Tournament Frequently Asked Questions

 

   


HAVE QUESTIONS? PLEASE CONTACT YOUR ASSOCIATION
 



WHAT ARE MY RESPONSIBILITIES AS A TOURNAMENT ORGANIZER?

The Tournament Organizer is responsible for the following:

  1. Ensuring the tournament is played under Hockey Canada Official Playing Rules and complies with Hockey Canada, Hockey Alberta and Hockey Calgary Regulations and bylaws.
  2. Obtaining the official team roster and travel permit for any team attending from outside Calgary.
  3. Contacting the appropriate League Chairperson or Governor immediately if a suspendable offense or incident write up by the officials occurs.
  4. Adding the tournament games to the Hockey Calgary website by deadline listed so that officials can be assigned for in town games.
  5. Retaining the white (top) copy of the official game report, entering the game details and uploading a PDF copy of the official game report at the Hockey Calgary website within 24 hours of completion of the tournament.

According to Hockey Alberta Regulation 11.1(d), "Subsequent tournament sanctions may not be issued to any LMHA (Hockey Calgary) which has been found to have conducted a sanction tournament which has not conformed to those regulations which apply."

It is imperative that Tournament Coordinators understand and fulfill all their responsibilities as failure to do so may result in consequences to Hockey Calgary teams and associations wishing to host future tournaments.

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WHAT ARE THE TEAM MANAGERS RESPONSIBILITIES WHEN THE TEAM IS ATTENDING A TOURNAMENT?
 

  • Teams must not play any games against teams not registered with Hockey Alberta or affiliated branches of Hockey Canada. This applies to tournaments not sanctioned by Hockey Alberta or Hockey Canada. Coaches and team management may be subject to suspension by Hockey Calgary for violation of this rule.
  • Teams must complete and submit the “Play in a Tournament” form on the Team Manager user account. A travel permit will be auto-approved and automatically sent to the team by email, and a Schedule Window will be created if appropriate. If the travel permit does not meet the listed requirements, it will be revoked.
  • Details contained on the official game report(s) for all tournament games played within and outside the Calgary Region (as filed with Hockey Alberta), must be entered and a PDF/picture copy of the official game report uploaded at the Hockey Calgary website within 24 hours of the completion of the tournament. Please request a copy of the game report from the tournament organizer.
  • Failure to comply with the conditions described may result in future tournament sanctions being denied and/or revoked.


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WHAT IS A TRAVEL PERMIT?

A travel permit indicates that your team is travelling outside of Hockey Calgary boundaries for a tournament or exhibition game. An approved travel permit does not give permission for travel, it is solely an indication of travel.

Travel permits are auto-approved upon completion of the “Play in a Tournament” and “Play an Exhibition Game” forms, and are granted under the following conditions. Receiving the auto-approved travel permit does not give you permission to attend if all of the conditions are not met. Travel permits will be revoked upon review after the auto-approval has been sent.

1. This permit must be available electronically or in print during the dates of travel.
2. Games to be played under this travel permit must not conflict with any Hockey Calgary Commitments.  This includes Seeding Round or Regular Season games scheduled after the date this permit is issued.
3. Teams in U9 are not permitted to travel during the first weekend of Esso Minor Hockey Week (see Important Dates)
4. Teams in U11 and older are not permitted to travel during Esso Minor Hockey Week (see Important Dates).  This excludes those teams playing in the AEHL, AFHL or CJHL.
5. All match and major penalties must be reported immediately to your League (AEHL or AFHL) or League Chair/Coordinator.
6. Teams must adhere to minor hockey tournament and exhibition game regulations as set out by Hockey Alberta.
7. Details contained on the official game report(s) for all exhibition and tournament games played under this permit must be entered at the Hockey Calgary website or a copy sent to the League (AEHL or AFHL) or League Chair/Coordinator within 24 hours of the game or return from the tournament.
8. U7 & U9 teams may not attend out of town tournaments until after the Seeding Round is over.

THE TRAVEL PERMIT WILL BE REVOKED FOR ANY TEAM FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE ABOVE CONDITIONS.

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WHAT IS A SCHEDULE WINDOW AND WHEN IS IT REQUIRED?

