Managers
The team manager is a central figure in creating and managing the flow of communication between the coaches, parents, and players of a team. The manager also is the primary point of contact with EDMHA, other teams, referees, and other hockey officials.
Managers are the lifeline of a team and their importance is significant.
Manager Responsibilities:
The manager is primarily responsible for all off-ice activities. Specific responsibilities of a manager include:
- Dissemination of information to and from the team.
- All financial matters and financial records.
- Liaison between their team and the arena manager, referees, officials, and other teams.
- Tracking ice time and reporting to EDMHA.
- Organizing fund-raising activites including 50/50 at home games.
- Organizing home tournament (teams supplied by the Tournament Coordinator), and booking away tournaments.
- Arranging hotel accommodations for out of town tournaments (if required).
- Preparing game sheets before home and away games.
- Reporting home game scores.
It may seem like a lot (especially to a new manager) however once the season begins, the tasks are simply repeated and there are many tips to make things go smoothly. Plus Managers have a whole army of helpers - the parents! Using parent volunteers for many of the activities is crucial to a smooth season.
Getting Started:
A team must have a qualified bench staff. Typically this will be the Head Coach, some Assistant Coaches, a Trainer, and the Manager. All bench staff must complete the necessary qualifications before the end of October for each season.
Registrar:
For seasons where there will be multiple teams at one level, once the players are sorted onto their respective teams, email the EDMHA Registrar with the list of player names. The Registrar will create the official team list which will be used throughout the league and during tournaments.
Official Roster:
Once the players have been assigned to a team, the EDMHA Registrar will create the teams Official Roster. This will be sent to the team's manager in a PDF format. The Official Roster is what is required to be submitted to any tournament.
Game Jerseys:
Manager's will be provided a set of home and away game jerseys. Record who has each jersey number as you will need this for the game sheets.
Players should be reminded to care for the jerseys throughout the season including appropriate washing. Rolling a wet jersey into a ball and leaving it in a hockey back for weeks not only will produce a ripe garment in the dressing room, but will reduce the lifespan of the jersey. Game jerseys are not to be worn during practice sessions. Hockey jerseys are a big expense to EDMHA and taking good care of them will ensure longevity.
You may consider appointing parents to collect the jerseys after each game for washing and returning ahead of the next game.
Managers are responsible for collecting all jerseys at the end of the season and returning them to EDMHA.
Team File:
A file folder for each team is located in the storage room located opposite the main floor men's washroom (past the canteen). Any documents or other items will be left there. Please check this folder each time you attend the arena.
Schedule:
The league schedule will be published online ahead of the season start dates which is around mid to late October depending on your team's level.
Managers will receive logins to both the Eganville Minor Hockey website and to the UOVMHL schedule and will have access to various tools for their schedule including the ability to report game results and reschedule games.
Managers will need to notify the arena with their upcoming games an any ice cancellations:
- By email: [email protected]
- By Phone: 613-628-3101 x2613
- Or in person when you are at the arena.
This will allow arena staff to arrange dressing rooms and fill in any unused ice time.
If your team has an away game on a date you have home ice scheduled for practice, you must cancel the practice ice time. Notify the arena staff and ensure that a practice is not listed in your online schedule.
The coach may wish to look over the schedule and check if there are any games that have a conflict with availability. If there is a game that needs to be rescheduled, the manager must reach out to the opposing team's manager to reschedule. Once a new date has been arranged, the schedule must be updated to reflect the change.
Any changes to the schedule for games must be immediately communicated to the EDMHA Referee in Chief Steve Gair.
Cancellations:
If the school busses are cancelled on a game day due to inclement weather do not immediately assume your home or away game has been cancelled as the weather later in the afternoon may improve. Communicate with the other team manager throughout the day during poor weather conditions.
If you must cancel your home ice time due to poor weather conditions, notify the arena and, if it is a game, the RIC immediately. Typically EDMHA is not charged for short notice cancelations due to weather.
All other ice cancellations including cancelling practice ice times when your team is scheduled for an away game, must be communicated to the arena at least four days ahead of the scheduled date. Short notice cancellations may result in EDMHA being charged for the ice time which is not used.
Officials:
Game officials (referees and timekeepers) are scheduled by EDMHA Referee in Chief Steve Gair. The RIC regularly reviews the schedule online and assigns officials to each game.
If you make any changes to the schedule for home games you must contact EDMHA Referee in Chief Steve Gair and advise him of such. Do not assume he will automatically see the change.
If a manager does not notify the RIC of a game cancellations and officials show up, the team will be responsible for paying the cost of the officials. If a game is re-scheduled and no officials are scheduled, league rules direct that the game must be rescheduled at the opponents arena and that the team is responsible for BOTH the cost of ice time and officials.
Ice Tracking:
Record every practice and home game on your ice tracking calendar. Each month submit the calendar electronically to the EDMHA Secretary at the end of each month. The purpose of this is to compare the dates with the billing to ensure that EDMHA has not been charged for ice times that were not scheduled. Ice costs each month are in excess of $10,000 so it is important to be accurate.
Game Day:
It is the managers job to complete the game sheets. The games sheets are four carbon pages with the player's names and jersey numbers being included. You may want to purchase stickers (Avery or equivalent 5163/8163 work good) and use them to print Game Sheet Stickers that have all of your player and bench staff information on it. You will need four for each game ensuring that they are placed in in the player area and do not in any way cover the penalty or scoring area of the sheet.
