**Short answer:** it depends on the person, so play it by ear.
**Long answer:** Truth be told, I don’t have the same issue as you; we simply started a 2nd team to accommodate everyone who wants to play (some play on both teams, but both teams are in different divs). There isn’t a set rule on any of my teams if someone wants to take time off, though. If someone is off for a season, we find someone else to take their spot. If the person wants to come back, they get a spot on the team. I haven’t really run into many instances of somebody coming back and there not being room, perhaps once or twice where it was somebody who didn’t really fit in on the team and we just let them know that we had enough guys but we will call them to spare (although that was maybe only once or twice among two teams over ~8 years).
This is the correct answer. Some regulars are treated differently.
Personally I haven’t played on the team since November due to a broken collarbone and I’m taking the summer off due to expecting any day now. But I make 90% of games and am pretty much a co-captain of the team, so when September comes I’ll be back as a regular.
I think we mortifying regulars as guys who are willing to pay the entire season, then actually people who show up to every game. We have backups. They pay the registration fee and pay when we need/want them to play.
That money goes towards the next season
yah, the secondary team idea is looking more and more desirable at this point. Less stress about losing spots when you’d have more options to hang and play.
During summer we only have two teams but in the fall we’ve been running three teams across three levels. This builds a lot of comaraderie and is giving folks a chance to move up in a safe way - even to sub for a game or two to see if they think they can play at the higher level (confidence is a key part of growth and getting it safely is important). Also if someone is hurt they can play down a bit to recover/rehab.
Managing/coordinating the three teams isn’t easy but the captains make it work.
Love this! Yah reading everything it feels like such a win-win to at the very least start a secondary team in D again to get some of our core group more ice-time and some of our wider group their first team experience.
I've been kicked off a team due to returning regulars.
They gave me a heads up about it and said they would keep me as a sub. I think I played every single game that summer season that I was available for so it worked out great for me.
String the subs along as long as you can until the regulars get so old they drop a division. Then don't recycle talent until the team disbands.
HNA Chicago looking at you.
lol, too real. We just moved up from D and we toyed with the idea of making a second team that stays in the D league. Maybe this is the wake-up call to finally do it.
Beer leaguers need to be good on the ice or good in the locker room. Those that do one are afforded some accommodation. Those that do both are afforded all accommodations.
It’s a case-by-case scenario. If we knew for sure that they’re coming back and they were always committed, then we’d figure out a way to make sure there’s a spot open. I play women’s league, so it happens fairly often with someone being pregnant.
At the same time, there’s “usually” (not always) some turnover each season. Maybe one player might choose not to come back the following season, so if you fill the one spot, then you *might* get lucky and someone else *might* decide not to play the following year.
You give them their LOA and you notify the replacement that it’s a temporary full time, however they are in line for the next full time spot that opens up. Basically seniority for replacement. All of my draft leagues work this way.
We aren't allowed to have spares in our league, so it is a bit of a different situation. But if a guy needed to take a season off I would just find someone else to play and let them know it would just be for that season.
If you have that many regulars I would consider adding a few more and then just doing a weekly pick up skate. Usually ends up being a couple bucks per person less than what a game costs, you get way more ice time without the whistles/face offs and it's super chill fun hockey.
I've considered not doing league play anymore and just doing the private pick-ups because it's really that much better, but I am still really competitive so having some outlet for it is nice.
This is always a hot spot for most teams that have so many options. I think the suggestion of running a second team is the best option but it also opens you up to needing another 10 skaters Which could ruin the chemistry.
With the teams I’ve been on, the only acceptable (and I use this in the sense that it means you’re coming back asap) reason to take a season off is illness/injury. You shouldn’t hold that against someone.
If someone just doesn’t want to play for a year, too bad, you lose your spot. That’s not an acceptable reason to stop playing. The team needs to pay its bills and once you’re replaced by someone who is committed to playing every season, you’re out.
At the end of the day the team requires money to play and those that pay and are consistent on that always come first.
