Minnesota Hockey's Fair Play system holds all stakeholders in youth hockey accountable for their actions by rewarding proper behavior and penalizing improper behavior.
When using the Fair Play system, each team can earn an extra "Fair Play" point in the standings for playing the game with good sportsmanship. To earn its Fair Play point, none of the following can occur: exceed the penalty minute threshold established for that level of play, a coach is assessed a Game Misconduct or Match Penalty, a spectator/game official is requested to leave the arena by a referee, or a player receives a Match penalty for an obscene gesture or offensive/hateful/discriminatory language.
Research has shown that Fair Play increases sportsmanship, accountability and player safety without compromising hockey's competitive aspects.
Fair Play will be implemented for all league games this season. Fair Play points will count in league standings and will be used to determine final league standings. Fair Play can also be used for invitational tournaments, although this isn't required.
Level | Minutes | Level | Minutes |
---|---|---|---|
Squirt | 10 min | Girls 10U | 8 min |
Peewee | 12 min | Girls 12U | 10 min |
Bantam | 14 min | Girls 15U | 12 min |
Youth 16U | 16 min | Girls 16U | 14 min |
Junior Gold | 16 min | Girls 19U | 14 min |
Note: The minimum penalty for head contact, charging, checking from behind and boarding is a two-minute minor and 10-minute misconduct. For Fair Play purposes, these penalties count as 12 minutes towards each team’s PIM threshold.
Penalty Classification | PIM Equivalent |
---|---|
Minor or Bench Minor | 2 minutes |
Major | 5 minutes |
Minor & Misconduct (2 & 10) | 12 minutes |
Misconduct (10) | 10 minutes |
Mouthguard Misconduct | 2 minutes |
Game Misconduct | 10 minutes |
Match | 10 minutes |
Penalty Shot | Equivalent to penalty assessed |
The Minnesota Hockey Tournament Committee strongly encourages all Invitational Tournaments to incorporate “Fair Play” into their tournament rules.
Bracket Format
For bracket format tournaments, in the event of a tie at the end of regulation play, if one of the tied teams has earned their Fair Play point and the other team has not, the team having earned the Fair Play point will be designated the winner of the game. If both teams have earned their Fair Play point or both teams have not earned their Fair Play point, the next tiebreaker will be determined by the tournament. This shall apply to all games except the final “Championship” game.
Round Robin Format
For round robin format tournaments, pool play standings will be determined by including the Fair Play point along with any other points awarded in pool play including points for a win or a tie.
Minnesota Hockey scorebooks with a section for Fair Play Points are available - contact your district director. The game scorekeeper will total Fair Play PIM equivalents at end of game and circle on scoresheet whether each team earned their Fair Play point. Fair Play points will be reported through the normal league reporting process in each district/league.
For the complete set of Fair Play rules, please see Section VIII. Playing Rules, R. Fair Play located in the Youth Rules and Regulations section of the Minnesota Hockey Handbook.