Introduction
Welcome to the NHL94Online.com Classic '94 League! We highly recommend you read through all of the rules before joining so you know what to expect. Of course, if you have any questions, please contact us at admin@nhl94.com. If you have already joined a league and find you are too busy to play, please be polite and send an email and/or post a message to the league Admins and/or coaches so that we can adjust accordingly.

We have been running online leagues since 2005; the rules here have evolved from experience.

In Game Settings
These are the in-game settings used for Classic '94:

Period Length: 5 Mintutes
Line Changes: OFF
Penalties: On, except offsides
Goalie: Manual
Default Connection Type (Gens Only): Good (20 keyframes/s)
Note: The default connection type can be changed for better performance, but both players must have the same type.

Registration & League Setup
There is a set start and end date for 2009 Fall registration. During the active registration period, players who wish to participate in the league are required to fill out the entire registration form on the website. Once registration has ended, players will be notified of their league status. Signing up soon after the start date will ensure you a spot in a league, while signing up near the end date could result in being placed on the waiting list (see bottom for definitions).

Registration information will be posted in the forums and on the NHL94Online.com website itself. Draft order will be randomly determined and posted publicly. Teams will be awarded according to preferences submitted during registration. Leagues will be between 10-24 teams; the number of leagues per season depends both on the number of players who sign up and on the Admin Team’s discretion (in terms of website limitations, competitive balance, etc.).

Users can view and edit their information on Edit User Profile page, including AIM Screen Name, Email Address and Team Draft Preference. When users first sign up, the information goes directly into our database, where it will display on the Waiting List. If there's any problems users can contact the Admins for assistance.

General Community Conduct
It is very important that everyone involved in the online leagues show good sportsmanship "on and off the ice". Heart-breaking losses are a part of the game, but please don't let frustration lead to negative or antagonistic posts/emails/IMs. The Admin Team won't tolerate childish behavior in the forums or elsewhere. Be competitive, but keep things positive. All we ask is that everybody play their games, logs the scores, and have fun while doing so.

For people who insist on being disrespectful to the league and coaches, the following simple steps will be taken:

First Offense - A public warning in email and on the forums
Second Offense - Removal as team owner and forum/website account deleted

The Admin Team And What They Are Responsible For:

Responsibilities of the Admin Team:
1 - Make sure coaches are playing their games by the given checkpoints
2 - Inform all coaches behind schedule three(3) days before a checkpoint on the forums
3 - Replace coaches who have become "inactive" (see below)
4 - Correct and log scores that may have been entered incorrectly, or not at all
5 - Resolve any issues or differences coaches may have with games played
6 - Adjust playoff seeding if DNPs and/or FFs cause coaches to have an unfair seeding (this will be determined at the discretion of the Admin Team)

Rules For Becoming Inactive And Replaced
The league will have set checkpoints EVERY 2 WEEKS during the season. The checkpoints will depend on the number of games in the league.

Coaches who are behind schedule will be placed on probation (see definition below), and will be replaced if they are still behind by the next scheduled checkpoint. However, coaches who are EXTREMELY behind schedule (see definition below) may be replaced by the Admins at ANY TIME.

Definitions:
Probation - To have 50-99% of your required games played and logged at any given checkpoint.
Extremely behind schedule - To have less than 50% of your required games played and logged at any given checkpoint.

Note: You can play any league game at any time, just as long as you have the specified number of games played before the specified checkpoint. Games may be played ahead of schedule and we encourage it!

The Admins will always have flexibility to make judgment calls. Coaches should contact Admins ahead of time about planned vacations, etc. when they know they will be away for some time. As long as these situations are brought to the Admins’ attention in advance, you will probably be able to work something out.

*** Replacement coaches will get an extra checkpoint's time to catch up to the required games within reason. ***

Did Not Plays (DNPs) and Forfeits (FFs)
At the end of the season, if you weren't able to play certain games vs. your opponent you will be given DNPs or FFs depending on the situation. To avoid being penalized for not playing your opponent even though you've been looking for them, here's how to schedule a game:

Alongside the options to log the scores of played games from the "Schedule" hyperlink on your team/coach page are options to officially register your desire to schedule a game you've had difficulty completing. As long as there is at least one week left in the season, you can suggest a particular date and time via drop-down menu, along with a comment field where you can go into more detail (when you're available, working, etc.). The website will record the request, generate email notifications for your opponent and for the Admins, and post notifications on the website.

