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Most office hockey pools keep the teams simple - merely choose 12 or 15 or 20 skaters from any position, most points win.
When management of the participant's roster is required (i.e., activating certain players), this type of pool is often referred to as fantasy hockey.
The most common scoring scheme is simply: There are two basic kinds of hockey pools: draft and non-draft.
This type of pool requires considerable in-depth knowledge of players beyond the top tier of NHL stars.
One variant of a non-draft pool is a "box-style" pool, where players of a similar caliber (i.e., forwards, defencemen, superstars, rookies) are grouped together and a fixed number of players are selected from each group or box.
There are advantages to each system, and commissioners should consider what kind of a league they want to create for their team owners.
More teams remain in realistic playoff contention longer, because it is easier to make up what would constitute a full game in the standings.
Head-to-head each category - The benefit is that the standings should most closely reflect a rotisserie type of overall team strength, with the caveat that the opponent is different every week (rotisserie leagues have no head-to-head match ups and therefore no opponents).
A common complaint about head-to-head category leagues is that it places too much or too little importance on certain aspects of the game of hockey.
By assigning a point value to everything that would otherwise be its own equally weighted category, the competitors can decide what kind of players they want to value the highest.
The drawback to this setting is that games can frequently get out of hand by the weekend, thus again causing an atmosphere of indifference among many league members during what is supposed to be the most exciting time of the week.
A small fee is usually required to enter these contests, with a significantly higher jackpot for the winner.
The structure and payouts of daily fantasy games have been described as providing a feeling of "instant gratification" to its players, similar to that of online gambling.
Rotisserie leagues are likely the most strategic type of fantasy pool and reward managers whose team has strong, balanced scoring across all categories.
Any fantasy hockey pool that "rolls over" into future years is called a "Keeper" or "Dynasty" league.
Before the next NHL season begins, a fantasy draft is held to fill out the rest of the roster.
Otherwise a number value is assigned - usually by an online hockey pool program - or it is determined through an auction process.
For a typical hockey pool, there are hundreds of statistical updates occurring every night.
In a simulated fantasy hockey league, each team owner builds a roster of players who are represented by a set of ratings for attributes such as scoring prowess and passing ability.
The assembled rosters then compete in simulated head-to-head matchups, with the outcome determined by the attributes of the players.
The longest documented continuously run hockey pool was formed in 1980 by a group of students from Handsworth Secondary School in North Vancouver, Canada.
The only year the pool was not active was during the 2004-2005 NHL Season, which was cancelled due to a labour dispute.