting job. Teams are also very likely to draft "gem" players in the later rounds since the ratings are unknown.
7. Re-Rates[/size]
After each season a player is automatically re-rated based on his statistical performance in comparison to his potential. Potential ratings will go down as a player gets older. Most rookie players will have an 85-95 potential.
8. Contract Renewals[/size]
At the end of the season players that have ending contracts must be resigned to prevent falling into the UFA category. To resign a player, GM's are asked to email all offers to the league email. Offers must be reasonable as the league office will validate them and act as the player's "Agent". We will take into account the players rating, previous stats, length of contract in comparison to potential along with other things. If you keep contract amounts reasonable then there shouldn't be a problem. The league will notify you if there is a disagreement and suggest what they feel is an adequate amount.
9. Free Agency Rules[/size]
When a player's contract expires, he becomes a free agent. There are two types of free agents, Restricted (RFA) and Unrestricted (UFA):
. Players aged 27 and under can be tendered a qualifying offer (QO) by their teams to retain their rights. If a player does not sign a new deal before June 29th in the year his contract expires, but has received a QO, he will be listed as a RFA. If a player does not receive a QO he will become an UFA.
. Players aged 28 and over cannot receive qualifying offers. If they are not resigned by June 29th of the year their contract expires, they will be listed as a UFA, open to bids from every team in the league (barring a few restrictions, see further down).
When Offering Players (The System):
We will have a “secret bidding” process meaning nobody will know anyone else’s offers. All offers will be sent in a single email to the league email address that will be used for this. (You will know that email address at a later date) The commish's will not read any of the emails until the bidding period is closed. We will know If they read the email because it will be seen as read. When you send the email please do it in the following format or we may not consider your offer:
Message Title: (Team Name) Offers
Content:
(Player Offered)
Amount (per year)
Years
Signing Bonus (only used as a tie-break)
Options/NTC/Two-Way
Repeat for new player
Here is an example:
Message: New Jersey Devils Offer
Dany Heatley
7.5 Million
4 years
2 Million Bonus
Player Option and NTC
Free Agent Rules/Guidelines:
-Offers MUST be sent to the league email
-You MUST follow that format
-There is a cut-off date to send in offers and then the commissioner will narrow the field down to 3 teams.
-You can offer a UFA any amount for any amount of years, but remember that others may outbid you if you go too low or you may exceed the cap if you go too high.
-RFA Rules are the same as the NHL
-You can offer players NTC but remember the guidelines
-You CANNOT trade a signed UFA until January 1st of that season
-The UFA Bidding will open and close so get your offers in on time
Narrowing the bidders:
If 3 or more teams put in bids for the same player, the commissioner will narrow it down to the top 2 teams. These teams will have one more chance to either up their first bid or leave it as is. This provides a bit of strategy as neither GM will know who is currently winning the bid.
Tie-Breaking process:
If multiple teams are offering the same salary per year the first factor in breaking the "tie" will be a signing bonus. However it is not necessary for a team to offer a signing bonus so if neither teams offered one the next tie-breaker will be the team with the longer contract offer will win. If they are still tied then the player will go to the team that had a better record in the standings.
9. RFA Offer Sheets[/size]
Sending out an RFA offer sheet is done the same way it is for a UFA. However the winning bid does not automatically get the player. The team that owns that player's rights is given a chance to match that offer - 48 hour period. If they fail to match the offer they will be awarded compensation for their lost player. So GM's be aware that you will be giving up finances along with possible draft picks when signing an RFA.
RFA Compensation Chart:
The team that owns the players' rights will be awarded the following compensation based on the amount offered.
$500,000 - $650,000 = 1 year salary
$650,001 - $850,000 = 3rd round & 1 year salary
$850,001 - $1,000,000 = 2nd round & 1 year salary
$1,000,001 - $1,500,000 = 2nd round, 3rd round & 1 year salary
$1,500,001 - $3,000,000 = 1st round & 1 year salary
$3,000,001 - $5,000,000 = 1st round, 2nd round & 1 year salary
$5,000,001 - $7,500,000 = Two 1st rounds, 1 year salary
$7,500,001 + = Two 1st rounds, Two 2nd rounds, 1 year salary
*1 year salary implies that you will pay one years worth of the players salary in finances to the compensated team.
10. Retirement[/size]
Players will randomly retire at the end of each GCHL season. Once a player hits the age of 35 he is subject to possible retirement. A player through random chance can continue playing until he's well into his 40's (ex. Chelios). It is however not completely random as their are statistical odds for each age group on how likely it is the player will retire.
The Odds:
34-36 = 10%
37-38 = 20%
39-40 = 40%
41-42 = 60%
43+ = 85%
11. Finances/Revenue/Monetary Awards[/size]
A team's finances are an important aspect to running your hockey club. If they reach below zero your team could fold and you would be teamless. Luckily earning revenue is easy!
