Welcome to another hockey season at Brewer Arena. This note provides an update on the information that each team needs to know. I would ask you to pay particular attention to the following changes this year …

<to be established by Executive based on information from the ODMHA + District 6 Council  …>

This section attempts to provides some information about Players, Teams, Game Schedules, OCMHA Facility, OCMHA Equipment and OCMHA Governance ... details that are necessary to ensure that the season is enjoyable for all participants and especially the players. It should help you get through the season with as few problems as possible. However, if you require assistance during the season please speak with your Team Manager, an OCMHA Executive, or Kevin Figley, the President.

The most important members of our Association are our players and it is our goal to make the season enjoyable for all our players.

All players must be registered and the parental consent on the registration form must be signed before the player can participate on the on ice activities. Life and Injury Insurance conditions specify that each player must be registered. Registration takes place at the beginning of the season early in September with first ice available by the middle of September.

The Association usually provides two registration opportunities. One during the evening and the other on a Saturday morning. In the event that registration is required outside these periods, the player's parent or guardian may contact the Registrar of the Association to arrange registration.

Registration Forms are available as defined in the Document Index.

CHA/ODHA rules require that individuals play in the Association within whose boundaries they reside. Players can play in a different Association provided they obtain approval from the two Associations in the form of a Transfer. Provided there is space in the players Division Level, the Registrar will provide the Transfer Form for signature by the two Association officials.

Transfer Forms are available as defined in the Document Index.

The objective of the organization is to ensure that each player develops new skills, achieves their potential and has fun. The enjoyment can be enhanced by all participants (players, coaches, parents, league organizers, officials and spectators) making a positive contribution.

CHA has published Fair Play Codes for each participant.

For each age level, the players will be organized into teams of 12-16 players per team based on the total registration. The objective in the selection of players is to balance the skills of each team to ensure fair play and competition. If there is a significant imbalance, then players may be moved from one team to another in order to balance the teams at each level.

At each level, there is a Division Coordinator who works with the Head Coaches and Assistant Coaches to ensure that teams are balanced. All players on the team get equal ice time.

Each team must have a team list. The team list will contain the players' addresses, telephone numbers, and both parents’ name and telephone numbers. The team list will also indicate players with health problems that may have been identified by parents during registration.

Parents should be consulted for any specific health problems and specific actions to be taken should be noted.

All players and team officials are registered with ODMHA by the OCMHA Vice President of Registration. A fee of $21.00 per participant is paid by the OCMHA for liability and personal injury insurance through the CHA.

The City of Ottawa allots each team one hour of ice per week from November to March along with several additional hours per week for practices. This arrangement does not facilitate regular practice times but by equitably sharing unused time (i.e. when a team is playing away games and the additional hours), OCMHA schedules practice times for all teams. The Director of Interlock Relations and Director of Scheduling ensure that all available ice time is allocated equitably and its use is maximized. The cost per hour of ice is $85.00 plus applicable taxes.

OCMHA over the years has developed the following general principles in the allocation of ice time:

1. Ice time is shared equally among teams. In addition, teams may purchase and pay for additional ice time from the City whenever it becomes available and it is advertised on the City web site. Additional ice time is available on outdoor rinks.

2. Subject to registration and team numbers, the available OCMHA ice is allocated according to divisions as detailed in the Ice Allocation section.

3. These designated ice times are used to develop the Interlock Schedule for Home and Away (Visitor) games with other Minor Hockey teams in the District and Juvenile teams with other Districts involved in Juveniles.

4. The Interlock Schedule and the Practice Schedule is developed with cooperation between the Director of Interlock Relations, the Director of Scheduling and the Division Coordinators.

5. A master schedule for ice allocation at Brewer Arena should be available from the Director of Scheduling early November. If any team is not able to use the assigned ice time, it is important to notify the Director of Scheduling as soon as possible so that the ice can be made available to other teams.

6. Each team coach may use the practice time as he/she feels best either by practising as a team, practising with another OCMHA team or by arranging exhibition games.

7. All the available ice times may not be preferred by all participants but by sharing throughout the season, everyone is allocated an equal share. There is no other ice time available in the City of Ottawa.

The ODMHA and OCMHA requires that all Head Coaches for Atom, Peewee, Bantam, and Midget receive Coach Level Certification and Head Coaches for Initiation and Novice receive attend the Initiation Program. The schedule of coaching courses is available on the ODMHA web site (www.odmha.on.ca).

The cost is usually in the range of $100.00. If requested, the cost of attending a certification workshop will be reimbursed by the Association.

Each team requires a Team Trainer certified at Level I in attendance on the bench during ice time. For this season, CHA will not require Team Trainers to attend the certification workshop if they have equivalent training such as possessing a First Aid certificate, a Medical Degree, or a Nursing Degree (Registered Nurse).

The schedule of trainer courses is available on the ODMHA web site (www.odmha.on.ca).

The cost is usually in the range of $50.00 . If requested, the cost of attending a certification workshop will be reimbursed by the Association.

