Table of Contents

Name
Purpose
Affiliation
Membership
Governing Body
Officers
Duties of Officer and Appointed Positions
Nominating Committe
Committees and Committee Chairpersons
Coaches and Coaches' Duties
Fee
Ice Time
Equipment

ARTICLE I
NAME

Rev. 8/95
The name of this organization shall be Nashua Panthers Youth Hockey Association hereinafter NPYHA.

ARTICLE II
PURPOSE

The purpose of NPYHA. shall be to instruct boys and girls, of the Greater Nashua area, in the Fundamentals of skating, hockey, good sportsmanship, and team spirit; regardless of race, color or creed in accordance with the bill of rights for young athletes as defined by USA HOCKEY (formerly the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States).All boys and girls of the Association:

• Shall have the opportunity to participate in sports regardless of ability level.
• Shall have the right to participate at a level that is commensurate with
  each child's developmental level.
• Shall have the right to qualified adult leadership.
• Shall have the right to participate in safe, healthy environments.
• Shall have the right to share in the leadership and decision making of
  their sport participation.
• Shall have the right to play as a child, not as an adult.
• Shall have the right to proper preparation for participation in the sport.
• Shall have the right to equal opportunity to strive for success.
• Shall have the right to be treated with dignity by all involved.
• Shall have the right to have fun through sport.

NPYHA shall be dedicated to provide for the maximum number of youth to participate in its programs.  It will establish, operate, and manage programs which are necessary and appropriate for recreational hockey and shall conduct an annual search for sponsors as well as promoting other fund raising activities as may be deemed necessary to remain solvent and affordable.

ARTICLE III
AFFILIATION

Section I
This organization shall be affiliated with USA HOCKEY (formerly the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States) in accordance with its rules and regulations.

Section II
The Vice President shall serve as representative to, and NPYHA shall be affiliated with, the New Hampshire Amateur Hockey Association (NHAHA) in accordance with its rules and regulations.

ARTICLE IV
MEMBERSHIP

Section I
The membership of NPYHA shall consist of officers, coaches, committee members and players registered in the program, their parents and/or guardians.

Section II
Rev. 8/92
Voting membership shall consist of the governing body, division directors, coaches, committee chairpersons, and team managers. In no case shall any person have more than one vote.  Committee chairpersons will have voting privileges during the life of that committee.

ARTICLE V
GOVERNING BODY

Section I
The Governing body shall be a Board of Directors and consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Operations Manager, all Division Directors, Registrar, Ice Manager, the Director of Coaches, Referee In Chief, and the most current retired President.

Section II
The Board of Directors shall meet prior to each meeting of the voting membership to discuss the agenda for said voting membership meeting.

Section III
The Board of Directors shall take office annually at the first meeting in April of each year.

Section IV
No member of the Board of Directors shall be head coach, with the exception of the Past President and the Director of Coaches.
 

Section V
The Board of Directors shall determine the total number of players on each roster, and no player will be cut from the Association without prior approval of the Board.

Section VI
Any director who has served a full term of one year shallbe eligible to be reelected for one term on a year to year basis.

Section VII
Any board member who misses two consecutive un-excused meetings or three un-excused meetings in a fiscal year is subject to removal from the board.  The President will decide what constitutes an un-excused meeting.  If a director is subject to removal, written notification should be sent by the secretary,

Section VIII
Vacancies
A vacancy during the year in the position of directors, will be filled by the Board of Directors, voting in a simple majority at any regularly scheduled meeting.  The new member will fill the vacant Director position until the next annual election.

Section IX
Regular Meetings
Rev. 5/96

There shall be twelve regular monthly meetings per year scheduled on the last Monday of the month, unless such monthly meeting is waived at the prior month's board meeting by a majority vote.

Section X
Special Meetings
The President may call a special meeting as is deemed necessary for the conduct of business.  Social meetings may also be called at the request of two thirds members of the Board of Directors.  Notice of time, place, and in the caseof special meetings, the purpose thereof, shall be given by the secretary to each member of the board not less than 5 days before the date specified for such a meeting.  This notice shall be given by mail.

Section XI
Powers

The Board of Directors, subject to these bylaws, shall exercise all corporate powers and conduct, manage, and control the affairs and property of the Association.  It shall have the power to receive, use, and hold any proceeds thereof for this Association or any of its activities.

Section XII
Quorum and Voting
A quorum for the transaction of business shall exist whenever a majority of the Board of Directors are present in person at the call of the meeting, Each director shall be entitled to one vote, to be cast in person and not by proxy.  Unless a greater vote is required by these bylaws, any proposal to come before the board upon the affirmative vote of the majority of the directors and officers present and voting, shall pass.

ARTICLE VI
OFFICERS

Section I
The officers of NPYHA shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer

Section II
The President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be nominated annually at the February meeting by a nominating committee.

Section III
The President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer
Rev. 8/92
shall be elected annually by the governing body, and parent/guardian of the association players at the annual meeting, and take office at the First meeting in April of each year. (Limited to one vote per family)

Section IV
Removal From Office
Any officer or director may be removed from Office by the affirmative vote of no less than 3/4 of members of the Board of Directors and Officers.  In case a situation such as this arises, immediate action shall be taken.