Your finances start at $10,000,000 and most of your revenue will come from your ticket sales. You can set your ticket prices through the STHS Client. Gain your maximum revenue by setting the highest ticket price possible that still allows you to sell-out games or bring in a high attendance.
What can you do with your money?
During each season you can purchase "Arena Renovations" to increase seating and down the road increase revenue. Upgrades are bought in packages of 1,000 seats and cost $3 million. These can be purchased as much as you like but your total arena capacity cannot exceed 25,000.
We have also introduced more ways to spend and earn finances.
After each season there will be monetary awards for teams that succeed. They're only small.
Division Leader - 300k
Conference Leader - 600k
President's Trophy Winner - 1 million
*These are not added altogether, a conference leader does not receive the 300 for also being the division leader
Stanley Cup Winner - 2.5 million
Finalists - 1.25 million
Conference Finalist - 700k
Conference Semi Finalist - 500k
AHL Winners - 500k
Finalists - 250k
Presidents - 250k
So at maximum if you and your AHL team win both the President's Trophy and the Cup you will receive $4 million!
Additionally there are 2 GM Prizes:
GM of the Year - 500k
Most Improved - 300k
Hosting the Draft/All Star Game
-Each year a team will be able to host either the draft or all star game. One conference will be entitle to the draft while the other is entitled to the all star game which will alternate each year. Example, if a west team is given the draft then an east team will be given the all star game and then it is switched the following season.
-Being selected the host of the draft/all star game is complete random, and is drawn from a hat
-The host team is awarded $2 million to compensate for the revenue they would technically earn for hosting it. The GM of that team can submit 2 press releases for the event to be entitled an extra $1 million. One outlining the event BEFORE it happens, and another AFTER the event has happened.
Press Releases:
-A team is rewarded $100k for each press release (news story) they write about either their team or their league to a maximum of twice a week.
-This is NOT mandatory but more of an incentive to be more active in the league!
The most important rules in the GCHL is to have fun and respect other GM's while keeping a competitive attitude. On the other hand we do have other guidelines to follow when it comes down to managing your team and ask that you obey them.
1. Introduction[/size]
Welcome to the GCHL Rule Book. This is where you will get all the answers to anything you wish to know about the league and how it is operated. One of the first things you should do in this league is make sure you have downloaded the STHS Client program on to your computer. This is used to manage your roster and lines, there is a separate thread on how to download it.
No rule is ever permanent, if we ever feel obliged to change a rule that doesn’t fit or add one that we think is necessary we will do so while also letting you know. Often we will ask GM’s opinions on it before doing so. We are always open to new ideas and concerns so don’t be afraid to let yourself be heard!
General Managers' Responsibilities:
This league lives and breathes with its core of GMs. Without an active group of participants the league will sooner or later fold. Therefore we shall strive for a small but very active community.
A GM shall be registered at the forum, and be a fairly “active” member of the league & forum. Initiating trade negotiations, replying to trade offers & postings at the forum once in a while is expected from you. It is very much expected that each GM take care of his team and send line updates to League Office. It is also more convenient to have MSN because we all know using the personal message service can get irritating when it comes down to hacking out a deal.
And finally, a GM is required to take the best possible care of his team, and to, at all times, put an effort into making it a successful & winning franchise.
A GM not contributing to the league and/or his team will be removed after a certain period of inactivity. If the GM has a reason for being “away” he should let the commissioner know about the whereabouts. If not then there are no guarantees you will be able to keep your team. Should a GM fail to live up to the fairly moderate standards set by the league then he will be removed from the post and replaced with a new manager.
2. GCHL Salary Cap/Contract Information[/size]
The GCHL uses a hard fixed cap which is currently set at $58,000,000. The league floor is set at $32,400,000. No team is permitted to go over or under the fixed cap at any time from the start of the regular season to the end of the stanley cup playoffs. The only exception is during the 48 hour time "freeze" for the trade deadline.
If a team fails to remain under the cap, their top player(s) will be suspended and they will be fined $200,000 each game they are still under.
The max allowed salary for one player is $11,500,000. This will change on a yearly basis in connection with the fixed salary cap.