Teams in Community leagues (excluding House Leagues) are allowed to request ONE Schedule Window during the Regular Season. No exceptions will be made to allow an additional Schedule Window. A Schedule Window may be requested to host a tournament, attend a tournament, arrange a series of exhibition games, organize a team building event or for a “bye” weekend. 
The Regular Season is December 4 to February 25 – a Schedule Window is required during these dates with the following exceptions:

  • Winter Break:  December 22 to January 2 – no Regular Season games will be scheduled so a Schedule Window is not necessary
  • Esso Minor Hockey Week – January 12 to 20 - U11, U13, U15 & U18 teams are not allowed to have a Schedule Window during this event, there will be no exceptions
    • U9 teams are only scheduled games January 13-14, teams may use their Schedule Window January 15-20
    • U7 teams do not participate in Esso Minor Hockey Week and will need to use their Schedule Window during this event to attend a tournament hosted by another Association

Other Considerations:

  • Deadline to request – Monday, November 13
  • Maximum seven-day window
  • Final date for U11, U13, U15 & U18 teams is February 25 as the City Championships may be scheduled as early as February 27


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WHAT IS A TOURNAMENT?

A Tournament is an event consisting of games between three or more teams which follows an interlocking schedule and leads to an eventual winner in U11 and older age categories, U7 and U9 tournaments do not declare a winner.  There are three types of tournaments:

  • Branch Tournament - all teams attending are registered with Hockey Alberta
  • Inter-Branch Tournament - all teams attending are registered with Hockey Canada and one or more team is from another province
  • International Tournament - all teams attending are registered with their Ice Hockey Federation and one or more team is from a country other than Canada or the USA


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WHY DO I NEED A TOURNAMENT SANCTION?

A tournament sanction ensures the tournament will be played under Hockey Canada Official Playing Rules, complies with Hockey Canada, Hockey Alberta, and Hockey Calgary Bylaws & Regulations and that all teams participating are registered members of Hockey Canada or their International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

It is the responsbility of the Tournament Organizer to obtain a copy of the official team roster and travel permit issued by their LMHA, Branch or IIHF.

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IS THERE A FEE FOR A TOURNAMENT SANCTION?

There is no fee to obtain a Tournament Sanction.

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IS THERE A DEADLINE FOR REQUESTING A TOURNAMENT SANCTION?

The deadline for requesting a tournament sanction depends on the type and location of your tournament.  Tournament Sanction requests may be considered after these deadlines provided the maximum number of tournaments has not been exceeded. 

  • Branch Tournaments within Calgary (all teams from Alberta)
    • Preseason (Sep 22 to Oct 20) - begin approvals on August 1 (deadline to submit request is August 12)
    • Season Break (Nov 20 to Dec 3) - begin approvals on September 29 (deadline to submit request is October 12)
    • Winter Break (Dec 22 to Jan 2) - begin approvals on September 29 (deadline to submit request is November 12)
    • Regular Season (Dec 4 to Feb 25) - begin approvals on September 29 (deadline to submit request is the 12th of the month previous to the start date of the tournament)
    • Post Season U7 & U9 (Feb 26 to Apr 30) - begin approvals on November 13 (deadline to submit request is January 12)
    • Post Season U11 and up (Mar 21 to Apr 30) - begin approvals on November 13 (deadline to submit request is February 12)
  • Branch Tournaments outside Calgary (all teams from Alberta)
    • Preseason (Sep 22 to Oct 20) - September 12
    • Season Break (Nov 20 to Dec 3) - November 5
    • Winter Break (Dec 22 to Jan 2) - December 5
    • Regular Season (Dec 4 to Dec 21) - November 12
    • Regular Season (Jan 3 to Jan 31) - December 12
    • Regular Season (Feb 1 to Feb 26) - January 12
    • Post Season U7 & U9 (Feb 26 to Apr 30) - February 12
    • Post Season U11 and up (Mar 21 to Apr 30) - March 12
  • Inter-Branch Tournaments (one or more team from outside Alberta) - 60 days prior to the tournament in compliance with Hockey Alberta regulations
     
  • International Tournaments (one or more team from outside Canada & USA) - 60 days prior to the tournament in compliance with Hockey Alberta regulations


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IS THERE A LIMIT TO THE NUMBER OF TOURNAMENT SANCTIONS THAT HOCKEY CALGARY WILL APPROVE?

Submitting your tournament sanction request prior to the deadline does not guarantee your tournament will be approved. The number of tournaments during the Preseason, Season Break, Winter Break and Post Season periods is monitored closely to ensure:

  1. The availability of qualified officials so tournament games can be played in a safe manner.
  2. Tournaments are not cancelled due to lack of teams or interest.
  3. Calgary's ice pool is utilized in an effective manner.