ARTICLE VII
DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND APPOINTED POSITIONS

Section I       
The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Association.  He/she shall preside at all meetings of the voting membership and the governing bodies. The President shall be directly responsible to the Board of Directors of NPYHA. It shall be the President's duty to exercise general supervision over the activities and welfare of the Association and keep in constant touch with the other Association Officers and the Board of Directors relative to matters of policy.

Rev. 8/92       
The Division Directors, Registrar, Ice Manager, Referee In Chief and Director of Coaches, shall be appointed annually by the President of the organization and confirmed by the voting membership, They shall begin to serve immediately upon confirmation.

Section II       
The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in his/her absence, will carry out all duties assigned by the President and will be NPYHA's representative to NHAHA  The Vice President will oversee all N.H. state league involvement by NPYHA  The Vice President will also process all player releasesfrom NPYHA and receive all releases fromother associations to NPYHA  The release policy to be set by the governing body.

Section III
The Secretary shall perform the duties of the President and Vice President in their absence.  The Secretary shall have custody of all documents, papers and general records of the organization and shall give due notice of all meetings and shallconduct the general correspondence of the organization.  At the expiration of his/her term, all books and papers in their possession shall be delivered to the incoming secretary.

Section IV
The Secretary shall take and transcribe all minutes of the meetings of the voting membership and of the governing body and shall submit the same for approval on request at the next meeting thereof.

Section V
The Treasurer shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of the Vice President or Secretary.  The Treasurer shall receive and disburse the Funds of the Association.  He/She shall keep and preserve proper and definitive records of all Association income and expenses.  He/She shall deposit Funds of the Association in such banks as may be approved by the Board of Directors, and shall be authorized to approve and pay invoices up to and including $300.00 by a single signature check.  All checks in excess of $300.00 drawn upon funds of the Association, other than normal operation costs, shall be signed by the Treasurer and the President.  The Treasurer of the organization shall be bonded, the amount of the bond shall be set by the Board of Directors.

Rev. 5/96         
It shall be the duty of the sitting Treasurer to each year prepare a complete and sufficient record of financial accounts for the preceding fiscal year, and to submit said information to a reputable Certified Public Accountant, approved by the Board of Directors, for the purpose of preparing any and all required Federal and State informational returns, including but not limited to Internal Revenue Service form 990 and attendant schedule A. All informational returns shall be completed, signed by the Treasurer and filed with the appropriate Government Agency no later than August 15 of each year. The Treasurer is authorized to make payment of reasonable and customary professional fees to the approved Certified Public Accountant for services rendered. The Treasurer shall perform these duties whether or not he/she was in office during the preceding fiscal year.

In the absence of a sitting Treasurer or in the case of the Treasurer’s inability, for any reason, to complete the above duties it shall become the responsibility of the President to insure that all above described requirements are met.

Section VI
The Directors of each age division of NPYHA shall be responsible for the overall operation of their division and shall interact with all team managers and coaches in their division. They shall make sure that a channel of communication is maintained to and from teams and the Association. They shall be responsible to make sure the non-coaching administrative tasks are completed in a timely manner. They shall attend all Monthly Association Meetings, and encourage Team Managers to do the same. Division Directors are to be the first line of Association management in the operation of their division.

Section VII
The duties of the Registrar shall be the collection, care and maintenance of pertinent data for the registration of all Association players. The Registrar will make timely reports and data sortings for use by the Board for tryouts, team assignments, coaching assignments, and roster reports to USA Hockey and leagues and other uses as required. The Registrar will work in conjunction with the Treasurer to make certain that membership fees are collected as prescribed by the Board. The Registrar is responsible to maintain the confidentiality of any data collected from members.

Section VIII
The Ice Manager shall be responsible for scheduling all ice for practice and league games and shall insure full utilization of NPYHA ice time.

Section IX
The Director of Coaching shall be responsible for the overseeing and development of the Association coaching staff in accordance with the stated goals and objectives detailed in Article II of the Association By-laws, and the principals outlined in the USA Hockey Coaching Education Recommended Guidelines.

The Director of Coaching will be responsible for the development of a Coaches Handbook to include:

• A set of stated goals and ideals.
• Detailed list of Association contacts to deal with different situations
• An Association approved and expected continuum of skills, from Mite through Midget.
• Detailed list of guidelines to deal with situations that may arise during a game.

The Director of Coaching will oversee and hold regular meeting with the coaching staff and report to the Board on those meetings.

The Director of Coaching shall also coordinate clinics and make sure all coaches are patched.

The Director of Coaching will review all game misconduct penalties with Head Coaches for possible league appeal or further disciplinary action.

The Director of Coaching  will report to the Board for possible action on any  player’s 3^rd game misconduct penalty if the situation warrants.

Section X
Referee in Chief

The Referee in Chief shall be responsible for obtaining referees for the Home Travel Division games. He shall have the responsibility to be certain that all tournament NPYHA games have referees assigned.

