ECHL Concludes Board of Governors Pre-Season Meeting
Published on September 23, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release
PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL Board of Governors held their Pre-Season Meeting on Wednesday in Chicago, home of the expansion Chicago Express, who begin play in the 2011-12 season.
The following items were approved by the Board of Governors:
Adoption of NHL Standard for Illegal Check to the Head
The Board approved the adoption of the NHL Standard for "head shot" penalties. A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principle point of contact is not permitted. A major penalty and automatic game misconduct shall be assessed whenever a penalty is assessed under this rule. The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a match penalty if, in his judgment, the player attempted to or deliberately injured his opponent with an illegal check to the head. Any player who incurs a total of two (2) game misconducts under this rule, in either regular League or playoff games, shall be suspended automatically for the next game his team plays. For each subsequent game misconduct penalty the automatic suspension shall be increased by one game. If deemed appropriate, supplementary discipline can be applied by the Commissioner at his discretion.
A video highlighting illegal checks to the head was shown to the Board of Governors. This video will be played for all officials, coaches and players prior to the start of the season and will also be available to fans.
Adoption of New Tiebreaking Procedure
The Board approved a new tiebreaking procedure for the ECHL standings. In case of a tie in points in the standings, the first tiebreaker shall be the team having won the greater number of games in regulation and overtime. Shootout wins will not be considered in the tiebreaker.
Changes to Shootout
The Board approved the elimination of the ice scrape prior to a shootout. If a game remains tied after the five-minute overtime period, it shall proceed directly to a shootout.
2011 Kelly Cup Playoffs Format
The format for the 2011 Kelly Cup Playoffs remains unchanged from last season.
In the Eastern Conference, postseason berths will be awarded to the first-place team in each division and the next five teams in the conference, based on points. The division winners will be seeded first, second and third and will play the eighth-place finisher, the seventh-place finisher and the sixth-place finisher, respectively, while the fourth-place finisher and the fifth-place finisher will meet. The conference semifinals will have the winner of the first-place and eighth-place matchup will meet the winner of the fourth-place and fifth-place game while the winner of the second-place and seventh-place game will face the winner of the third-place and sixth-place matchup.
In the Western Conference, postseason berths will be awarded to the first-place team in each division and the next five teams in the conference, based on points. The division winner with the best record in the conference will receive a bye in the first round. The other division winner will be seeded second and meet the team that finishes seventh in the conference in the first round. The other first round matchups will be the third-place finisher in the conference against the sixth-place finisher in the conference and the fourth-place finisher in the conference against the fifth-place finisher in the conference. The conference semifinals will have the first-place finisher meeting the winner of the fourth-place and fifth-place matchup and the winner of the second-place finisher and seventh-place finisher against the winner of the third-place finisher against the sixth-place finisher.
The first round in each Conference will be a best of five series with each subsequent round being a best of seven series.
Extension of Agreement with B2 Networks (now operating as America One)
The Board was updated on the extension of the League's agreement with America One. New features for the 2010-11 season include the pass system (nightly, monthly and yearly) which allows fans the opportunity to watch multiple games during their subscription period as well as an updated multi-player platform.
The Board also voted to mandate minimum standards for camera quality and locations to allow for better quality and consistency across the League.
All-Star Voting
The Board approved the following voting procedures for the 2011 All-Star Classic. As announced last week, the format for this year's game features the host team, Bakersfield, playing against a team of ECHL All-Stars. The coach with the highest winning percentage in the League by 9:00 a.m. on Jan. 2 will be selected as one Visiting Team Coach for the All-Star Game. The second Visiting Team Coach will be selected based on votes by peers. The Equipment Manager and Athletic Trainer for the Visiting All-Star Team will be voted on by their peers and selected by the League. The Coaching Staff, Athletic Trainer, and Equipment Manager of the Host Team will remain in place.
If Bakersfield does not have 18 active skaters due to injury or call-up, a player(s) may be added based on player voting for the All-Star Classic only.
ECHL Stories from September 23, 2010
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- ECHL Concludes Board of Governors Pre-Season Meeting - ECHL
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