Tournaments held outside Calgary

Tournament Sanction Requests for tournaments outside Calgary will be approved within 5 business days and will not be subject to any limitations.  Teams planning to host an out of town tournament are encouraged to review the Hockey Calgary Tournament Listing to ensure there are not too many tournaments already approved for their age category and tier and to apply for a Tournament Sanction as soon as possible.

Tournaments held in Calgary - Male and Female Community

The number of Tournament Sanction Requests each weekend in Calgary will be limited to the following:

Tier U9 Tier U11 Tier U13 Tier U15 U18
1 4 HADP 3 1 3 BC1 2 2
2 4 1 3 2 3 BC2 2 2
3 4 2 3 3 3 BC3 2 2
4 4 3 3 4 3 NBC1 2 2
    4 3 5 3 NBC2 2 2
    5 3 6 3 NBC3 2 2
            NBC4 2  


Tournament format must be a maximum of 4 teams and 8 games, excluding U7 (Timbits).  Exceptions may be made for tournaments with out of town teams attending where the total number of tournament games that weekend does not exceed the Central Region maximums.

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WHEN WILL I BE UPDATED ON THE STATUS OF MY TOURNAMENT SANCTION REQUEST?


Tournaments held in Calgary
  • Male and Female ELITE
    • Within 5 business days of submission
  • Male and Female COMMUNITY
    • Tournament Sanctions Requests will be reviewed after the deadline to ensure the number of tournaments does not exceed limitations
    • If the number of requests is within limitations all Tournament Sanction Requests will be approved within 24 hours after the deadline
    • If the number of requests exceeds limitations a random draw will be made from all Tournament Sanction Requests and those drawn will be approved within 24 hours after the deadline
Tournaments held outside Calgary
  • Male and Female ELITE
    • Within 5 business days of submission
  • Male and Female COMMUNITY
    • Within 5 business days of submission


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ARE TEAMS FROM OUTSIDE OF CALGARY PERMITTED TO ATTEND?

Teams from outside of Calgary are permitted to attend provided they are registered members of Hockey Canada or their International Ice Hockey Federation.  All teams from outside Calgary must provide an official team roster and travel permit issued by their LMHA, Branch or IIHF.

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CAN I HOST A TOURNAMENT OUTSIDE OF CALGARY?

Teams may host tournaments outside of Calgary. The request for a tournament sanction is submitted the same as if your tournament was being held within Calgary however the deadline for submitting your request is different.
Tournaments held outside Calgary during Regular Season are only permitted to have a maximum of four Calgary teams attend. You may host a larger tournament if teams outside the Calgary boundaries are attending. 

When securing ice in facilities outside of Calgary, they will often request a Certificate of Insurance form.  Hockey Canada has launched an online Certificate of Insurance form via BFL Canada.   This assures the facility that all participants are registered members of Hockey Canada or their International Ice Hockey Federation.  Once the request has been submitted, it will be reviewed by Hockey Alberta and submitted to BFL for processing. Once BFL has issued the Certificate of Insurance, it will first be sent to Hockey Alberta, and then forwarded on to the requesting member.  Please allow 10 business days for processing.

Please remind all Calgary teams attending your tournament, including the HOST team, to submit the "Play in a Tournament" form using their Team Manager user account.  A travel permit will be auto-approved and automatically sent to the team by email, and a Schedule Window will be created if appropriate.

Local ranked and certified officials must be organized through the Referee In Chief or their designate from the Local Minor Hockey Association in the jurisdiction where your games are being played.  You may not bring officials from Calgary without the permission of Hockey Calgary and Central Region and if officials from Central Region are scheduled for your out of town tournaments, mileage and expenses may apply.  It is recommended you make arrangements for officials as soon as you have your ice secured.

*Note: for tournaments in the Banff and Canmore area, you are required to contact Matt Owens from Central Region to ensure availability of officials before committing to hosting a tournament.  Officials are not guaranteed, therefore your tournament may need to be cancelled if you do not make arrangements prior to commitment to facilities.  

*Note: for tournaments in the Edmonton area, you are required to contact the Referee in Chief for the area, Dennis Arski to ensure availability of officials before committing to hosting a tournament.  Officials are not guaranteed, therefore your tournament may need to be cancelled if you do not make arrangements prior to commitment to facilities. 

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WHEN CAN I HAVE A TOURNAMENT?

Tournament Sanctions may be granted at any time during the season except during the Seeding Round and Esso Minor Hockey Week.

