Ft. Wayne
Indy Racers
Indy Blues
Northern Kentucky
South Bend
Oxford
Louisville
Golden Triangle
Dayton Bluehawks
Newark
Athens
Lakota
Kettering Fairmont
Columbus Chill
Columbus Bluejackets
Columbus, IN
Findlay
Cincinnati Cyclones
Dayton Gems

MEMO

To: BTHL Board
From: Kim James
Date: 3/30/99
Subject: Membership

Current Language

Section 1. Membership will consist of area Amateur and/or Youth Ice Hockey Associations. To qualify for membership in the BTHL an Association must be a current member of USA Hockey and in good standing. Application must be made to the BTHL Board of Trustees and approved by two-thirds affirmative vote of all Trustees. A two-thirds vote is also required to revoke membership. If at any time a member Association is suspended or otherwise terminated by USA Hockey, that Association's membership in the BTHL shall be automatically revoked. Re-entry will require application and approval, the same as any other new member. Any team skating for a member Association in good standing, properly registered and rostered by USA Hockey as a Tier II team, may participate in the BTHL.

Section 2. Membership is non-transferable. No membership shall be transferable or assignable except by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the BTHL Board of Trustees.

Section 3. Voting. Each Association that has successfully applied for membership in the BTHL shall be entitled to one vote on all matters that come before the Corporation at any meeting; it is further provided that each participating Association shall appoint a Representative, plus one Alternate, to this Corporation. The Representative, or Alternate, in the event that the Representative is absent, shall be entitled to cast such vote.

Section 4. Omission of Liability. No member Association or Team shall be in any manner, individually or collectively, liable for any act or omission of this Corporation, nor for any loss, damage or injury of whatsoever and or nature suffered by or occurring to any other member team or to any other person, concern or body.

Proposed

Section 5. League Meetings. Each member organization is required to attend three board meetings each season. Those meetings shall include the Scheduling meeting, the Annual meeting and one other meeting of the member's choice. Failure to fulfill this commitment will result in, but is not limited to, a fine to be determined by the Executive board at the Annual meeting.

MEMO

To: BTHL Board
From: Kim James
Date: 3/30/99
Subject: Referees

Current Language

E. Referees:

1. Each home team shall provide at least two officials. Officials must be USA Hockey certified and meet the requirements as established by USA Hockey as set forth in the annual USA Hockey Guide. One adult referee is acceptable only with the written approval of both team coaches on the front of the scoresheet, signed before the start of the game.

2. If a home team does not have 2 official referees on hand at game time, and the visiting team does not wish to play under these circumstances, then the game is to be played at the Visiting Team's rink and rescheduled within 14 days. The offending team will pay for the rescheduled ice and referees. Problems in rescheduling the game must be brought immediately to the attention of the Scheduling Chair to avoid a FORFEITURE.

3. All officials assigned to BTHL games must adhere to the "On-Ice Officials Code of Conduct" as listed in the annual USA Hockey Guide. Further, teams securing on-ice officials should strive not to have referees who are immediate relatives of players or coaches involved in the game. USA Hockey has guidelines which deal with this and these should be followed.

Proposed

1. Each home team shall provide at least two officials. Officials must be USA Hockey certified and meet the requirements as established by USA Hockey as set forth in the annual USA Hockey Guide. One adult referee is acceptable only with the written approval of both team coaches on the front of the scoresheet, signed before the start of the game. Once the puck is dropped to start the game, neither team can use this rule as a basis to protest the outcome of the game.

2. If a home team does not have 2 official referees on hand at game time, and the visiting team does not wish to play under these circumstances, then the game is to be re-played at the Visiting Home Team's rink and rescheduled within 14 days. If the game cannot be rescheduled at the home rink, the game shall be re-played at the Visitor's rink. In both cases, Tthe offending team will pay for the rescheduled ice and referees. Problems in rescheduling the game must be brought immediately to the attention of the Scheduling Chair to avoid a FORFEITURE.

