Rules

Zealot Hockey League Season 20 Rules

 

Section I: Teams and League Schedule

Article I: Teams

The number of teams will be determined by league management based upon the registration total. Previous team names will be recycled. Players will be drafted onto teams via draft and may only play for the team for which they are drafted to. The maximum roster size is eight for ZHL teams and unlimited for ZHPL teams. No one player may be dropped from a team roster regardless of reason.

Article II: Scheduling

The number of games played by each team will be determined by league management. This usually consists of two games against other teams in the league. Teams will be granted five total reschedules. The reschedules are divided as follows:

  • Three standard reschedules ZHL Three Standard reschedules ZHPL
    • Restricted to times between 18:00 EST and 23:00 EST
    • Must be agreed upon NLT four hours prior to the original start time of the game.
  • Two flexible reschedule ZHL Two flexible reschedules ZHPL
    • No time Restrictions.
    • Must be agreed upon any time prior to the original start time of the game.
  • One force reschedule ZHL Two Force Reschedules ZHPL
    • Restricted to times between 18:00 EST and 23:00 EST
    • Must be formally imposed on the opposing team and requested to league management NLT 24 hours prior to the original start time of the game.
    • Two teams must agree upon a time NLT the deadline given by league management. If unable to, league management will mediate and schedule an appropriate time.

Reschedule agreements must be made public via Discord.

 

Playoff schedules will be determined by all teams involved. Teams playing each other must schedule a game within the deadline given by league management. If unable to, league management will schedule the game for the teams. Reschedules are prohibited in the playoffs unless absolutely needed and both owners agree before the game is set to be played.

 

 

Section II: Owners and League Management Terms of Reference

Article I: League Commissioner

  • May remain League Commissioner until a time at which he/she wishes to relinquish power, is impeached, or the season has ended.
  • Must hire a minimum of three and a maximum of eight League Managers to rule on issues.
  • Must select the Owners for the season. Eligible candidates should indicate their interest in Ownership on the Google form.
  • Has the ability to initiate a “League Vote” on issues, without approval.
  • Reserves the right to exercise emergency powers and make changes to the rulebook in the best interests of the league if he and at least three League Managers agree with the change. If a majority of the Owners and League Managers combined (more than 50% vote) disagree with a change made in emergency circumstances, the change will be revoked.

Article II: League Manager

  • Make rulings based on his/her best interpretation of the rule book when needed and when he/she is not involved with the situation.
  • Contribute thoughts/ideas to his/her best ability on rulings and decisions for the benefit of the league.
  • Vote in “League Vote” decisions.
  • Initiate a “League Vote” if at least three league managers agree that such a vote needs to take place
  • Complete tasks appointed by the League Commissioner

Article III: Owner

  • Will be in charge of drafting players to form their teams.
  • Has final authority on the starting lineup for their teams when present.
  • Mandatory designation of a Team Captain for ZHL.

Article IV: Team Captain

  • Create the starting lineup for their teams when the Owner is absent, or suggest starting lineups if he/she is.
  • Reschedule games if the Owner is absent and it is absolutely needed.

Article V: League Votes

  • League Votes can only be brought up by the League Commissioner or three League Managers. They are required for all subjective rules and rulebook changes and will be cast privately and made public immediately after all votes have been counted. In case of emergencies (game time events), only a majority of all available League Managers will be needed, to expedite this process. League Managers will vote for or against a League Vote decision, majority wins. In the event of a tie in votes, the Commissioner’s vote wins.
  • Any League Vote that is passed by the League Office which pertains to the punishment of an individual player or a ZHL or ZHPL franchise for breaking a rule must have sufficient evidence cited in an explanation document written by the League Office, made public via Discord.

Article VI: Transfer of Ownership

  • If a player within a team wishes to take over as owner, the current owner and league management must both agree to the change. If no agreement between the two can be reached, the ownership transfer will not occur.
  • If no player on the roster wants ownership, and the current owner wants to relinquish control, the new replacement owner will be chosen by league management.
  • Any owners who relinquish control will be ineligible to play any more games, in any position, for the remainder of the season.

VII: Impeachment of the League Commissioner

  • The League Commissioner may be impeached if he/she is found to be incompetent or not acting in the interest of the League. The following are examples of what could constitute grounds for impeachment:
  • The commissioner is intentionally or unintentionally displaying clear bias for one player or team over another.
  • The commissioner is disrupting the League Vote process or reporting League Vote results untruthfully.
    • The commissioner has been unresponsive to League Managers or owners for 7 or more days without prior notice.
  • Impeachment is done as follows:
    • First, six team owners must agree that the League Commissioner should be impeached. This should be clarified via an Owner Vote, where owners must vote to impeach.
    • Second, the impeachment must pass a League Vote, of which the results must be collected and shared by the League Management.