The opponent has until three(3) days are left in the season to respond by generating a similar message for all to see. Hopefully this kick starts the dialog enough to get the league games scheduled and completed by the deadline.

At the end of the regular season, the Admins simply run a routine that compares the logged requests of un-played games. If neither coach made a request, each team is awarded a DNP and 0 points in the standings. If both coaches made a request but the game still didn't get played, it's also a DNP and 0 points. If one coach made a request but the other did not, it's a 1-0 FF victory and 2 points in the standings. In all cases, Admins can override the results and will be available to review individual cases and make good-faith judgments. BUT, the default would still be on the routine's natural output - a very good case would have to be made to make a change.

If at the end of the regular season coaches have over 4 DNP’s and/or FF losses combined, they will NOT be eligible to participate in playoffs or receive awards. This is an incentive to get all of your games in, and not go missing the last week of the season to "secure" a playoff spot. Again, the Admins can make judgement calls on certain situations.

Playoffs
Number of teams to advance to the playoffs will be decided by the Admin team before the start of regular season play. Each playoff series is best-of-7, with the higher-seeded team given the choice of playing four games at home or four games on the road.. Each playoff series is best-of-7, with the higher-seeded team given the choice of playing four games at home or four games on the road.

Playoff games will have strict deadlines, so make sure to check the playoff schedule once playoffs begin. It will be clearly posted on the forums and NHL94Online.com website.

Netplay Setup & Guidelines
If you need to be refreshed on the game setup of the Gens or Snes emulators, please click the appropriate link below which can all be found on the getting started page.

Hamachi Setup
Playing Gens Online P2P
Playing ZSnes Online P2P
Playing ZSnes Online Using ZBattle

Guidelines for playing NHL94 online vs. an opponent:

1 - Talk to your opponent through the forum, email, or AIM, and decide when to play
2 - Decide which type of server to use
3 - The home team will host the game (the schedule will show which team is home)
4 - The away team joins the home team's game
5 - Coaches log the score on the website after the game (instructions below)

Desyncs
An untied, desync'ed game should be picked up from the point the game desync'ed. The score should be replicated by owners allowing each other to score, and then owners should skate around until the appropriate time remaining in the game to pick up play. The trailing player starts with the puck.

A tied, desync'ed game can be picked up from the point the game desync'ed in a similar fashion (the visiting team starts with the puck), but, if both players agree, the tied game can also simply be replayed from the start as a new game.

If two coaches disagree on a score of a game played, they should contact an admin to resolve the issue. If the admin cannot make a decision from the information given, the game must be replayed as if the previous game never happened.

Note: Desync'ed games are common, and often lead to coaches observing radically different game results. To avoid unnecessary confusion, watch for Desync messages in the Chat area of the Gens emulator, and pause the game if you see a problem. Contact your opponent over IM and coordinate a resumption of the game according to the above guidelines.

Lag Problems
If a coach is experiencing lag such that gameplay is dramatically affected, it is his responsibility to speak up sooner, rather than later. A game that is flagged as unplayable by a coach in the FIRST MINUTE may generally be cancelled and replayed on another server or at another time at no penalty - as long as the coach is not trailing by more than one(1) goal. Otherwise, the rule of thumb is to suspend a lagged game and resume it from the same point in much the same way as outlined in the "Desyncs" section.

Logging Games & Communication Rules
After you have completed a game online vs. your opponent, both teams must log the game. Here's how:

From the team/coach page, the HOME team owner clicks on the "Log Game" hyperlink for the game played, and enters both the score and his league password. Once that is completed, the AWAY team owner can enter his password to confirm the score. If the HOME team has entered the score incorrectly, the AWAY user may make a correction; the HOME user must then confirm the corrected score. Once both teams have confirmed the score, the team page and standings will automatically be updated.

If you like, capture screenshots/video from the online games you play and post them in the forums. Screenshots and video can also be emailed to admin@nhl94.com for possible inclusion on the website itself.

Waiting List
After registration for a season has concluded, people who sign up to play will be placed on a waiting list, which will be made publicly available and frequently updated. Players are required to play practice/test games against current coaches to make sure their connections/setups are ready to go if the waiting list users are asked to replace a coach.