MEMO

To: BTHL Board
From: Len Holtgreven
Date: 2/09/99
Subject: Scheduling

Current Language

Section IV Paragraph G of League Rules (League Games - Canceled/Postponed games)

1. Cancellation of a game must be approved by the Scheduling Chair prior to the game date.
2. Canceled/postponed games must be rescheduled by the home team within 14 days and played within 30 days of the original scheduled date, if at all possible (pending ice availability).
3. In the event these rescheduling conditions cannot be met, the Scheduling Chair must be notified to enable the Executive Board to take appropriate action.
4. The Scheduling Chair must be notified in writing of all rescheduled dates.
5. All games must be played prior to the completion of the regular season as determined by the BTHL Board.
6. Failure to comply with the above stated rules will result in a forfeiture.
7. All Championship/Tournament games must be played on the dates scheduled by the BTHL Board.

Proposed

Change the title of Paragraph "G" from "Canceled/Postponed games" to "Game Schedule".

1. Regular season schedule.
   1. The regular season will be scheduled at a single meeting sometime in the fall of the year. A firm date for this meeting will be determined by the BTHL Board during the summer before the upcoming season and has traditionally been held during the month of September.
   2. Each team making application to participate in the BTHL agrees to have a representative with available home ice present at this meeting. An individual will not be permitted to schedule for multiple teams.
   3. Teams are expected to schedule the completion of all league games before the season-ending League Tournament. They should arrive at the scheduling meeting with an open slate, the scheduling of any non-league games should be done AFTER the completion of the league schedule.
   4. In the event that a season schedule cannot be completed, each team involved will be required to supply the Scheduling Chair with the following information before leaving the meeting:
      1. All open weekend days (or other potential game days) for each team involved.
      2. All available ice times with a notation of why the opposing team(s) cannot play at that time. Consideration will be given to tournaments, but other non-BTHL games are not considered a valid excuse. Note also that this is a "Travel League" and while we are sensitive to the expense involved, in order to complete the schedule an overnight stay may be required.
      3. The goal of the Scheduling Meeting is to have 100% completion. At a minimum, any unscheduled games must have a plan of resolution agreed upon before leaving the meeting. Potential solutions could include (but are not limited to) scheduling at other rinks or counting an upcoming tournament game as a league contest.
   5. Sometime within a few days after the Scheduling Meeting, the Scheduling Chair will post an Official Schedule on the League Web Page. It will be each team's responsibility to notify the Scheduling Chair of any errors found and when corrected to confirm the accuracy of the schedule in writing.
2. League Tournament.
   1. A firm date for this tournament will be determined by the BTHL Board prior to the final commitment date for application to the league and has traditionally been held 2 weeks prior to the State Tournaments.
   2. Each team making application to participate in the BTHL agrees to participate in this tournament. Refusal to participate may result in sanctions to be determined by the BTHL Board.
   3. The BTHL Board reserves the right to reclassify teams in the tournament as "A" or "AA" depending upon the relative competitiveness of the divisions.
3. Changes, Cancellations and/or Postponements.
   1. The schedule (as agreed to at the Scheduling Meeting) is considered firm and may only be changed if both teams are in agreement to the proposed change. Any changes must be acknowledged in writing to the BTHL Scheduling Chair by representatives from both teams.
   2. In the event that a team postpones or cancels a game without the agreement of the opposing team, that team will be responsible for the ice and referee cost of the rescheduled game.
   3. In the event that the game is not rescheduled, that team will be charged with a forfeit.
   4. Notes regarding weather related incidents:
      1. The BTHL encourages all teams to use common sense and consider the safety of all involved when it comes to traveling in threatening weather. It is understood that the final decision to travel will be made by the traveling team and that decision should not be questioned by the BTHL or opposing team.
      2. While attempting to reschedule, keep in mind that league games are a top priority and it is understood that non-league games should be canceled or rescheduled if necessary. The burden to adjust an existing schedule should fall initially on the canceling team, but the non-canceling team may also be required to adjust their schedule if necessary.
      3. The consequences will essentially be the same as noted above in b) and c).
         ie: If the game is eventually rescheduled, it will be at the cost of the canceling team. If the game is not able to be rescheduled, the canceling team will be charged with a forfeit.
      4. If the teams involved are unable to agree on a modified schedule within 1 week of the originally scheduled game then all pertinent information should be forwarded ASAP to the Scheduling Chair. With that information a decision will be made as to which team will be charged with a forfeit.