 

 

Section III: Punishment and Procedures

League management views following the rules as a critical part of maintaining the stability and health of our community. That being said, we conclude that some past rulings created unnecessary controversy that could’ve been avoided had the rules been more clearly defined, punishments more precisely stated, and judgments less subjective in nature. In general, we hope that all judgments can be as objective and automatic as possible, not requiring even the possibility of bias or controversy. All punishments entailing suspensions of more than two games must be affirmed by receiving a majority vote of the league management.

Article I: Smurfing

Players are forbidden from signing up with more than one account or pretending to be someone else. The minimum punishment is a season long ban as well as the loss of any previously earned rewards until the ban is up.

Article II: Unsportsmanlike Activities

Players are forbidden from excessively BMing or spamming in “all chat” during League matches. The minimum punishment is a 1-3 period suspension, depending on the severity of the offense.

 

Players are forbidden from using the same name as someone else in the community, or from making their name look like someone else’s. The minimum punishment is a forfeit of the game being played.

Article III: Cheating

Players are forbidden from using any outside programs that impact the game/Starcraft 2 in any way to give the player an unfair advantage. An exception to this rule is the use of a VPN to reduce a player’s ping. The minimum punishment is a two game suspension and a forfeit of the game in which the offense occurred. More impactful infractions such as using an auto-clicker and proven intent will result in more severe punishment

 

Players are forbidden from binding multiple keys to a single action. The minimum punishment is a two game suspension and forfeit of the game in which the offense occurred

Article IV: Offense Reporting and Investigative Process

Players may submit a formal report to the league management if they believe another player has committed an offense via Discord or BNet PM.

Your report should include the following:

  • The specific offense(s)/violation(s) alleged.
  • Relevant evidence material, which could include replay with specific times of the offense, screenshots, video evidence, etc. Evidence should be submitted in totality and not in parts.
    • If no proof is submitted, the League Management will ignore the report.
  • Any other information/materials relevant to the report.

The League Management has the right to investigate any player at any time for any offense, for cause or no reason at all, except in cases of clear harassment/demonstrated bias, or in cases which would place an undue burden (defined as materially reducing their performance) on a player.

An investigation may result in the League Management requiring a player under inspection to take steps to assure compliance with the rules, such as streaming/recording games, documenting program usage, and so on. While the League Management reserves the right to require these actions, it may not place an undue burden on a player and may not request a player take special actions of compliance without cause. Note that as stated, the League Management may investigate for no reason at all, but it may not require anything of a player without cause.

Article V: Appeal Process

If a player receives a punishment, he/she may appeal it by following the guidelines outlined here.

  • A player must submit a formal written appeal no later than one week after a punishment is formally announced. The League Management has no duty to review an appeal submitted after the deadline.
  • Counter-evidence should be submitted all at once, except in cases which new information is acquired. Providing material in incomplete parts will slow the review process.
  • A player may participate in games after an appeal has been submitted and not yet been decided, provided the appeal is submitted at least 24 hours before the time of the team’s next game. If the appeal is submitted within 24 hours of the game, the player may not participate unless the Management allows it.
  • During the appeal process, a player must make every effort to accommodate any requirements made by the League Management, if any.
  • At any time after an appeal has been submitted—including after an appeal has been denied and punishment finalized—the Owners may, by 60% majority (that’s 5/8 or 6/10 owners), vote to overturn the judgment rendered by the League Management, or (if the appeal has not been given a verdict yet) the Owners may determine the outcome/consequences of the appeal instead of the League Management if they believe there is a bias among the League Management for a particular case.
  • The League Management will resolve the appeal within one week of its submission, otherwise the appeal will result in an overturn in favor of the appealing player.

 

 

Section IV: Pre-Draft Player Registration

All potential players must sign up via the league sign-up process. Players will only be eligible to play in league games on the account they signed up with. If a player wishes to change their registered account prior to the draft, they must contact League Management. Registration will remain open until the deadline stated by League Management. Players who register after the deadline will not be eligible to be drafted.

 

Players may elect to lock into specific positions. If a player plays the opposite role, their team will receive a forfeit for that game.

 

Players may elect to lock into 50% attendance. Players who lock attendance are eligible to only play in 50% of the team’s regular season games, 1/3 postseason games in a best-of-three series, or 2/5 postseason games in a best-of-five series.

Section V: Draft Rules

Prior to the draft, all owner draft values will be decided upon via a League Vote. During the draft, the owners must select themselves in the owner spot. During the draft, the League Commissioner reserves the right to pause the draft for extenuating circumstances, initiate an emergency League Vote to continue or restart the draft at a future time with a different selection of owners if he/she determines that an owner is intentionally or unintentionally making choices that will affect the integrity of the league.

Article I: Zealot Hockey League Draft Rules

This season, the draft will be done via blind auction.