Each team is strongly advised to recruit a Team Manager who will take on the responsibility to organize many of the administration activities that must be carried to make the season enjoyable for all. These activities may include communications with the Association and the team parents, collecting tournament fees, organizing fund raising activities, managing the team telephone calling tree, connecting with the team sponsor, etc. The Team Manager may also recruit other team parents to take on some of these roles and responsibilities.

Ottawa Centre Minor Hockey Association (OCMHA) is a member of District 6 of the Ottawa District Minor Hockey Association (ODMHA). The other member Associations are Sandy Hill (SHOESA), Vanier (VMHA), St. Laurent and Rockcliffe (also known as Viscount Alexander Park). St. Laurent and Rockcliffe play out of the St. Laurent Arena.

The games are played under the District 6 of the ODMHA and CHA Rules, including:

CHA … rules

ODMHA … rules

ODMHA District 6 Interlock Regulations.

It is the responsibility of the Head Coach to be familiar with these rules including, but not limited to, team formation, player suspensions and players in the competitive levels. If in doubt, please contact VP Coaches for an interpretation of the rules.

Each Head Coach in the Interlock game schedule (Novice, Atom, Peewee, Bantam, Midget) will receive a master schedule for his/her team's games and practices. It is the responsibility of the Head Coach to maximize the utilization of the ice times and ensure that when the ice cannot be used, it is passed on to another OCMHA team.

The game schedules are established by the District Interlock Committee which is responsible for the league play. The basic principles of the scheduling include:

To facilitate the Interlock game activities, each Association has a member who represents his/her respective Association in the capacity of Convenor for one level of play. The responsibilities of the Level Convenor are detailed at ODMHA District 6 Interlock Regulations.

Team schedules are prepared by the representatives of each Association in District 6 using an automated scheduling package (software) by mid October. These schedules are distributed to the Head Coaches in the third week of October. League play usually begins in early November.

Game sheets are supplied by the Home team. Game sheets purchased by the Association and are kept in the Brewer Arena Equipment Room. Game sheets should not be wasted because of the cost.

The Home team should complete the Game Sheet before the Home game so that it is available to the Visitor team to fill their part of the sheet. The Visitor team should fill out their part before the beginning of the game.

All players must be listed by sweater number whether or not they are at the game. Player identification is improved when the Home and Visitor sweaters for a player have the same number. Listing every player on the Game Sheet is important if it is necessary at some time in the season to show how long a player has played on the team. Sweater numbers of the starting players should be circled on the Game Sheet. Team captains and assistants should be indicated on the game Sheet with C and A. The sweaters should not marked with C and A using hockey tape because it marks the sweaters.

Also list on the Game Sheet the Head Coach, Assistant Coach, and Trainer and his/her certificate number.

At the end of the game, the Game Sheet is signed by all officials and the Timekeeper/Scorer gives each team coach a copy of the Game Sheet (bottom copies). For Home games, the two remaining copies are left in the pick-up box in the Canteen (Brewer Arena). The interlock representatives must be able to account for every game played and statistics must be kept accurately.

Players under suspension must be indicated on the Game Sheet by the notation: e.g. Under Suspension 1 of 2 (where 2 is number of games) and brought to the Referee's attention. Suspensions are taken seriously an it is the responsibility of the coach to know the reason and length of time for the suspension of the player.

OCMHA referees are scheduled by the Referee-in-Chief of the District. It is important to notify the Referee-in-Chief if the Head Coaches have agreed to change the times of games. This notification will ensure that the game referees will be schedules for the appropriate time.

In most cases, a volunteer (parent) from the Home team takes on the role of Timekeeper or Scorekeeper. It s also recommended that a second volunteer (parent) will take on the role of managing the penalty box doors.

It is recommended that volunteers (parents) learn the functions of the Timekeeper and Scorekeeper during practices.

The Home team Head Coach must contact the District Division Convenor with game results, or enter the results on the web site. The District Division Convenor must also be notified for suspensions received in any game including exhibitions and tournaments.

An exhibition game with another Association team can be arranged between the Head Coaches on their Home ice or if additional ice time is purchased by the teams. It is required to officiate the game, contact the Referee in Chief to arrange for game officials. All referees who work for ODMHA must be certified.

If the team is accepted in a tournament, the Head Coach will notify the President of the date and destination so that a Travel Permit can be issued if it is required. No travel permit is required for tournaments within District 6 (Eastern Ontario).

It is also advisable to consider the allocation of ice time or other conflicts with scheduling, if the team is playing outside the OCMHA schedule.

In the event that a Travel Permit is required, the Travel Permit must be approved by the OCMHA President and the ODMHA President before the team travels to the tournament. The Travel Permit ensures that all team participants are covered by the insurance policies of the Association.

The ODMHA Associations with the City of Ottawa organize an end of season tournament. OCMHA pays the entry fees for all our teams.

ODMHA will have a District 6 playoff round robin for all levels and teams. The playoff games will be scheduled to start sometime in February and the schedule will avoid conflicts with the City of Ottawa Tournament and holidays such as the March Break.

During the hockey season, there are many opportunities for Public Skating in the City of Ottawa Arenas. For a nominal fee (approximately $2.00), skaters have the use of the ice for several hours to perform free skating. A player and his/her family and friends can have skating fun and develop skating skills.