No-Trade Contracts:
You can sign any player to a NTC but be aware that this player will only waive his NTC if:
-It is within a week of the trade deadline
-The player is in his last year of the contract (going to be a UFA at the end of the season
-The team is a potential playoff contender
-The player is not your captain
Entry-level Contract Rule:
It's common knowledge you can exploit players financially by signing them at ridiculously cheap long-term contracts. To make it more realistic in the GCHL and give the whole contract system some kind of coherence, Contract lower limits will now be used for prospects in the league. Though they do not exist in the NHL, they will reflect in the GCHL the role of the players' agents, who for instance would never settle for a 300.000 yearly contract if their client was drafted in the 1st round. Since in the NHL the real value of a prospect isn't known until he hits the ice in pro, the players' agents usually rely more on the draft rank of their clients. Thus it was decided to use the same line of thinking in the GCHL, which does present nice little side-effects:
. assuming prospects who may get a potential boost and those who are very talented yet inconsistent are usually drafted in later rounds, this rule will make them cheaper, which makes sense since they're a gamble on the GM's part;
. the rule also is an incentive to pay more attention to the draft, as GMs who don't draft well enough are now stuck with prospects who'll earn more than what they're worth.
Minimum Salary Requirements:
1st-5th OA: 950.000 base salary
6th-15th OA: 800.000 base salary
16th-30th OA: 600.000 base salary
2nd Round: 500.000 base salary
3rd Round: 450.000 base salary
4th Round: 400.000 base salary
5th Round: no limit
These lower limits apply to prospects, when they sign their first GCHL contract, no matter their age; and the length of the contract is automatically 3 years. Two-way options are still allowed.
3. Roster Restrictions[/size]
Each team must have a minimum of 20 players on their pro roster and a maximim of 23 (not including injuries/suspensions).
Additionally a team must have a minimum of 2 goalies, 6 defensemen, and 12 forwards on their roster. All though a forward can be used on any position, a team must carry at least 3 centers, 3 left wings and 3 right wings on their pro roster.
If you think a certain player should naturally play a different position then let the commissioner know and provide legitimate proof to back it up. This includes a player biography from an official source like tsn.ca, nhl.com, etc.
Any player over the overall of 68 may NOT play on your farm team
4. Waivers/Buyouts[/size]
If a player is over the age of 25 or has played more than 15 NHL games he is subject to waivers when being sent down to the farm.
There is a 48-hour grace period for a team to lay a claim on that player. If a team has already put a claim in for another waiver player then they cannot bid.
The winning claim goes to the team that is lowest in the standings. If you claim the player he will be sent to your pro team and will be subject to waivers again to be sent to the farm
Buyouts
If you would like to buyout one of your players (making him an UFA) you will still count 20% of his contract towards your cap total.
5. Prospects[/size]
Prospects may ONLY be signed in the offseason. Your prospects have no rated as they are not given a rating in the game until they are signed by you. If you would like to know a prospects information then use the hockeysfuture site as a guideline.
Prospects must be signed within 2 years of being drafted or they will be recycled into the next draft.
6. GCHL Entry Draft[/size]
The GCHL Entry Draft will consist of five rounds and will involve players that are to be drafted in the actual NHL. Like your prospects these players have no rating in the game, so using hockeysfuture ratings will provide a solid scouting basis. This means you are more likely to draft "bust" players in the first round if you do a weak scouting job. Teams are also very likely to draft "gem" players in the later rounds since the ratings are unknown.
7. Re-Rates[/size]
After each season a player is automatically re-rated based on his statistical performance in comparison to his potential. Potential ratings will go down as a player gets older. Most rookie players will have an 85-95 potential.
8. Contract Renewals[/size]
At the end of the season players that have ending contracts must be resigned to prevent falling into the UFA category. To resign a player, GM's are asked to email all offers to the league email. Offers must be reasonable as the league office will validate them and act as the player's "Agent". We will take into account the players rating, previous stats, length of contract in comparison to potential along with other things. If you keep contract amounts reasonable then there shouldn't be a problem. The league will notify you if there is a disagreement and suggest what they feel is an adequate amount.
9. Free Agency Rules[/size]
When a player's contract expires, he becomes a free agent. There are two types of free agents, Restricted (RFA) and Unrestricted (UFA):
. Players aged 27 and under can be tendered a qualifying offer (QO) by their teams to retain their rights. If a player does not sign a new deal before June 29th in the year his contract expires, but has received a QO, he will be listed as a RFA. If a player does not receive a QO he will become an UFA.
. Players aged 28 and over cannot receive qualifying offers. If they are not resigned by June 29th of the year their contract expires, they will be listed as a UFA, open to bids from every team in the league (barring a few restrictions, see further down).
When Offering Players (The System):
We will have a “secret bidding” process meaning nobody will know anyone else’s offers. All offers will be sent in a single email to the league email address that will be used for this. (You will know that email address at a later date) The commish's will not read any of the emails until the bidding period is closed. We will know If they read the email because it will be seen as read. When you send the email please do it in the following format or we may not consider your offer:
Message Title: (Team Name) Offers
Content:
(Player Offered)
Amount (per year)
Years
Signing Bonus (only used as a tie-break)
Options/NTC/Two-Way
Repeat for new player
Here is an example:
Message: New Jersey Devils Offer
Dany Heatley
7.5 Million
4 years
2 Million Bonus
Player Option and NTC
Free Agent Rules/Guidelines:
-Offers MUST be sent to the league email
-You MUST follow that format
-There is a cut-off date to send in offers and then the commissioner will narrow the field down to 3 teams.
