Zappa Hockey League 2000-2001

This is the second season of the Zappa Hockey League. We chose this league name as a tribute to the great Frank Zappa, even though Mr. Zappa has virtually nothing to do with Hockey.

The Zappa Hockey League is a serious, but free fantasy hockey league, which means we will never ask you for any money. Last year was a great success, but also a good learning experience. This year will be even better than ever, with rule changes that will increase the realism.

This year the Zappa Hockey League will have 30 teams. Instead of having a draft and keeping a small number of players as we did last year, we are going to assign real NHL Rosters to each team Owner/General Manager. For example, my team will be the Blues, so on day one of the league, I will have the entire St. Louis Blues opening day roster on my team. An active General Manager will also represent each of the other 29 NHL teams.

After opening day, you will be the General Manager of the team you represent. So, If your team is the Florida Panthers, it's your job to make the trades and pick up the right free agents to win the ZHL Cup.

Last year we had a problem with about 20% of our team owners becoming inactive. Having dead teams in a fantasy hockey league is a real drag. This year, we are going to try to do something about that.

By making potential owners fill out an application, We can weed out the 9-yr olds, the people who don't care, and the incoherent owners that find their way to free leagues and then abandon their teams.

Secondly, we will allow the owners to police themselves. If an account becomes inactive, or an owner somehow jeopardizes the integrity of the league, a vote of eight owners will impeach that owner. In this manner, we expect to keep our game active.

The league will begin on the first day of the NHL 2000-2001 season. You will own all the players on the starting roster of the NHL team you represent. This is probably the only day our league will look like the real one, because if you can swing a deal to bring Pavol Bure to your team, go for it! It will be interesting to see how the winner of our league differs from the real thing.

Trades:

An official Trade proposal occurs when both team owners e-mail a trade request to the commissioner. For example, the Detroit owner and the San Jose owner decide to trade Sergei Federov for Owen Nolan, and e-mail the commissioner. The commissioner will post the trade proposal on the league forum for 48 hours.

The other league owners have this 48-hour period to veto the trade. It takes eight valid objections to veto a pending trade. Barring a veto, the trade will take effect at the end of that period.

Free Agents:

You will be able to pick up any player on the free agent wire, but to do so you must cut an active player from your roster. Once a player is cut, he goes on the free agent list, and is available to any other owner who wishes to claim the player.

Injuries:

Injuries are an unfortunate part of sports, although, they happen. In the NHL they have this nifty thing called a disabled list. Unfortunately, to incorporate this into the ZHL would be a programming nightmare. Therefore, if a player on your roster gets injured, you will have the agonizing decision of whether you want to ride it out, or drop the guy for a free-agent and risk losing him forever. Of course, so will everyone else.

We're very excited about the changes and hope you want to be a part of ZHL for next season. And Good Luck!