MLD RULE BOOK (Updated with new goalie rules Jan 24/09)

Player Retirements

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Once a player's salary goes above $1.035 million, they must retire (except Franchise Players)
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Once a goalie hits the regular season career total of 250 TOI, they must retire (except Franchise Players) 
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All skaters MUST PLAY at least 1 game during the regular season.  Failure to do so will result in the player being released
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All players salaries increase at the end of the season, regardless of how many games they play.
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Franchise Players are a single player you deem to be your most important puzzle piece.
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Franchise Players are allowed to play 11 seasons maximum. Once they demand more, you need to retire them.
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Franchise Players who are goalies must retire when they reach the regular season career total of 350 TOI.

Franchise Player Restrictions And Specifics

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Players MUST have played their entire career for your franchise to qualify to be your designated FP. (Players who are traded for CANNOT become your FP)
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FPs CANNOT be traded

Salary levels

season 1 salary ~ 165k
season 2 salary ~ 214k
season 3 salary ~ 278k
season 4 salary ~ 362k
season 5 salary ~ 471k
season 6 salary ~ 612k
season 7 salary ~ 796k
season 8 salary ~ 1.035 million (max salary)

Franchise Players  * changed!!!

7 seasons played ~ (1035357)
8 seasons played ~ (1345964)
9 seasons played ~ (1749753) 
10 seasons played ~ ($ ???)
11 seasons played ~ ($ ???)  (maximum salary allowed)


Draft Picks Bonuses
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Bottom 6 Bonus - The bottom finishing 6 teams of the regular season get support here. The last place team picks 1st in the draft and gets a 12 point bonus to each skill attribute added if skater, 1st pick =12, 2nd =10, 3rd =8, 4th =6, 5th =4, 6th =2. IF A goalie is selected, the bonus is cut in half.
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Non Playoff Teams - Since they miss out on the playoff improvements, the teams who do not make the playoffs are given a +3 to Stamina, Shooting, and Skating. This also helps those teams to better compete in the following season.
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The "Sidney Crosby Bonus" - awarded to teams who've consistently floated at the bottom of the standings. This bonus will apply to any team that has at any point missed the playoffs for 3 consecutive seasons. I'd like to call it the "Crosby-Bonus" as it is intended to hopefully resurrect some life into these struggling franchises. This bonus, will see a team who qualifies for the "Crosby-Bonus" have their 1st round pick jacked up to an elite level, +20 in stamina (if possible), +20 in shooting, +20 in skating, and +20 in Defense. If a goalie is selected as their 1st pick, they'll get +10 in saving and +10 stamina added. Once a team receives the "Crosby-Bonus", they must miss the playoffs for another 3 consecutive seasons to qualify for another "Crosby-Bonus"

The TOI for goalies seems a little unfair. 250 hours is only three seasons, while the skaters get to enjoy six seasons. Sure, most goalies won't play every minute of every game, but 6 seasons is 492 hours. Maybe meet halfway? 350 for normal goalies, 500 for Franchise?

I tend to agree.  Actually the numbers for all skaters changed but the goalie numbers did remain unchanged.  I will contact Thom (a.k.a. quinet) and submit the proposal for the numbers you suggested.  Thanks for the heads-up.

Yes, seems like a good idea, I lost a valuable goalie last season...

So, if you're both on board, can we consider it an official rule change?

Posted by quinet on 8/8/2010 12:49:00 PM (view original):
Yes, seems like a good idea, I lost a valuable goalie last season...

would have been nice if i hadn't waived my keeper who hit the 250 limit to sign my 1st round pick in the draft.....doesn't matter- i'll choke in the playoffs with or without a veteran keeper...

Have you guys found a replacement owner for my Heavy Metal Super Band team? I'm now officially retired and probably won't be back to take care of it. Since it's paid for, it should be easy to find a new owner! Anyways good luck with it!

I am all for raising the TOI for goalies as proposed.

Looks like a good time to propose rule changes. 

1. I think the TOI issue for goalies is a no-brainer, I completely support changing the maximums as proposed above and hope that even those that have retired players under the current restriction will also approve.
2. We need to determine what penalties we will assess to teams that play ineligible players (players beyond the retirement threshold).  All of the penalties that I can think of are pretty harsh (e.g. forfeit each game played with illegal player, team not eligible for playoffs) so i'm open to suggestions.
3. Should we consider limiting playoff eligibility to players that have played 24 or more games?

Just a few thoughts.  Hope we can agree before the end of the season.

trac - if a player plays exactly 24 games, they wouldn't hit the threshold for a full season (25 games or more counts as a full season), but they could still play in the playoffs. That would mean that all the superstars we're keeping at 6 seasons and benched could still play in the playoffs, which is what I think you're trying to get around. I'm not sure if I'm for or against your rule, but I think you meant 25 games either way, right? That way, someone who is in the playoffs has technically played a "full season".

I'll be honest, I think the approach of limiting players to a certain number of games played just leads to hoarding of players, what they call in the Minor League Dynasty "warehousing". The system we're using is flawed.

If you have a lot of patience and allow your best players never to go above 24 games played for a dozen or so seasons, eventually you will have a core of 100/100/100 players. This just means that patience is rewarded above gameplay and coaching. Benching your best players for 3/4 of the season is not hockey.

The problem of warehousing is worsened if playoff games don't count. All that will mean is that owners will bench their core 100/100/100 players until the playoffs - this is hardly a realistic simulation...

I think a better approach is to force retirement or salary increases based on career Time on Ice (TOI). The stats are there and Admin can run a simple script at the end of the year that says if a player reaches a certain career level of TOI their salary increases. This eliminates warehousing and requires the owners to show more strategy than just dogged patience...

- Thom

Quinet,
 if there is an opening in this league some time in the future please keep me in mind.
Tahnks,
John (Corbs1019 from OKP's MLD)

bumped for newbies like me...

bump