-You can offer a UFA any amount for any amount of years, but remember that others may outbid you if you go too low or you may exceed the cap if you go too high.
-RFA Rules are the same as the NHL
-You can offer players NTC but remember the guidelines
-You CANNOT trade a signed UFA until January 1st of that season
-The UFA Bidding will open and close so get your offers in on time
Narrowing the bidders:
If 3 or more teams put in bids for the same player, the commissioner will narrow it down to the top 2 teams. These teams will have one more chance to either up their first bid or leave it as is. This provides a bit of strategy as neither GM will know who is currently winning the bid.
Tie-Breaking process:
If multiple teams are offering the same salary per year the first factor in breaking the "tie" will be a signing bonus. However it is not necessary for a team to offer a signing bonus so if neither teams offered one the next tie-breaker will be the team with the longer contract offer will win. If they are still tied then the player will go to the team that had a better record in the standings.
9. RFA Offer Sheets[/size]
Sending out an RFA offer sheet is done the same way it is for a UFA. However the winning bid does not automatically get the player. The team that owns that player's rights is given a chance to match that offer - 48 hour period. If they fail to match the offer they will be awarded compensation for their lost player. So GM's be aware that you will be giving up finances along with possible draft picks when signing an RFA.
RFA Compensation Chart:
The team that owns the players' rights will be awarded the following compensation based on the amount offered.
$500,000 - $650,000 = 1 year salary
$650,001 - $850,000 = 3rd round & 1 year salary
$850,001 - $1,000,000 = 2nd round & 1 year salary
$1,000,001 - $1,500,000 = 2nd round, 3rd round & 1 year salary
$1,500,001 - $3,000,000 = 1st round & 1 year salary
$3,000,001 - $5,000,000 = 1st round, 2nd round & 1 year salary
$5,000,001 - $7,500,000 = Two 1st rounds, 1 year salary
$7,500,001 + = Two 1st rounds, Two 2nd rounds, 1 year salary
*1 year salary implies that you will pay one years worth of the players salary in finances to the compensated team.
10. Retirement[/size]
Players will randomly retire at the end of each GCHL season. Once a player hits the age of 35 he is subject to possible retirement. A player through random chance can continue playing until he's well into his 40's (ex. Chelios). It is however not completely random as their are statistical odds for each age group on how likely it is the player will retire.
The Odds:
34-36 = 10%
37-38 = 20%
39-40 = 40%
41-42 = 60%
43+ = 85%
11. Finances/Revenue/Monetary Awards[/size]
A team's finances are an important aspect to running your hockey club. If they reach below zero your team could fold and you would be teamless. Luckily earning revenue is easy!
Your finances start at $10,000,000 and most of your revenue will come from your ticket sales. You can set your ticket prices through the STHS Client. Gain your maximum revenue by setting the highest ticket price possible that still allows you to sell-out games or bring in a high attendance.
What can you do with your money?
During each season you can purchase "Arena Renovations" to increase seating and down the road increase revenue. Upgrades are bought in packages of 1,000 seats and cost $3 million. These can be purchased as much as you like but your total arena capacity cannot exceed 25,000.
We have also introduced more ways to spend and earn finances.
After each season there will be monetary awards for teams that succeed. They're only small.
Division Leader - 300k
Conference Leader - 600k
President's Trophy Winner - 1 million
*These are not added altogether, a conference leader does not receive the 300 for also being the division leader
Stanley Cup Winner - 2.5 million
Finalists - 1.25 million
Conference Finalist - 700k
Conference Semi Finalist - 500k
AHL Winners - 500k
Finalists - 250k
Presidents - 250k
So at maximum if you and your AHL team win both the President's Trophy and the Cup you will receive $4 million!
Additionally there are 2 GM Prizes:
GM of the Year - 500k
Most Improved - 300k
Hosting the Draft/All Star Game
-Each year a team will be able to host either the draft or all star game. One conference will be entitle to the draft while the other is entitled to the all star game which will alternate each year. Example, if a west team is given the draft then an east team will be given the all star game and then it is switched the following season.
-Being selected the host of the draft/all star game is complete random, and is drawn from a hat
-The host team is awarded $2 million to compensate for the revenue they would technically earn for hosting it. The GM of that team can submit 2 press releases for the event to be entitled an extra $1 million. One outlining the event BEFORE it happens, and another AFTER the event has happened.
Press Releases:
-A team is rewarded $100k for each press release (news story) they write about either their team or their league to a maximum of twice a week.
-This is NOT mandatory but more of an incentive to be more active in the league!
