OTTAWA NHL'94 TOURNAMENT


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1.0 TOURNAMENT FORMAT


The format of the tournament will be based on the number of players and the amount of time and space available to us.


It is 6 games guaranteed, but possibly more. I hope to get everyone at least 8 games.


At the moment the expected format is a Round Robin followed by a bracket. If there are enough players we may have separate "A" and "B" (consolation) brackets. Depending on the amount of time, we may do single- or double-elimination, and/or single games or best-of-3s.


Again, the format is subject to change based on the number of players due to the limited time and space available. Here is the current expected format:


1.1 ROUND ROBIN


  • The round robin will be at least 4 games.
  • ​If there are multiple Round Robin groups, the "tournament veteran" and new players will be split up as evenly as possible to attempt to make the groups equal in skill.


1.2 BRACKET SEEDING


  • If there are enough players, they will be split into "A" and "B" (consolation) brackets based on number of wins in the Round Robin.
    • In that case, winning half the games puts you in the "A" bracket; less than half into the "B" bracket.
    • If it's a single bracket, we may insert "byes" to minimize mismatches in the opening round of the bracket.
  • Seeding within the brackets will be based on: 
  1. Wins
  2. Goal Differential
  3. Fewest Goals Allowed
  4. Head-to-head result
  5. ​The player who registered first (it's better than a coin flip!)


BRACKET FORMAT


Likely single-elimination, best-of-3. If there's time, it may be double-elimination. If double-elimination, the "losers' bracket" may be single games.

​

2.0 MATCHUP CALLING


To avoid the same team matchups over and over again, we use "matchup calling." This is a process that provides more varied, but equal, matchups. (It is a similar process to how to fairly cut a piece of cake in half -- one person cuts the cake into 2 pieces, and the other person chooses which piece they want.)


The Away player chooses 2 different teams (e.g. "I call a matchup of DET and CHI"), then the Home player chooses which of those teams to be (e.g "OK I'll take CHI"), then the Away player is the remaining team (e.g. "Alright that leaves me with DET").


A tier list of suggested competitive matchups will be posted at the tournament.


​Here is the SNES Tier List. Here is the Genesis Tier List. Teams sharing a colour bar are considered competitive matchups. You do not have to follow the Tier List, but it is available to help if you're having a hard time thinking of a good matchup.


2.1 ROUND ROBIN


During the Round Robin, the home and away players are predetermined in the schedule.


During the Round Robin, you can not re-use the same team in any of your matchup calls. So if you are the Away team 3 times, you need to call 6 different teams. (Note: When you are the Home team, it doesn't matter what teams are called against you, they do not count against your tally of called teams.)


2.2 BRACKET


During all non-Finals bracket series, the higher seed is the Home team in the first game (and, if applicable, third game) of each series. The only time this does not apply is for the Championship Final: the winner's side finalist will choose whether they want to be home or away for the first game, regardless of their seeding, and home/away will then alternate each game.


For all series: Different teams must be used in each game for the entire series regardless of who is calling them.  Example: In Game 1 the Away player calls NYR/BOS. In game 2, the players switch and the Away player must call two other teams (they can’t pick NYR OR BOS). They call CHI/DET. If there's a game 3, the Away player can call any matchup that doesn't include any of NYR, BOS, CHI, or DET.  


3.0 IN-GAME SETTINGS


These settings create fast-paced games and are the standard online settings.


  • Period Length: 5 minutes
  • Penalties: ON, No Offsides
  • Line Changes: OFF
  • Manual Goalie: ON *
  • Defense Control: ON


* Manual Goalie: You can let the AI control the goalie if you wish, but the option must be enabled even if you won't be taking control of the goalie.


4.0 MISCELLANEOUS RULES


4.1 CONTROLLERS


Controllers will be provided. You may bring your own original or knock-off controller so long as it works with an original Sega Genesis or Super Nintendo Console, as long as it has no turbo options​.


If you bring your own, it is highly recommended that you label your controller clearly so that it does not get lost.


4.2 SYSTEM MALFUCTION


If there is a system or game malfunction (e.g. game freezes or can't be continued), the players will restart the game and play the number of periods that were unfinished.  The score of the game at the time of malfunction carries over.


Example: The score is 3-1 for Player A and the game malfunctions halfway through the 3rd period. The game is restarted, with the same teams, and 1 whole period is played. The score in the new game is 1-0 for Player B. The total score is 3-2 for Player A, so Player A wins. If the total score is tied, use the next period(s) as the overtime period. 


4.3 TIES


No ties!  If a game finishes tied after overtime, the players will start a new game where the next goal wins (i.e. continue OT).  Penalties and player injuries will not carry over. 


4.4 PULLING THE GOALIE


The goalie can be pulled at any time, obeying the following situations, the spirit of which is to not use pausing the game to gain an advantage by disrupting the opponent's coordination on attack or defense:

  • If the puck is in your defensive zone, you must have control of the puck to pull the goalie. (Ex. if the other player is on a breakaway, you can't pause the game and pull your goalie, because it can mess up the other player's timing which is not allowed). 
  • If the puck is in the offensive zone and you have the puck, you need to give the defending player enough time to re-set. (Ex. pausing the game, pulling the goalie, then unpausing and scoring a quick one-timer is not allowed). Exiting the zone with the puck is considered a reasonable amount of time for the defense to re-set. 
  • If the puck is in the neutral zone, you can pull the goalie.
  • Once the goalie is pulled, you can only put the goalie back in after a whistle (before a faceoff).

The spirit of this rule is that the player who pauses the game doesn't gain an advantage from the pause itself.


4.5 EDITING LINES


Lineup changes are allowed before the game and during stoppages. Please keep line changes short so as not to cause delays.


4.6 TIME-OUTS


The games have a Time-out option in the menu. You can call a quick time-out for fun if you like. As far as we know, it doesn't affect the game when line changes are off. Please resume the game promptly.


​4.7 SIX-GOAL MERCY RULE


To save time, whenever one player achieves a 6-goal lead, the game immediately ends and is recorded with that score.​


​4.8 ILLEGAL GOALS


There are no illegal goals. All types of goals and scoring methods are valid.


When using manual goalie, it is possible to save any scoring technique.


There are some rare glitches that can result in goals after the whistle. They count.


4.9 DISPUTES


We encourage players to resolve any dispute amongst themselves. Michael (smozoma) will resolve any disputes if the players cannot come to an agreement. We have never had an issue requiring organizer resolution before.​