As is the case with most things in life, we all must follow a set of rules. We here at the CSL are no different. The league has been created as a source of recreation and fun. We certainly want to promote a competitive environment in our league...but not at the expense of fun & sportsmanship. Unfortunately everyone has a different version of what they think fun is. This, of course, is the reason we need rules. The CSL staff has been working hard on generating basic rules that will keep the integrity of the league intact, while still keeping the games enjoyable. Below is a growing list of rules that have been proposed. Some of these rules, if broken, can mean the end of your term as owner of your team. Please read the rules carefully, so as not to make one of these mistakes. Ignorance of the rules is not an acceptable excuse. It is your responsibility as an owner to become intimately familiar with the rules in place & ensure that you follow them accordingly.

Remember, rules are subject to change and can only be changed by members of the CSL staff. If you feel that a rule is unjust or may need to be rewritten, send our Commissioner an email, and we will be happy to revisit the rule.

NOTE: League rule changes noted in "Red".

I. Fair Play & Sportsmanship

1. Please respect your peers. Offensive gestures & comments are not condoned nor tolerated. Repeat offenders will be excused from the league. Let's have fun.
2. Keep trash talking to a minimum. We emphasize good sportsmanship in our league & trash talking just isn't part of our agenda. If problems persist, disciplinary action will be taken to the offending parties.
3. Play within the spirit of the game. Seeing as this is the most severe rule we have established a 2 strike policy. Any owner who plays against someone who feels that person is not living up to this rule, has the ability to report this person to the Commissioner.
4. Be a good sport. Antics like running up the score are not good for the CSL. There will be no awards given for margin of victory. Therefore if you are ahead by a comfortable margin and your opponent is clearly defeated, try to run out the clock as best you can.
5. Do not abuse “money plays” that take advantage of an AI flaw in the game.

II. Quitting & Pausing

Players are allowed to forfeit rather than "quit". Forfeited games are counted as a loss against the player's record. When doing so please let the other player know what your intentions are. Just disconnecting and leaving the game with no valid reason is prohibited. If an emergency should arise, you should contact the Commissioner & your opponent as soon as possible. If an owner gets angry and just pulls the plug then they will be subject to expulsion from the league. Multiple forfeits will result in league discipline & ultimately dismissal from the league. To avoid forfeits, please do not start any games you know you can't finish.

Please refrain from pausing the game multiple times during a game or pausing for extended lengths of time. If pausing the game is a must, please let your opponent know why you have paused the game via in game communications, online messenging services and/or email. Repeat offenders of this tactic will be subject to league discipline and/or dismissal.

We suggest that if you need to pause the game for an extended period of time (emergencies do happen from time to time)...that you communicate directly via your USB keyboard or USB headset with your opponent & let him know what is going on. At that point, the two of you can decide how you want to handle the situation. If you can't come to an agreement on how you want to complete the game (i.e., starting a new one, using the score at the time of the disconnect, waiting for a few minutes, etc.), then situation will be brought before the Commissioner for a decision.

III. Game Procedures

1. Owners are not allowed to skip games. If circumstances prevent you from playing your games on time, you must notify both the Commissioner & your opponent(s) as soon as possible. You are making a commitment when you join the league. If you can't be an active member in the league, please don't join.
2. Game disputes will be handled by the Commissioner. Records can and will be changed in the event that someone is incorrectly reporting game results.
3. You are required to play the games according to the league schedule. If you are going to be unable to complete your games in a given week, please contact the Commissioner for an extension by midnight on Wednesday of the given game week. Under certain circumstances, teams will be given up to a 1 week extension. If the games are not completed at the end of the extension period, the game will be simulated.
4. All league games are to be played in Exhibition Room #1, with a period length of 7 minutes.
5. Owners have until Wednesday of a given game week to get in touch with their opponent on the Scheduling League Games forum. Failure to contact your opponent via the league forums by midnight Wednesday of the given game week will result in a forfeiture of the game. This will be left to the discretion of the non-offending team. The game will be simulated for statistical purposes.
6. Mercy Rule: If at anytime a team gets ahead of another team by 10 goals, at that point the winning team is expected to play puck control and not score anymore. Run the clock down. Dump the puck in & play some defense.

   If at anytime the losing team scores, than you can bring the game back up to a 10-goal margin.

   If a team is clearly beaten, and the winning team continues to run up the score, they will be warned for unsportsmanlike play. The first violation results in a 1 game suspension. Next violation results in 2 game suspensions. Any additional violations warrants removal from the league.

   No team enjoys losing, but we will all experience a loss at one point or another. Just keep the scores respectable. 21-2 isn't acceptable and it makes a mockery of the CSL. Respect the other owners, and realize some teams do not have the talent regardless of how much you really could score.

7. Voice Chat: The use of voice chat during league play is NOT required, but highly encouraged. If voice chat is not used, owners should use a USB keyboard to keep communication lines open during game play.

IV. Vacations & Extended Absences

If you are going to be unable to play your scheduled league games for any extended period of time, be courteous enough to your opponent(s) & to the rest of the league to make an attempt to complete your games ahead of schedule. Especially in those cases when we know well in advance of our absence. Be sure to contact the Commissioner & your opponents regarding your absence and let us know when you expect to return. If you fail to do so, your game will be simulated while you are away & your opponent will be awarded the victory. Undoubtedly emergencies will occur, and these situations will be handled on a case by case basis.

V. Failure To Finish Match

Although it does not happen often, it is possible that you or your opponent may be disconnected from the game or the Internet entirely before your match is finished. If one player was clearly losing at the time of disconnect, then that person should be a good sport & take the loss. If there was no clear winner at that point in the match, you will need to schedule a rematch.

VI. Divergence Issue

If an owner is found to be purposely taking advantage of the "Divergence Issue" error during league play, they will be immediately dismissed from the league with no exceptions.

VII. Cheating

It goes without saying that we won't tolerate cheating of any kind. This includes, but is not limited to, breaking league rules, reporting false results, filing false complaints against owners, or otherwise tampering with the integrity of the league & its members.

If you suspect your opponent is cheating, you can pause the game, and move your cursor to the Gameplan menu item, and leave it there for 20-30 seconds. This notifies your opponent that you question their gameplay and tactics.

If you are certain your opponent is cheating, you should pause the match immediately and take down the applicable stats & game information (i.e., quarter, time remaining, etc.) & then report the suspicious activity to the Commissioner as soon as possible. Quitting a game is no longer condoned as an acceptable way to protest a game. By recording the information mentioned above, you will be able to "continue" the game at the point in which you left off in the event that your complaint against your opponent is found to be an invalid one. You do not need to report the match as a loss. The situation will be resolved by the Commissioner on a case by case basis.

VIII. Fill In The Blank

We can't cover every aspect of gaming in our rules. We have tried to be as thorough as possible and cover all the basics, however, just because something is not listed doesn't mean that it is allowed. Use common sense. If it is something that will adversely effect other players and you might think twice about doing it, it's probably against the rules. The Commissioner has the final say in such matters. If you have a specific question, please feel free to contact him directly.