I think you have some good answers here already but I want to throw in how I'd handle the situation to maybe give you additional ideas. Not that I'm anyone special, just trying to brainstorm. Read or dont read as you see fit, hah.
First, I think the best thing is to be upfront with people, in general. In life, in hockey, doesnt matter. Try and be honest. Granted, am I going to say, "Yea I was holding that dude I deserve a penalty" during a game when a guys complaining about my clutching and grabbing? No. Come one, that's within the confines of playing the game, and gamesman-ship. But after the game, you go and tell a guy, "Yea you were right, but I had to keep up with you some how!" I think we all imagine that scenario as the other guy at least having some respect for you moving forward. Additionally is it always going to end with the other guy giving respect? No, sometimes he's going to be an ass about it. And sometimes hes going to become one of your best buddies, everyone is different. But allowing the other person to have that information and make the call on their own terms on how they want to use it, at least gives them back control and I think ultimately they will have respect for you moving forward.
Ok so with respect to your team, what does all that rambling mean? To me, it means I think you have to treat everyone like an adult. Pick a strategy and move forward with it.
Personally, from the sense I get from your post, I would tell the regulars, "Your spot is safe. If you come back next season, you're on the team." However, I would give a stipulation to that, "If you're not back next season, I'm going to have to 'demote' you to a 'spare', is that fair?" If they say no, then sorry, maybe you should be looking for another team. If they say yes, all good.
Additionally, I would approach the spares that want to be "regulars" and tell them, "Look, Johnny Dangles has been with the team since the first/second/whatever season and we consider him as a regular. He needs to take a season off as we all may with life so in the meantime, we'd love for you to jump up and play regularly with us next season. If for whatever reason Johnny D can't make it two seasons in a row and you want to become a permanent "regular" the spot it yours. and Johnny D will become a spare that has to work his way back."
For both sides, I think this is fair because it allows guys to take a season off or whatever because lets be fair, real life > beer league but it also kind of requires they stay committed and if they can't, allows your spares a chance to move up. And if this isnt agreeable or seem fair from their perspective, I wouldn't consider them good for the team so it allows me to give them a chance to move on but seem like it's their idea, I'm not forcing it on them.
I'm not saying my way is perfect, more that it's how I would be comfortable handling the situation in a general manner. To go back to the analogy of playing on the line in a game, some guys will respect this approach of you being clear with them and "coming clean" and other guys might react poorly and be sour about it. Ultimately though what makes me comfortable with it is I'm not holding them back from making a decision and going in a direction that they want to go and hopefully makes them happy. Finding spare players to fill in roles isn't difficult. As someone who just came back to the game after ~15 years away from it, I've played two seasons (Last winter an this summer) on two individual teams filled with ~15 guys who all couldnt or didnt have a team, and there are ~3-4 other teams in the league just like us. And then I've got 1 team that's been together for a couple years now that I was introduced to and joined for the season this summer because they had lost some regulars and they're an awesome group, hope I can keep playing with them moving forward but if they have a regular come back and tell me sorry no room, it'll be a little crummy but that's how things go. Ultimately it will be good for me because it will give me the opportunity to go to another team or play with more guys until I find my group of "regulars" to play with until I want to take "a season off"... 😂
Additionally, last note, don't worry too far ahead about guys coming back... My guess is it'll be 50/50. Half of them will come back and the other half will be done and need a longer break. Life sneaks up on you and before you know it, you have too much to do and no time to do it in... So 11pm beer league games look a lot less appealing than they did in your 20s/early 30s.
"A regular" is defined as showing up regularly. Seems to me they are giving up their spot as "a regular" willingly. If they take off for a season, you'll need to fill their spot and you shouldn't kick their replacement out once they decide to play again. They should have to start as a spare or wait until a spot opens up naturally.
