The RinkFor the not so ready for prime-time players, coaches, referees, and the people that have to live with them. Discuss experiences in local leagues, coaching tips, equipment, and training.
So my rec league team "cheated" according to the other team.
We thought we would have eight. But only ended up missing two regulars. I think we had four lines and 5 d.
Holy Christ. Forget about the other team - I'd be PISSED if my team brought out ringers and we had a bench that bloated. I don't think I've ever played a rec league game with that many players.
Thats not what I was referring to, he said he would try to take out a ringer. Is it not ok to generalize that people who are older will be bigger, stronger and faster?
Probably not when you're talking about a rec league.
Thats not what I was referring to, he said he would try to take out a ringer. Is it not ok to generalize that people who are older will be bigger, stronger and faster?
Yes, and then you said that wouldn't be a good idea because ringers are older and faster.
Holy Christ. Forget about the other team - I'd be PISSED if my team brought out ringers and we had a bench that bloated. I don't think I've ever played a rec league game with that many players.
Seriously. When the 10th forward showed up, I'd have just taken my gear off and left.
Thats not what I was referring to, he said he would try to take out a ringer. Is it not ok to generalize that people who are older will be bigger, stronger and faster?
Eh, for the most part I'd be taking cheap shots whenever he wasn't looking and skate away, just to piss him off. I'd take my fair share of shots and hope the ref sees it, but as beer leagues are mostly non-fighting i'd just try to instigate him. I have no problem with taking my share in a dust-up, if I'm pissed, I'm pissed.
Try to take out a ringer? GL, with them being bigger, older stronger and more willing with less to lose.
If it's a money tournament, then yeah, they have less to lose, and so do I. It's the last game of the season and I'll be damned if some ringer is gonna take my money away from me without a fight.
Ringers aren't older? Some of them may not be faster i'll give that to you, but at this point your just nitpicking.
Ringers don't have to be older. Age has nothing to do with skill The best players on my team are far younger than our oldest, and I know we're not unique in that respect. Unless you're talking about mighty mites or something, age, size, and speed doesn't automatically mean they're better hockey players. There are tons of speed demons out there who can't shoot worth a ****, plenty of slow players who have bomb shots and can throw people onto their ass with one arm, and plenty of 19 year olds who can skate circles around people who are older. That doesn't mean people who are older can't be good, it just means good hockey players COME IN ALL AGES.
The league I played in last season had only one roster requirement: Every player that stepped foot on the ice had to have signed the roster. It was a Tier I league and every team had at least a couple guys that played college, Junior A, minor pro at one point. The playoffs were rediculous because everybody just forged their ringers' signatures on the roster at the beginning of the season and then when everybody was coming home after their college/junior/pro season, they were "legal" and the league did not care to prove otherwise. My team got smoked in the championship game by team that only had about 3-5 guys that played for them at the beginning of the season.
Needless to say, I am now in favor of minimum games played requirements.
The league I played in in Prince George required everybody on your team to register via the league website at the start of the year. At the very least, before they could play a game. Anyone joining our team part way through the year had to be approved by the rest of the league (teams would be informed of said player wanting to join the team, and would then vote - each team constituting 1 vote).
To be eligible to play in our playoffs, you had to play 25% of the regular season. So 10 games as we played a 40 game regular season. Exceptions were made (as approved by the "president" of the league, and the board) if you played say 8 or 9 games, but missed a good chunk because you were hurt or worked out of town or did shift work. But each team still had to ask for these exceptions to be made.
I've got to say, it worked out really well and am amazed at some other stories
Might as well throw my league req's into the mix. They require a roster be submitted at the start of each season, with changes allowed up until the 3rd or 4th game. All players must be written onto the game sheet prior to each game. For playoffs, all players must have a minimum of 3 games played during the season. The timekeeper is the same the whole while for our division in this league, so they know who's who and who isn't. Ringers used to happen but I haven't seen it in a while.
Holy Christ. Forget about the other team - I'd be PISSED if my team brought out ringers and we had a bench that bloated. I don't think I've ever played a rec league game with that many players.
Good point for sure.
We usually fill in a names on our finalized roster of guys who've played with us in the past. Their not random names, or the kind of player we look to that can turn a game around on their own. Same skill and experience as anyone else on the team. Just guys that couldn't come up with the money, or couldn't commit to playing every week on whatever day. But if we're short and their available, we'll gladly let them play.
Are they called ringers then?
I guess what I'm getting at is does a ringer need to be someone who excels far more than anyone else on your team in a hockey-sense? Or can it be a guy that's played hardly any games with your team, but will still be an extra body on the rink that gives your star player that extra rest?
