President’s Message August 1, 2023

What a summer we are having.  I’m looking forward to the start of the season and I’m thinking that maybe I better cut back on all the BBQs and beers so I can fit into my gear in September!

Our Administrator, Dean, has been doing a great job planning for this season. 

He has been busy working on administrative systems and procedures, scheduling, recruiting referees and time keepers amongst many other duties that go on behind the scenes so that we can all just pay our dues and show up to play hockey.

The Executive is largely the same group of volunteers that have worked together over the past several years with a mission to ensure that we have a well run, organized, safe and fun league to play in.  

Our focus this year as an Executive will be to continue to crack down on stick work and other unnecessary hacking and whacking that takes the fun out of our recreational hockey league.  We will continue to use the red penalty system and a motion was passed at the AGM to increase the severity of suspensions once a player starts to incur more than 5 red penalties in a season.

We will also continue to crack down on unsportsmanlike behaviours, including abuse of our officials.  Our officials are not professional referees, just as we are not professional hockey players.  Our officials will not always see everything or they might even have a bad game once in a while, much like many of us. This happens and we need to learn to accept this.  We will be working with the officials to ensure that they understand the expectations of the Executive of what is and is not a penalty.  Further we will be working with officials to ensure that they are applying the rules of our league consistently. This will reduce confusion and frustration when various officials interpret the rules differently.

The Executive requests that rather than verbally abusing our officials during a game, that your team rep email Dean to express any concerns with the officials during the season.

We will continue to hand out lengthier suspensions for repeat offenders to punish behaviour that the majority of the players in the league want to see eliminated.

Now back to dryland training so that you do not pull something the first week you’re on the ice!

Doug Tyce
President of NAHL