Section XI
Operations Manager

The Operations Manager is appointed by the Association President to perform duties and tasks at the discretion of the President.

Section XII              
League Representative (Dual State and Tom Hill)

League Representatives shall attend all respective league meetings for the purpose of making the needs and desires of the Association known to that league. The representative shall also attend all Monthly Association Meetings and report to the Board the concerns and issues brought forth at the respective league meetings, allowing the Board to act as needed.

Section XIII         
Team Manager

Team Managers shall work as the conveyors of information to and from the teams. They shall be responsible only for the non-coaching administrative tasks, which should be completed in a timely manner. These tasks should include the distribution of team practice and game schedules, and the collection and distribution of information for, to and from the team. They shall report to and work with the Division Directors and their team’s Head Coach on a regular basis. Team Managers shall be responsible for, or assigning an alternate member of their team, to attend the Monthly Association Meeting.

Section XIV         
Volunteer Coordinator

It will be the responsibility of the Volunteer Coordinator to make the names and talents of  volunteers known to the Board. The Volunteer Coordinator will have all volunteers reporting to him/her as a matter of policy in order to allow the identification of the talents or the position the volunteer wishes to fill be made clear. The Volunteer Coordinator will make know by way of a list or schedule, the names of those that have agreed to perform services or staffing for Association functions and or events.

Section XV          
Equipment Manager

The Equipment Manager shall be responsible for the distribution of Association owned equipment at the beginning of a new season, for the collection and storing of Association owned equipment during the off season, keeping track of the condition of that equipment, and the procurement and distribution of first aid kit supplies.

Section XVI         
Merchandising Manager.

The Merchandising Manager will be responsible for proposing new merchandise opportunities, acting as the liaison with third-party vendors, and coordinating and organizing the sale and distribution of Association merchandise.       

ARTICLE VIII
NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Section I
A nominating committee shall be appointed annually at the January meeting by the President.

Section II       
The nominating committee shall consist of the Vice President, one Division Director and one coach.

Section III       
Nominations shall be made by the nominating committee annually at the February meeting for the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

ARTICLE IX
COMMITTEES AND COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS

Section I 
Special committees, with specified duties, may be appointed from time to time asthe need arises.  Unless otherwise provided for in the resolutions creating them, all special committee chairpeople shallbe appointed by the President and confirmed by the Board of Directors.

Section II      
It shall be the duty of the committee chairpeople to conduct all committee meetings and to report at the voting membership meetings all the activities and progress of their committee.

ARTICLE X
COACHES AND COACHES’ DUTIES

Section I          
Head Coaches shall be appointed by the Board of Directors in accordance with Article VII, Section VI.

Section II
The duties of each Head Coach shall consist of instructing the team members in the basics of skating, hockey, good sportsmanship and team spirit.  Each Head Coach shall be responsible for the general management of the team activities. It shall be the responsibility of every head coach to insure that all members assigned to his/her team be treated in accordance with the  ideals outlined in Article II of the By-Laws of the Nashua Panthers Youth Hockey Association. Coaches’ duties are defined in Articles X  and XII of the By-Laws of the Nashua Panthers Youth Hockey Association. The Head Coach will appoint a Team Manager and up to 3 Assistant Coaches, and also utilize the talents of team Parents and/or Guardians as needed and in accordance with USA Hockey rules.

Section III
Assistant Coaches shall be nominated by the Head Coach, confirmed by the Division Director and approved by the Board of Directors. Assistant Coaches’ shall act in accordance with the ideals outlined in Articles II, X, and XII of the By-Laws of the Nashua Panthers Youth Hockey Association. He/she will act as Head Coach in the absence of the Head Coach.

Section IV       
All coaches shall be patched by USA HOCKEY unless waived by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE XI
FEES

Section I
Membership Fees, dues and/or tuition costs for the ensuing year shall be set by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE XII
ICE TIME

Section I                   
Each coach shall make every effort to ensure that each player receives equal ice time in all games, scrimmages, league or tournament play, up to the last 6 minutes of regulation time.

ARTICLE XIII
EQUIPMENT

Section I
NPYHA will provide each player with a pair of hockey socks and a game shirt. Annual tuition costs shall be established so as to include the cost of each player's shirt. Therefore, each player may keep his/her shirt and socks at the completion of each year.

Section II
The Association shall provide goaltending equipment in the beginner, mite and squirt divisions. This equipment must be returned in good condition at the end of each year.

Section IIA                
The Association strongly recommends the use of neck guards by players at all
Rev. 6/96 levels. Neck guards are required equipment for all players in the In House and Mite Divisions.

Section III
The colors of NPYHA shall be determined by majority vote of the Board of Directors.

Section IV
If any parent, guardian, or relative of a Nashua player is ejected from a game by a referee then both the ejected party and the player shall be immediately suspended from any and all Association activities for a minimum of thirty days. That suspension may be extended up to one year by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. Thirty day suspensions shall not be subject to appeal.

Rev. 3/99

NPYHA BY-LAWS AS AMENDED
MAY, 1999