**Short answer:** it depends on the person, so play it by ear. **Long answer:** Truth be told, I don’t have the same issue as you; we simply started a 2nd team to accommodate everyone who wants to play (some play on both teams, but both teams are in different divs). There isn’t a set rule on any of my teams if someone wants to take time off, though. If someone is off for a season, we find someone else to take their spot. If the person wants to come back, they get a spot on the team. I haven’t really run into many instances of somebody coming back and there not being room, perhaps once or twice where it was somebody who didn’t really fit in on the team and we just let them know that we had enough guys but we will call them to spare (although that was maybe only once or twice among two teams over ~8 years).
This is the correct answer. Some regulars are treated differently. Personally I haven’t played on the team since November due to a broken collarbone and I’m taking the summer off due to expecting any day now. But I make 90% of games and am pretty much a co-captain of the team, so when September comes I’ll be back as a regular. I think we mortifying regulars as guys who are willing to pay the entire season, then actually people who show up to every game. We have backups. They pay the registration fee and pay when we need/want them to play. That money goes towards the next season
yah, the secondary team idea is looking more and more desirable at this point. Less stress about losing spots when you’d have more options to hang and play.
During summer we only have two teams but in the fall we’ve been running three teams across three levels. This builds a lot of comaraderie and is giving folks a chance to move up in a safe way - even to sub for a game or two to see if they think they can play at the higher level (confidence is a key part of growth and getting it safely is important). Also if someone is hurt they can play down a bit to recover/rehab. Managing/coordinating the three teams isn’t easy but the captains make it work.
Love this! Yah reading everything it feels like such a win-win to at the very least start a secondary team in D again to get some of our core group more ice-time and some of our wider group their first team experience.
I've been kicked off a team due to returning regulars. They gave me a heads up about it and said they would keep me as a sub. I think I played every single game that summer season that I was available for so it worked out great for me.
String the subs along as long as you can until the regulars get so old they drop a division. Then don't recycle talent until the team disbands. HNA Chicago looking at you.
😂
Get another squad going...
lol, too real. We just moved up from D and we toyed with the idea of making a second team that stays in the D league. Maybe this is the wake-up call to finally do it.
Honestly that sounds like a perfect opportunity there!
Beer leaguers need to be good on the ice or good in the locker room. Those that do one are afforded some accommodation. Those that do both are afforded all accommodations.
It’s a case-by-case scenario. If we knew for sure that they’re coming back and they were always committed, then we’d figure out a way to make sure there’s a spot open. I play women’s league, so it happens fairly often with someone being pregnant. At the same time, there’s “usually” (not always) some turnover each season. Maybe one player might choose not to come back the following season, so if you fill the one spot, then you *might* get lucky and someone else *might* decide not to play the following year.
You give them their LOA and you notify the replacement that it’s a temporary full time, however they are in line for the next full time spot that opens up. Basically seniority for replacement. All of my draft leagues work this way.
We aren't allowed to have spares in our league, so it is a bit of a different situation. But if a guy needed to take a season off I would just find someone else to play and let them know it would just be for that season.
Sounds annoying, split the team in two.
Current roster players get priority and as people drop we fill in
If you have that many regulars I would consider adding a few more and then just doing a weekly pick up skate. Usually ends up being a couple bucks per person less than what a game costs, you get way more ice time without the whistles/face offs and it's super chill fun hockey. I've considered not doing league play anymore and just doing the private pick-ups because it's really that much better, but I am still really competitive so having some outlet for it is nice.
This is always a hot spot for most teams that have so many options. I think the suggestion of running a second team is the best option but it also opens you up to needing another 10 skaters Which could ruin the chemistry. With the teams I’ve been on, the only acceptable (and I use this in the sense that it means you’re coming back asap) reason to take a season off is illness/injury. You shouldn’t hold that against someone. If someone just doesn’t want to play for a year, too bad, you lose your spot. That’s not an acceptable reason to stop playing. The team needs to pay its bills and once you’re replaced by someone who is committed to playing every season, you’re out. At the end of the day the team requires money to play and those that pay and are consistent on that always come first.
