40+ Hockey Terms To Understand The Sport

No matter whether you have been born with a adhere in hand or only view ice hockey for the duration of the battle for the Stanley Cup, there are a great deal of terms to know through a activity of hockey. You have possible listened to of a slapshot, but can you determine a gongshow? Do you know …

• What do you contact a significantly difficult aim?
• Who’s the duster in the activity?
• Why is sieve considered an insult?
• Why is perfect move important?

We have collected up a glossary of phrases you’ll hear during a hockey game. The listing consists of formal phrases as effectively as a penalty box comprehensive of enjoyable slang terms. Though this checklist will be helpful to persons unfamiliar with hockey, even longtime enthusiasts may possibly be reunited with a pleasurable phrase they’ve forgotten. Devoid of even further hold off, let’s set on our skates, seize a stick, and check out this record of hockey phrases. 

Learn about the Stanley Cup, hockey’s coveted trophy, right here.

Hockey slang

• apple: An guide, or a pass or deflection that causes a teammate to score a intention.
• bender: A mocking term to refer to a player who bends their ankles even though skating, which is a indicator they really don’t have good skating approach.
• biscuit: The puck.
• celly: A celebration adhering to a intention.
• chirp: To converse trash to opponents.
• clapper: A slapshot (see under).
• duster: A player who does not see substantially gametime. Alternatively, they “collect dust” on the bench.
• stream: A hockey player’s hair.
• gongshow: An exciting hockey recreation. In unique, the phrase gongshow is typically applied to refer to a sport with a good deal of penalties, mistakes, and/or fights.
• pylon: A defending participant who doesn’t go substantially.
• sieve: A goaltender that makes it possible for a good deal of targets.
• major shelf: The spot in the objective down below the top rated crossbar and earlier mentioned the goalie’s shoulders. This spot and shots built in just it are also referred to as cheese or prime cheese. A best shelf goal is specially tough to make properly, so it is deemed to be an remarkable feat.

The positions and players

In a activity of hockey, all of the gamers on a team—barring one—are permitted to skate all over the ice. In the course of a activity, players will usually change spots and go wherever they can be most valuable to the staff at the present-day moment. That staying stated, there are still six unique positions that are generally recognized in a video game of hockey. These are:

• center: This player commences in the middle of the rink and handles faceoffs. The centre typically performs offense, but centers may possibly switch to a defensive purpose if required.
• proper and still left wing: The wings, also known as wingers, line up to the still left and ideal of the center. These two players normally largely participate in offense with the centre. Because of this, the wings and the center are also typically referred to as forwards.
• correct and still left defense: As their names suggest, the defensemen or defensewomen usually remain again and enable defend the target or recuperate rebounds. At situations, 1 or both of the protection could go up to change to offense. This is primarily likely to materialize during electric power plays when the workforce has a participant benefit.
• goaltender: The goaltender, frequently identified as a goalie, ordinarily stays shut to the purpose and prevents the puck from moving into the goal for a rating. The goaltender wears distinct products from other players and has unique regulations about touching and grabbing the puck.

The sport

• assist: A participant is credited with an aid if their go or deflection results in a teammate to rating a intention. If many gamers move the puck to each and every other ahead of scoring, all of the contributing gamers are credited with an assist.
• breakaway: A predicament in which the participant with the puck only has the goaltender stopping them from scoring a intention.
• examine: A basic expression for when a player will make get in touch with with a player with the puck in purchase to try to disrupt their perform or result in a turnover. Examining can typically involve violent crashes or a player staying slammed from the boards. According to the checking guidelines, call earlier mentioned the shoulders is not allowed.

• deke: A feint maneuver in which a participant will get an opponent out of posture so they can get by them. Ordinarily, a deke is executed by feinting to a person course prior to speedily relocating in one more. The term dangle is also utilised to refer to a faux out, and a deke is just one form of dangle.
• facial area-off: The minute when enjoy begins or resets, signaled by the referee dropping the puck in between the sticks of the two facilities (typically) in the center of the rink.
• hand move: A scenario in which a participant utilizes their hand to halt or capture the puck in midair to halt its momentum. A participant is only permitted to do this in their defensive zone, if not enjoy is stopped and reset with a facial area-off.
• hat trick: A condition in which one player scores three ambitions in a one match. When a hat trick happens, energized admirers will generally throw their hats on to the rink.
• possess objective: When a engage in unintentionally leads to the puck to enter their possess aim, offering a issue to the other workforce.
• electricity perform: A predicament in which a person team has a player benefit about the other thanks to an opposing participant being sent to the penalty box. Groups will usually capitalize on this edge by aggressively playing more offensively.
• rebound: When the puck stays in perform after bouncing off the goalie, an additional participant, the purpose, or the boards.
• save: When the goalie stops the puck from entering the internet.
• saucer go: A pass in which one particular player sails the puck into the air, like a saucer, to a teammate.
• slapshot: A violent and powerful shot in which a player winds up the stick at or earlier mentioned the shoulders just before earning get in touch with. In a slapshot, the stick slaps the ice and bends just before hitting the puck, which causes a significant amount of money of drive to deliver the puck relocating really quick.

The ice rink

• ice rink: The frozen water or synthetic ice on which a game of ice hockey is performed.
• boards: The walls or surfaces surrounding the rink that keep the puck in participate in.
• centre ice: The middle of the rink the place the first facial area-off happens.
• confront-off circles: Four red circles—two on each and every side of the rink—in which encounter-offs are performed next a participate in stoppage.
• aim cages: The structures positioned at the ends of the rink. Players should location the puck in the target cages in get to rating aims.
• penalty box: A box positioned near a team’s bench. A participant who commits a penalty have to go away the rink and continue being in the penalty box for a period of time of time relying on the penalty they dedicated. It is feasible for numerous players to be in the penalty box at the same time.
• red line: The line splitting the rink in 50 % at the middle.
• blue traces: The two traces situated on both aspect of the pink line. The blue lines divide the rink into three zones: the defensive zone, the neutral zone, and the offensive zone. The defensive and offensive zone depend on which team is presently on offense.
• slot: The area of the rink situated immediately in front of a purpose between the two deal with-off circles. Mainly because pictures taken in the slot are less very likely to be performed at an angle or deflected, the slot is the region wherever a shot is most very likely to be successful.
• wings: The remaining and suitable sides of the rink exactly where the wingers normally enjoy.

Make a breakaway to the quiz

Now that you have come to be a professional at hockey vocabulary, preserve your training up by viewing our phrase listing. You’ll be in a position to practice with flashcards, spelling quizzes and more. Then, go for the hat trick by scoring on our hockey quiz, adopted of training course with a energized celly.