(Shameless plug portion of the article) but seriously, this ties into my last point as well. No matter how well you know hockey – you don't know it all. I am a contributor to Dobber's guide and I still couldn't survive without it myself. Dobber has an army of writers spending hours watching hockey and combing through numbers. There is just no way any single human being could amass this much information themselves. You need to get the guide. There are other great publications out there as well and if you really don't want to get Dobber's guide for whatever reason, then at least make sure you get one of those. Dobber is the best in the business though and he updates his guide all summer long with all the latest information.  Do it.

6.You veto trades.

This one may be a bit controversial, but in my mind the only trades that should ever be vetoed are ones that are definitely collusion and if this is the case offending parties should be kicked out of the league entirely. Vetoing a trade because it is one sided is bush league. If there is a less adept GM in your league who is ready to sell a player under value, then you need to be the first to recognize the opportunity and take advantage of them. If you aren't the one to take advantage then shame on you. Bad trades happen but that's life in the big city. This rule goes both ways for me: if you are a GM who likes to veto trades then you aren't ready for my fantasy hockey league but conversely if you run a league where trades are regularly vetoed then I am not ready to be in your fantasy hockey league.

7.You leave trade offers open for days on end

To be considered a legitimate GM, you need to be responsive. Personally, if a GM isn't responding within 24 hours then I don't want him in my league. Does that make me harsh? Maybe. Obsessive? Probably. But I don't care. I play fantasy hockey because I love to do it and if you aren't looking at trade offers in a timely manner then you clearly don't love it as much as I do. I have other decisions that I am ready to make in my league depending on the outcome of my trade request to you. You aren't ready to answer me in a timely manner? You aren't ready to play in my league.

8.You don't know who Radko Gudas is

It doesn't have to be Radko Gudas name above, but I am using the long time Dobber community favorite to make a point here: there are tons of valuable players in fantasy hockey who just aren't goals and assists guys. Most leagues now include other categories like shots, hits, PIMs, +/-, PPP etc etc. This can have a HUGE impact on who is worthwhile in your league and who isn't. Gudas was first owned in my main keeper league during the winter of 2013. He played 22 games that year. If you still don't know who he is (18 months later) then you certainly aren't ready to be in my Fantasy Hockey League.

9.You draft Frans Nielsen over Shea Weber because "he gets more points"

In almost every Fantasy Hockey League, positions matter. A 50 point defenseman will help your fantasy team far more than a 55 point centre will in almost every league. Tools out there like fantasyhockeygeek.com can help you to figure out which players are worth more based on their positions and category contributions and truly advanced GMs will use tools like this to their full advantage. If you don't at least get the concept that position eligibility has a big impact on player value though, then you aren't ready to be in my fantasy hockey league.

10.You will never see this article because it is the Fantasy Hockey "off season"

There is no fantasy hockey offseason. For me, Fantasy Hockey is a cycle: Prepping, Drafting, Managing/Trading, Winning, Learning and then back to prepping.  If you aren't in one of the stages of that cycle for 10-12 months a year, then you aren't ready to be in my fantasy hockey league.