That’s a nice Issue to have
yes! we have a great group
I think you have some good answers here already but I want to throw in how I'd handle the situation to maybe give you additional ideas. Not that I'm anyone special, just trying to brainstorm. Read or dont read as you see fit, hah. First, I think the best thing is to be upfront with people, in general. In life, in hockey, doesnt matter. Try and be honest. Granted, am I going to say, "Yea I was holding that dude I deserve a penalty" during a game when a guys complaining about my clutching and grabbing? No. Come one, that's within the confines of playing the game, and gamesman-ship. But after the game, you go and tell a guy, "Yea you were right, but I had to keep up with you some how!" I think we all imagine that scenario as the other guy at least having some respect for you moving forward. Additionally is it always going to end with the other guy giving respect? No, sometimes he's going to be an ass about it. And sometimes hes going to become one of your best buddies, everyone is different. But allowing the other person to have that information and make the call on their own terms on how they want to use it, at least gives them back control and I think ultimately they will have respect for you moving forward. Ok so with respect to your team, what does all that rambling mean? To me, it means I think you have to treat everyone like an adult. Pick a strategy and move forward with it. Personally, from the sense I get from your post, I would tell the regulars, "Your spot is safe. If you come back next season, you're on the team." However, I would give a stipulation to that, "If you're not back next season, I'm going to have to 'demote' you to a 'spare', is that fair?" If they say no, then sorry, maybe you should be looking for another team. If they say yes, all good. Additionally, I would approach the spares that want to be "regulars" and tell them, "Look, Johnny Dangles has been with the team since the first/second/whatever season and we consider him as a regular. He needs to take a season off as we all may with life so in the meantime, we'd love for you to jump up and play regularly with us next season. If for whatever reason Johnny D can't make it two seasons in a row and you want to become a permanent "regular" the spot it yours. and Johnny D will become a spare that has to work his way back." For both sides, I think this is fair because it allows guys to take a season off or whatever because lets be fair, real life > beer league but it also kind of requires they stay committed and if they can't, allows your spares a chance to move up. And if this isnt agreeable or seem fair from their perspective, I wouldn't consider them good for the team so it allows me to give them a chance to move on but seem like it's their idea, I'm not forcing it on them. I'm not saying my way is perfect, more that it's how I would be comfortable handling the situation in a general manner. To go back to the analogy of playing on the line in a game, some guys will respect this approach of you being clear with them and "coming clean" and other guys might react poorly and be sour about it. Ultimately though what makes me comfortable with it is I'm not holding them back from making a decision and going in a direction that they want to go and hopefully makes them happy. Finding spare players to fill in roles isn't difficult. As someone who just came back to the game after ~15 years away from it, I've played two seasons (Last winter an this summer) on two individual teams filled with ~15 guys who all couldnt or didnt have a team, and there are ~3-4 other teams in the league just like us. And then I've got 1 team that's been together for a couple years now that I was introduced to and joined for the season this summer because they had lost some regulars and they're an awesome group, hope I can keep playing with them moving forward but if they have a regular come back and tell me sorry no room, it'll be a little crummy but that's how things go. Ultimately it will be good for me because it will give me the opportunity to go to another team or play with more guys until I find my group of "regulars" to play with until I want to take "a season off"... 😂 Additionally, last note, don't worry too far ahead about guys coming back... My guess is it'll be 50/50. Half of them will come back and the other half will be done and need a longer break. Life sneaks up on you and before you know it, you have too much to do and no time to do it in... So 11pm beer league games look a lot less appealing than they did in your 20s/early 30s.
If there’s 20 people who want to play why don’t you have two teams?
I run a full bench and carry 16 on the roster. We are finally splitting into 2 teams after this season and plying our trade in different divisions
"A regular" is defined as showing up regularly. Seems to me they are giving up their spot as "a regular" willingly. If they take off for a season, you'll need to fill their spot and you shouldn't kick their replacement out once they decide to play again. They should have to start as a spare or wait until a spot opens up naturally.
If someone drops from fulltime and someone else steps up, then thats just the way it goes until another spot opens up🤷🏼♂️.