Discipline Principles
All participants are expected to adhere to the high standards of our Code of Conduct.
We understand that humans have bad days and make mistakes. Balancing tolerance for anomalous misdeeds against the desire to protect the spirit of our league and safety of players is challenging. As a general rule, we believe in second chances but not third.
We believe that most discipline issues result from escalation or retaliation. As a general rules, players are advised to stop playing and go home immediately if they become angry. In case of escalation or retaliation, the action that caused the escalation or retaliation is NOT considered when categorizing the offense and assigning consequences.
Categories of Offense
We recognize three categories of offense:
Minor infractions, once identified, will be addressed via private conversation with the offending player. If behavior does not improve after the conversation, the infraction will be escalated to a Major infraction. Examples of minor infractions include but are not limited to unsolicited coaching of other players, moderate examples of unnecessarily rough play, talking trash to opponents, or repeatedly disrespecting officials.
Major infractions, once identified, will result in a three game suspension UNLESS the player has has a Major infraction in the previous 10 years. If it is the player's second Major infraction in 10 years, the player will be banned from the SDHL, eligible to reapply no sooner than 10 years later. No refunds will be issued for suspensions or bans. Examples of Major infractions include Minor infractions that continue after a conversation, violent behavior that does not rise to the level of Severe, and major verbal aggression.
Severe infractions will result in lifetime ban from the SDHL without refund. Severe infractions include:
- Severely dangerous behavior judged to be reckless or intentional
- Fighting
- Any form of off-ice physical aggression
- Intentional or reckless damage to facility
- Hate speech
- Extreme verbal aggression