  • Basics:
    1) The draft format will be a Blind Auction Draft.
    2) Each team will start with a base of $10,000 before owner value is subtracted from the total.
    3) League Management will estimate owner value in determining how much cash each team will draft with.
    4) After a player is nominated, you will have twenty (20) seconds to submit your bid privately to the auctioneer. Pauses will not be permitted after a player has been nominated.
    5) Each team will be granted two, five minute pauses if they need during the draft, but they must be used before a player is nominated.
  • Draft & Roster:
    1) Each team is required to draft eight (8) players.
    2) Owners are required to nominate players that match their designated draft range.
    3) A team must possess enough money to fill out their roster. (E.g. if your team requires two more players, you must have at least $2 remaining.)
    4) If a player is automatically nominated because he’s the only remaining player in the draft range, the team will be permitted to make another nomination after.
  • Bidding:
    1) Each owner will have twenty seconds to submit their bids to the auctioneer.
    2) If no bid is received in twenty seconds, you will be considered a “no bid.”
    3) If you wish to not bid on a player, tell the auctioneer “no bid.”
    4) If a nominated player receives no bids, his minimum draft price will be knocked down the next tier and he will be rebid on. This process will continue until he is finally drafted.
    5) The final amount received before 20 seconds expires is the final bid. Any changes after the 20 seconds will not be counted.
    6) In the event of a tie with no money remaining between two or more teams, the nominating team will receive the player (if they bid on the player.) Otherwise, will go to a coin flip.
    7) If a player’s minimum bid is $1 and receives no bids, the nominating team will receive the player.

Article II: Zealot Hockey Probe League Draft Rules

This season, the draft will be done via snake.

  • Trading and/or “skipping” draft picks is not allowed. On an Owners turn to pick, they must select a player to add to their roster.
  • On their turn, Owners will have 1 minute to select a player as their pick for the round. If they have not selected a player after 1 minute, the next Owner’s timer will start, and they will be able to pick. The Owner whose timer elapsed will still be able to make their pick, but the next Owner could potentially pick someone first, and the draft order will continue to advance. Exceptions to this rule:
  • Once during the draft, if an Owner does not or cannot respond to attempted contact, they will be given an additional 5 minutes to make their pick for that round.
  • Twice during the draft, an Owner may request an “extended timer”, which will allow them a total of 2 minutes to make their pick for the round.
  • Draft will continue until all players who registered prior to the draft deadline are assigned to a team.

 

 

Section VI: Lobby and In-Game Rules

After the draft, each team must select a home server for a season. A change in server may be requested after any relevant trade that requires a change in the home server.

 

The home team will join the lobby as Team 1 and the away team will be Team 2. To minimize any form of delay or latency, spectators or bench players of teach game will be limited to the two broadcasters. No broadcasters may be kicked by the teams. Failure to abide by this will result in punishment as seen fit by league management. Additional spectators or bench players may be allowed provided that the captains or owners of both teams approve of it.

 

Teams are allowed one remake per game. This may be requested during a pause or during period breaks. Teams cannot change the server upon a remake unless both teams agree to the change. If a player drops during the loading screen a neutral remake will be exercised, where no line-up changes or server changes are allowed. If a player disconnects during the game, the teams of the player who disconnected is awarded a remake of the game.

 

If a ZHPL team requires a player to complete their line-up for the game, the owner or captain of the team may choose any player not playing in ZHL or ZHPL for the current season to play for their team, provided it is approved by league management.

 

Section VII: Trade Rules

Trades will be permitted for ZHL and ZHPL teams until their respective trade deadlines. All trades will need to pass a League Vote in order for the players involved to play for their new teams.

The trade deadline for ZHL and ZHPL Season 20 is November 7th at 11:59PM Eastern.

 

Section VII: Standings and Playoff Format

Each team will be awarded three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime or shootout win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss, and zero points for a regulation loss.

 

Article I: ZHL Playoffs

On the assumption that there are six ZHL teams this season, the top four teams in the league will be moving on to the playoffs. In the event of a tie in the standings, please refer to the tie breaker rules in Article III.

 

All rounds in the playoffs will be a best-of-five series, alternating between home and away games. The higher seeded team will be the home team in game one. In the event a game goes beyond regulation time, overtime will be played until a team scores a goal.

 

Article II: ZHPL Playoffs

On the assumption that there are eight ZHPL teams this season,  the top six teams in the league will be moving on to the playoffs while the top two teams get byes to the Semi-Finals. In the event of a tie in the standings, please refer to the tie breaker rules in Article III.

 

The first four rounds will be a best-of-three series while the finals will be a best-of-five series. The higher seeded team will be the home team in game one and the games will alternate between home and away games. In the event a game goes beyond regulation time, overtime will be played until a team scores a goal.

 

Article III: Tie-Breakers in the Standings

If two or more teams are tied in points during the regular season, the standings of those teams is determined as follows:

  1. The fewer number of games played (GP)
  2. The greater percentage of points in matchups between all the tied teams
  3. The greater goal differential (GD)
  4. The greater number of regulation and overtime wins (ROW)