For a home game, fill out your team (or place stickers) on the Home side of the game sheet. The top section is to be filled out with the date, game number, level, league, home and away teams. If using Game Sheet Stickers, cross off any players who will not be participating in the game. Include your bench staff names at the bottom of the sheet if they are not already listed on the game sheet sticker.
The manager or coach must sign off the verification section - the team is responsible for validating who is on the ice! This is especially important when players have been involved in suspensions.
Provide the completed game sheet to the visiting team's manager who will add their players to the game sheet. Once completed, provide the game sheet to the officials. The timekeeper will manage the game sheet during the game and it will be signed by the referees once the game has been completed.
After the game the timekeeper will return the game sheet to the manager. Please ensure that the opposing team's manager receives a copy of the game sheet (if not already provided to them by the timekeeper). The officials will retain a copy and the manager should retain a copy. Managers will submit the original to the league.
For an away game, the manager will receive the game sheet from the opposing manager. Simply fill out the player names / numbers and bench staff in the visitor column or place Game Sheet Stickers in that area.
Validate your players that will be on the ice by signing in the verification section. Then return the completed game sheet to the opposing manager.
During home games you may ask for parents to help with managing the penalty boxes for both the home and away sides. This will reduce the need for coaches to leave the bench in order to operate the penalty box doors.
Exhibition Games:
Before the season begins the coach may want to schedule an exhibition game. EDMHA will cover the cost for officials for one home exhibition game ahead of the season start date. Managers may contact any other league team and schedule an exhibition game during one of your practice ice times. Notify the arena that the ice time is a game and contact Referee in Chief Steve game for officials to be assigned.
Away Tournaments:
Book your tournaments early! If accommodations will be needed, book those early as well as hotels fill up quickly on tournament weekends! An entry fee will need to be paid before a team is officially entered in the tournament. EDMHA understands that fundraising doesn't generate enough funds early in a season and therefore has implemented a feature to help teams. Manager's may request an advancement of funds that may be used solely for registering their team in an away tournament. This will reduce the burden on the manager or parents from immediately funding the event. This advancement is to be repaid to EDMHA prior to a deadline set by the Executive. To request funds or for further information, contact the EDMHA Treasurer.
Home Tournament:
The manager (or managers of both teams if there are two) are responsible for organizing their home tournament. This will be a significant source of fundraising for your team. During your home tournament you may operate a kitchen upstairs, have a raffle table, 50/50, chuck-a-puck, or other activities.
The Tournament Coordinator will look after registering teams for your home tournament and provide you with a list of participants. The manager will be responsible for scheduling the games which will be an A/B bracket system for U11 to U18 levels. U7 Fun Day and U9 Jamboree will each feature a schedule of games to maximize a variety of opponents.
EDMHA will provide championship and runner-up banners for your tournament. You may wish to solicit for items to be provide to the "Player of the Game" or additional participant items for the U7 and U9 levels.
Home tournaments required significant planning to operate smoothly. This is where delegating tasks to parents will be crucial. Lower level tasks will include providing game sheets to the officials, operating penalty boxes, recording game results, and handing out awards after each game. In the Eagles nest tasks will include operating the kitchen, raffle tables, preparing game sheets, and whatever other activities you wish to run. Consider having available various games, toys, or even a movie playing to entertain the players that are not engaged on the ice. This will significantly reduce the amount of running around the players will do!
EDMHA Lottery Tickets:
Lottery tickets will be provided to the manager to be distributed to the players. The cost of the lottery tickets has already been collected by EDMHA in advance during the registration process. Therefore when a player sells a lottery ticket, the funds are retained by the parents. Parents only need to return the completed lottery ticket stubs to the manager, who will then return the entire collection to the EDMHA Treasurer.
Dressing Room:
No cell phones and/or cameras in the dressing rooms. Players and bench staff shall ensure they conduct themselves appropriately at all times which includes no offensive or obscene language. The dressing room shall be clean and free from garbage before they depart. Players are not to spray water or other liquid within the dressing room. If the do, it must be cleaned up! A mop is available from the arena staff.
2 Deep Rule:
Always two adults in the dressing room at all times. If you are leaving the dressing room, take a quick look around and make sure you are not leaving an adult alone. If you are leaving - please wait for another adult to arrive. When you are entering the dressing room, please wait at the door for another adult so that you are not alone. This includes coach, bench staff, manager and/or parent.
24 Hour Rule:
All minor hockey participants - players, parents, coaches, and managers should respect the 24 hour rule. Please wait at least 24hrs to voice comments, concerns, or complaints to whomever they may be directed to and only to the appropriate people. We understand that the hockey community is a very passionate one, but it is important that any concerns are brought up in an appropriate fashion. Arguing a complaint during the heat of the moment is not typically very productive for anyone involved.
Playoffs:
Once playoffs begin to be scheduled the manager may not find out who their first round opponent will be until the last minute. Mangers will need to note whether they will be the home team or visiting team for the playoff round. This is important as the home team begins the scheduling process for the round of games.
Following the scheduling guidelines, the home team will provide ice times for games one and three to the opposing manager. The opposing manager is to schedule game two in between those ice times, and consider a game four ice time. There is only a certain timeframe to complete all four games so the sooner you can schedule games within that block of time, the better.
Final Thoughts:
With all of the information provided above, being a manager may seem like a daunting task to undertake. It isn't! Many of the tasks are repetitive (ie game sheets) and once you get the hang of it everything goes pretty smooth. Most managers at the higher levels have been doing the role for years - reach out to them as a source of guidance and inspiration and know that the EDMHA Executive members are there to help your team have a successful season.