Do I have to be registered in the Hockey Canada Registry to work the bench?

Yes. Hockey Canada By-law Regulation D.1 (2026-27) says every Player and Team Official taking part in games provided by Hockey Canada and its Members must be a Registered Participant of a Team Roster that is registered with Hockey Canada. Before taking part in any league or championship game, they must be registered with the Member in the Hockey Canada Registry (HCR) and validated by the Member Executive Director or designate for the current season.

The By-laws define Team Officials as including the Coach, manager, safety person/trainer, equipment manager, team physician, and the president and other members of a team's executive or board.

Information the HCR records for a Coach includes the level of coach certification, the season of qualification and the criminal record check. For safety personnel it records the level, expiry date and criminal record check. The role options on a team are Player, Goaltender, Coach, Bench Staff, Safety or Official.

Source: Hockey Canada By-laws 2026-27, Regulations D.1 and D.9 (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Corporate/About/Downloads/2026-27-bylaws-e.pdf).