OCMHA has an ongoing arrangement with the City of Ottawa as the major tenant of the Brewer Arena (Home Arena). OCMHA teams use the Arena for practices and all Home games. An Equipment Room is made available for OCMHA equipment, sweaters, and other items. Space is available for the display of trophies and banners. The Association also operates and manages the Canteen and the Skate Sharpening shop.

In addition to the E-mail and web site distribution of information, Mail Slots are provided for all teams in the storage room. Non electronic material and other communications are placed in these Mail Slots by the Executive or by other Coaches.

It is encouraged that the Mail Slot should be checked weekly as a minimum for important communications.

The Dressing Rooms are provided for each team to use during their practice time or game. The Dressing Room should be left clean approximately 20 minutes after the practice or game.

A key is available from the Brewer Arena Office to open and lock the Dressing Room door. It is advised to lock the door when the team is on the ice to avoid loss of property. The Dressing Room should be checked before leaving for left over articles and equipment and for cleanliness. All OCMHA equipment should be returned to the Equipment Room.

It is advised that the Head Coach, Team Manager or a delegated person ensure that the Dressing Room is secure and clean at all times.

OCMHA stores all equipment (goaltender and some spare player equipment), team sweaters, and other material or Association assets in the Equipment Room. The Room is locked at all times.

An Equipment Room key is issued to every Head Coach. It is important to ensure that the Equipment Room is locked at all times. Keys are available from the Director of Facilities and Assets.

The Association operates and manages the Skate Sharpening Concession at Brewer Arena as a fund raising activity. The equipment is owned by the Association. In addition to skate sharpening the concession provides skate laces, hockey sticks, clear and black tape, and hockey socks.

The Association operates and manages the Brewer Canteen as a fund raising activity. The Association has appointed a Manager to manage the Canteen on a daily basis. Volunteer Association members (parents) operate the canteen during evening, weekends, and tournament times.

There is a commitment by each registered member of the Association to provide at least 8 hours of volunteer services for the Canteen operation. At the end of the 8 hours, $70.00 are remitted to the registered member.

In the event of an emergency, Arena personnel will order the evacuation of Brewer Arena. Players may or may not have time to retrieve belongings depending on the nature of the emergency. It is important to ensure that all players and spectators obey the evacuation request with a minimum of confusion and disruption.

OCMHA has a significant investment in equipment. It is important that it is maintained in good condition and not be misplaced or lost. The replacement costs are always very high.

All players have been advised that CSA approved helmets with full face guard, throat protectors and for goalies, a rigid plastic throat protector are mandatory equipment. A list of Mandatory Equipment is provided.

The Association owns a number of sets of goalie equipment for junior sizes (Novice, Atom, Peewee) and some throat protectors.

Coaches must ensure that all players are properly dressed in protective equipment before they enter the ice surface. Failure to comply may lead to suspension.

It is also advised, although it is not mandatory at this time, that all coaching personnel wear protective helmets for their own safety and to set a good example to the players. Other protective equipment includes a Jock/Jill athletic support, elbow pads, knee pads, and hockey gloves.

Each team receives 25 pucks at the beginning of the season for use during practices. This is a big investment for the Association and therefore it is advised that the pucks are not lost. A cloth bag or a bucket may be used to contain the pucks when they are not in use.

Each team should have a First Aid Kit that is kept on the bench for all Home games. The Team Trainer is responsible to retrieve the First Aid Kit from the Canteen and return it after the game.

The Association provides White (Home) and Red (Visitor) sweaters with paired numbers for each team. These sweaters cost approximately $1,000 per team set and are usually supplied by a sponsor.

It is advised that the Team Manager inventory the team sweaters before they are distributed to the players. The inventory should have the sweater size, sweater number, and the player's name . This information is also useful in preparing the Game Sheet before a game. A copy of the completed sweater inventory list should be returned to the Director of Facilities and Assets.

Emphasize to the players that the sweaters should be kept clean and washed periodically during the season.

The OCMHA Executive runs the business of the organization and ensures that that the on-ice operations run smoothly. A list of the Executives and the roles & responsibilities of each position is available on request.

The OCMHA Budget, as approved by the Executive, and managed by the Treasurer is available on request.

The Association and the District organize a series of events during the season. The OCMHA Executive Committee organizes various activities during the season, including: the Skills Development Clinic, Brewer Rink Rats Tournament, the City of Ottawa Tournament and the Skaneatles Tournament

A calendar of events is included.

All player must register with OCMHA prior to going on-ice. A Registration Form is available on the Web Site.

The registration fees are set by the Executive Committee and include all expenses related to the on ice and off ice operations. The fees include the cost of ice rental (2 hours of ice per player, Ottawa tournament registration, four skate sharpenings, and other miscellaneous expenses).

For this season the registration fees are $260.00 for player activities and $70.00 as deposit for Canteen duty.

Registration fees will be refunded in full until the end of November.

Following the contribution of eight hours of Canteen service, the volunteer will be refunded the $70.00 deposit.