In U11 and older age categories, it is not recommended that teams host or attend tournaments between the end of the Regular Season and the end of City Championships.  Should a team decide to host or attend a tournament during this period it is with the understanding that in the event of a conflict between a playoff game and a tournament game, the playoff game must be played as scheduled. There will be no exceptions made, and no league games will be rescheduled to accommodate tournament games. 

Submitting your tournament sanction request prior to the deadline does not guarantee your tournament will be approved. The number of games during the Preseason, Season Break, Winter Break and Post Season periods are monitored closely to ensure the total number of games does not exceed the maximum the Central Region can handle.

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WHAT ARE THE GUIDELINES FOR SCHEDULING GAMES?

Teams may not be scheduled to play more than three games in one day.  Where tournaments do require teams to play three games in one day, games must be no longer than 75 minutes in duration and teams must have at least one and a half hours in between the second and third games.

Tournament games do not have to follow the guidelines used for league games however they should be reasonable for the age category and location of the teams.  Games may not begin earlier than 7:00AM or after 10:15PM

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HOW ARE REFEREES AND LINESMEN ASSIGNED?
 

TOURNAMENTS WITHIN CALGARY

One of your responsibilities as Tournament Organizer is to add the tournament games using the user account login and password that was issued to you when your tournament sanction was approved.  This must be done by the listed deadline date of the month proceeding the month of the tournament or your tournament sanction may be revoked. It is imperative that the tournament games be entered in a timely manner so that the tournament schedules can be submitted to Central Region for assigning. Please be aware of the deadline dates when you receive your tournament sanction. 

Your schedule will be exported from the Hockey Calgary system and imported to the Central Region website for assigning.  All tournament games with the exception of U7 will be assigned in this method.  For U7 Junior Timbits tournaments – no referees are to be used, instructors are to be on the ice.  For U7 Senior Timbits tournaments – referees may be used at the discretion of the tournament and must be arranged through your Community Referee Coordinator.

Teams can be added right up to the day of the game however your schedule will be locked 48 hours after the tournament sanction deadline. Once the schedule is locked, you will not be able to make changes to the date, start time, duration or arena of any of the games so make sure you enter the games carefully.  Schedule changes are subject to a $15.00 per game charge by Central Region and a $10.00 per game charge by Hockey Calgary.  If you do require a change after your schedule is locked contact Hockey Calgary who will make the changes at both the Hockey Calgary and Central Region websites for you.

Every effort will be made to assign the same number of officials for your tournament games as during league games:

  • U18 - 3 man
  • U15 - 3 man
  • U13 - 3 man
  • U11 (Tier HADP to Tier 2) - 3 man
  • U11 (Tier 3 to Tier 5) - 2 man
  • U9 - 2 man

The Central Region will send an invoice to the email on your tournament sanction and it must be paid prior to the first game of your tournament.  If you have not received an invoice within 7 days of the start of your tournament contact Central Region directly to inquire. Refer to the Central Region Officiating Rates for information on game and assigning fees.

Submitting your tournament sanction request prior to the deadline does not guarantee your tournament will be approved. The number of games during the Preseason, Season Break, Winter Break and Post Season periods are monitored closely to ensure the total number of games does not exceed the maximum the Central Region can handle. It is advised to submit your tournament sanction request as soon as possible.

TOURNAMENTS OUTSIDE OF CALGARY

Local ranked and certified officials must be organized through the Referee In Chief or their designate from the Local Minor Hockey Association in the jurisdiction where your games are being played.  You may not bring officials from Calgary without the permission of Hockey Calgary and Central Region and if officials from Central Region are scheduled for your out of town tournaments, mileage and expenses may apply.  It is recommended you make arrangements for officials as soon as you have your ice secured.

OUT-OF-TOWN TOURNAMENT REFEREE ASSIGNING PROCEDURE:

