Pool rules and league format

What this pool is

Neon Buzzard Hockey Pool is a season-long fantasy NHL pool tied to the NHL regular season. Standings are based on total fantasy points accumulated from the players on each GM’s roster.

Draft and roster

The pool uses a multi-round snake draft to build rosters. Recent seasons have used about 20–24 rounds; the exact round count for the current year is set before the draft.

Since the 2022–2023 season, the league has used a slow draft format (turns taken over days rather than in one live block), unless the group agrees on a different schedule for a given year.

Scoring

Points come from NHL regular-season games only (playoffs are excluded unless the commissioner announces otherwise). The exact category weights and any bonuses are distributed by the commissioner for each season.

Tier 1, Tier 2, and promotion / relegation

Starting in 2024–2025 the league moved to a promotion-and-relegation style with two parallel leagues (Spades and Hearts), each with 14 GMs. The top 14 combined finishers across both leagues (out of 28) earned Tier 1 spots for 2025–2026.

From 2025–2026 onward, the pool runs as Tier 1 and Tier 2 sub-leagues (14 GMs each). How many teams move up or down between tiers each season is decided by the commissioner and announced before the year starts.

Prizes and recognition

Since 2021–2022, the pool awards medals or equivalent recognition for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the final standings.

The “Triple Crown” is an informal honor for a season in which one GM finishes first in total points, first in points per game, and first in the “top picks per round” tiebreaker-style stat used that year (as tracked by the commissioner).

Conduct and disputes

Trades, add/drops, lineup settings, and deadline rules follow whatever platform or process the commissioner sets for that season. The commissioner resolves disputes and may adjust rules for competitive balance or clarity with notice to the league.