I guess the idea of having each player being "qualified" to play in playoffs based on GP throughout the season is the best way to fix any situation like this though. It's all personal opinion. It's not cheating but it's not something I'd like to experience. It's poor sportsmanship.
Yeah, I don't like it either. Those Junior players should be ashamed of themselves as well.
In an intramural league at university, our team was in the lowest division and we ended up playing a team that had brought in an ex-varsity player (still a student) for the playoffs and he cleaned our clocks. What made it even worse was the plugs on that team were poor sports and mocking us.
Ringers are anyone clearly better than the level of competition.
Sucks in a scrimmage or regular season game but in the playoffs that's just terrible. Takes away from an otherwise competitive game and might rob a team of extra games or a more deserved championship.
A tourney win with ringers would be a very hollow victory.
In the past we've had borderline ringers...guys who were some of the best at that level but not head and shoulders above everyone or playing down knowingly. But they were there for the whole regular season and playoffs.
Only once did we have a guy who was just completely dominant whenever he wanted to be and got moved up halfway through the season. Whenever we were down, he'd just start scoring goals until we were tied. Must have had at least three hatties late in games we should have lost. After he was gone we were well under 0.500 and an easy out.
Our league goes through this as well. Every team makes the playoffs and you'll often see teams that finished 4-14 beating teams that were 14-4 in the playoffs because of Ringers. It's a total punk move.
I run a team and will bring in the best players I can IF and only IF we are way short as in under 2 lines. However, those players are just average league players. Well under our best players skill level.
I look at it this way. I would rather lose with my team than win because of "ringers" that typically don't pay, take ice time from those that do pay, and aren't part of our team.
To the teams that do it, do you really feel like YOU won after the game? It's almost like getting into an argument and having someone else step outside with the guy. Don't you feel like a punk?
That doesn't mean people who are older can't be good, it just means good hockey players COME IN ALL AGES.
Amen. Speed is usually going to peak in the late teens/20's, but there is so much more to the game. Get a team of 30's/40 somethings that have played their whole lives, are still in good shape, and play a smart team game and they're going to be able to give a lot of younger/faster teams problems.
We have an "over 40" team in our league that hangs with just about anyone including teams packed with kids wearing their college and junior club team shells.
Compared to other sports, it's the skating in hockey that allows guys to play at a decent level well into their 30's,40's, and 50's. Low impact, gliding, no jumping.
I was on the other side of this last summer in a summer tournament..
We had beat a team 3-2 in round robin play, and then they came back with a ringer when we played them in the final. They won 5-2 (2 empty netters), with the new guy getting all 5 goals.
I personally don't like it.. the team you enter a league/tourney with should be the team that you stick with all year unless a player is injured at the start of things.
Ringers = Cheating... 100% I'd be pissed if that was me. Plus I wouldn't want to play with a ringer if you played all year to get to the finals either.
Ringers are anyone clearly better than the level of competition.
Sucks in a scrimmage or regular season game but in the playoffs that's just terrible. Takes away from an otherwise competitive game and might rob a team of extra games or a more deserved championship.
A tourney win with ringers would be a very hollow victory.
In the past we've had borderline ringers...guys who were some of the best at that level but not head and shoulders above everyone or playing down knowingly. But they were there for the whole regular season and playoffs.
Only once did we have a guy who was just completely dominant whenever he wanted to be and got moved up halfway through the season. Whenever we were down, he'd just start scoring goals until we were tied. Must have had at least three hatties late in games we should have lost. After he was gone we were well under 0.500 and an easy out.
That's me right now because I got the last Sunday night spot left and it happened to be the lowest level we have... but I'd never run the score up on another team. I scored 4 goals last win in a 5-4 win... the other team may not like that but I only have 5 points in 5 games because I don't go all out and I don't see a problem with that... there's always going to be guys better than most in a league. It's the OHL players coming out for the mid level divisions that ruin it
if there's a rule against that sort of thing, they have a right to be angry
if not, they have no such right
Leagues allow replacements in case guys can't make it... it's not exactly fair to expect a team to play with half their guys missing. The idea is to get replacements though.. not ringers who shouldn't be playing but are so they can win.
The best players on my team are far younger than our oldest, and I know we're not unique in that respect. Unless you're talking about mighty mites or something, age, size, and speed doesn't automatically mean they're better hockey players. There are tons of speed demons out there who can't shoot worth a ****, plenty of slow players who have bomb shots and can throw people onto their ass with one arm, and plenty of 19 year olds who can skate circles around people who are older. That doesn't mean people who are older can't be good, it just means good hockey players COME IN ALL AGES.