  • Contact the local assignor or Referee-In-Chief from the Local Minor Hockey Association in the jurisdiction where the games are being played.
  • If the local MHA cannot assign officials, the tournament may request that Central Region Referees Committee assign officials from Calgary by contacting the appropriate assignor
    • NOTE: Hockey Calgary scheduled League Games are a priority. Central Region does not guarantee that they will be able to assign your tournament.
  • Conditions for Central Region to assign officials from Calgary to official tournaments outside Hockey Calgary boundaries.
    • Tournaments will incur costs for officials’ accommodation, mileage, and per diem per Hockey Alberta guidelines (https://officials.hockeyalberta.ca/standards/officials-pay-rates/)
    • Officials will be registered with Hockey Alberta as an official in the current playing season
    • Hockey Alberta official rates apply (https://officials.hockeyalberta.ca/standards/officials-pay-rates/)
    • Coaches are not permitted to be booked as officials (with the exception of U9, and only if officials are not available)              
    • Limits on the games for officials are as follows:
      • Minimum 2, Maximum 4 games assigned per day
    • Officials must be certified to officiate the applicable level of hockey (i.e. a 15 year old official is not permitted to referee U18 hockey)
  • If the local Assignor and Central Region cannot assign officials, the tournament may be cancelled. Teams are not permitted to source officials on their own.
  • If tournament organizers do not comply with the above conditions and/or source officials without the approval of Central Region or the local Assignor, the Manager and Head Coach of the host team will be suspended.


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HOW DO I REQUEST A SANCTION?

All tournaments hosted by Calgary teams must be sanctioned by Hockey Calgary and once approved will be automatically added to the Hockey Calgary Tournament Listing.  When sanctioning a tournament prior your team being formed, you can sanction as an association and then make the changes through Hockey Calgary once the teams have been formed. Please contact Hockey Calgary to make this change. 

You will also receive an email notifying you of the updated status of your tournament as well as a user name and password that will allow you to manage your tournament at the Hockey Calgary website.  If you do not receive this email, check your junk folder as sometimes the automatic emails sent from our website get caught in spam filters.

Enter your user name and password at the Hockey Calgary website to review the details of your tournament, add teams and games and also add content to your tournament homepage.  The Hockey Calgary Tournament Listing displays all the pertinent information about your tournament as well as the number of available spots remaining.  As you add teams to your tournament, the number of available spots will automatically be updated.

Teams can be added to the games right up to the day of the game however your schedule will be locked 48 hours after the tournament sanction deadline. Once the schedule is locked, you will not be able to make changes to the date, start time, duration or arena of any of the games so make sure you enter the games carefully.  Schedule changes are subject to a $15.00 per game charge by Central Region and a $10.00 per game charge by Hockey Calgary.  These changes can be very time consuming. If you do require a change after your schedule is locked contact Hockey Calgary who will make the changes at both the Hockey Calgary and Central Region websites for you.

REQUEST A TOURNAMENT SANCTION HERE

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WILL MY TOURNAMENT APPEAR ON THE HOCKEY ALBERTA WEBSITE?

Once a tournament has been sanctioned by Hockey Calgary it does not have to be sanctioned by Hockey Alberta unless your tournament is not full and you would like your tournament to be listed on the their website as well. To request a tournament sanction go to the Hockey Alberta Member Login and enter your associations username and password (CLICK HERE FOR LOGINS CHART), note that both are case sensitive.
Once you login follow the next steps.

  • Select Permits and Sanctions
  • Select Tournaments
  • Complete the request tournament sanction form
  • Your request must include your Hockey Calgary sanction number in the Comments or Special Requests. Your request will be denied if your sanction number is not included. 

If you have problems with the Hockey Alberta Member Login or experience delays in receiving approval for your tournament sanction, please contact Hockey Calgary for assistance.

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TOURNAMENT PROGRAM PRINTING THROUGH HOCKEY CALGARY

We, at Hockey Calgary, want to help you with your tournament.   We know it takes a lot of organization to run a smooth tournament, so let us help you with the printing of your tournament programs.
There is a small cost for this service:
8 ½ x 11 paper size

  • Black and white copies, are 0.07 cents a sheet and you supply the paper.
  • Color copies are 0.25 cents per sheet and you supply the paper. 

11 x 14 paper size

  • Black and white copies, are 0.07 cents a sheet and you supply the paper.
  • Color copies are 0.30 cents per sheet and you supply the paper

Per sheet means, 8.5 x 11 front and back folded. 2 sheets front and back gives you an 8 page folded tournament program. Cost example:

  • The cost for 100 programs as above would be $14.00 for B/W
  • The cost for 100 programs as above would be $50.00 for color.

What we would need from you is the following:

  • You must supply the paper, please ensure you supply enough paper for your total print run
  • A properly formatted PDF copy of the program, ready to print.
  • A preprinted copy of the tournament program to ensure printing is the way you would like it.
  • Payment is requested at the time you drop off paper, we accept Credit & Debit only.
  • We require a minimum of 1 weeks’ notice in order to ensure that there is enough time to get the job done. Please contact Pam Douglas at Hockey Calgary for more information or to order.

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