Hockey Terms

ASSIST

An Assist is awarded to any player who passes to another player resulting in a score. A first assist is awarded to the player passing to the scorer. A second assist is awarded to the player passing to the player who made the first assist

BACK CHECKING

Back checking means taking the puck from an opponent in the neutral zone or defensive zone

BENCH PENALTY

A bench penalty is a violation by players or coaches in the bench area such as illegal substitution or throwing objects on the ice. A bench penalty usually results in a player spending two minutes in the penalty box

BLUE LINE

There are two blue lines running the width of the rink dividing the rink into three zones. The blue line is 60 ft. from the goal line

BLUE LINER AWARD

A Blue Liner Award is generally given to any defenseman who performs in an outstanding manner during a game

BOARDING

Penalty called when a player makes contact with an opponent in such a way that he is thrown forcibly into the boards

BOARDS

"The "boards" are the fence-like construction enclosing the hockey rink. They must be from 36 to 42 inches above the ice surface. They are sometimes referred to as "dasher boards." They are in the shape of a rounded rectangle. The enclosed rink is 85 ft. by 200 ft. ">The "boards" are the fence-like construction enclosing the hockey rink. They must be from 36 to 42 inches above the ice surface. They are sometimes referred to as "dasher boards." They are in the shape of a rounded rectangle. The enclosed rink is 85 ft. by 200 ft.

BODY CHECK

To hinder an opponent heading toward or into the defending goal

BREAK OUT

A break out is a play designed to carry the puck out of the defensive zone.

BREAKAWAY

An offensive rush in which the attacking player breaks in alone on the goaltender

BREEZERS

Breezers or pants are loose fitting short pants with built-in pads over the hips, tailbones, and thighs to protect the player

CENTER

One of the forwards. Because the center is positioned in front of the opposing goal he is often the high scorer

CENTERING PASS

A centering pass is a pass to a teammate who is positioned in front of the opposing goal. Most scoring opportunities are set up by centering the puck

CHARGING

Penality called when a player takes more than three strides to run into an opponent or when a player checks his opponent from behind

CHECK

A check is a legal play intended to separate the puck from the player in possession of the puck. This can be accomplished by hitting the puck away with your stick or skate or by physically contacting the player in possession of the puck. To be legal, physical contact can only involve the body which includes the shoulders, trunk, and hips. Body checking is allowed only in Peewee age groups and over.

CLEARING PASS

This is a pass which takes the puck out of a team's defensive zone

CLEARING THE PUCK

When the puck is passed or shot away from the front of the net or congested area

COOPERALLS

Cooperall type pads are made by several companies, they are a girdle-like device which covers the entire trunk, hips and upper legs and incorporates all of the pads usually found in the breezers. Many players find these more comfortable. They may be worn either with a breezer-type pants or with a full length warm-up type pant

CREASE

The area directly in front of the goaltender. It is four feet wide and eight feet long and marked off by red lines. Offensive players who do not have the puck may not enter this area prior to the puck

CROSS CHECKING

Penalty called when a player contacts an opponent with the portion of his stick between his hands

CROSSOVERS

proper skating technique for a change of direction without losing speed

DEFENSE

The left and right defense of "D men" stay back to cut off the opposition when the other team has possession of the puck. There are two defense per team on the ice and along with the goalie they form the defensive unit

DEFENSIVE ZONE

Defensive zone for a given team is that portion of the rink behind their own blue line. The opponents must come into a team's defensive zone to score.

DEFLECTION

A shot which intercepts a teammate's shot and changes its direction at the last second. A deflected shot is very difficult for a goalie to stop. A "tip in" is the same as a deflection

DEKE

To deke another player or goalie is to fake in one direction so that the player can shoot in the other direction

DELAYED PENALTY

The referee delays blowing the whistle until the penalized team gains possession of the puck. This allows the team with the puck to pull their goaltender for a power play without fear that the penalized team will score

DIG IT OUT

This expression instructs a player, usually a wing, to go into the boards or corners to try to regain possession of the puck

DIGGER

A player who is a hard worker and goes into the corners to regain possession of the puck.

DROP PASS

An offensive maneuver that occurs when the puck carrier leaves the puck behind to be picked up by a trailing teammate

DUMPING The PUCK

The dropping of a puck between one player from each team to start play

FALLING ON THE PUCK

This penalty is called when a player other than the goal keeper deliberately falls on or gathers the puck into his body to stop play

FIVE HOLE

The opening between the goaltender's legs where opponents frequently attempt to score

FORE CHECKING

Fore checking means taking the puck from an opponent in the offensive zone

FREEZE THE PUCK

This term refers to holding the puck against the boards with the sticks or skate in order to stop the clock and to force a face-off. This can only be done if a player is being challenged by an opponent

GARTER BELT

The garter belt is exactly what women wore before the days of panty hose. It is used to hold the hockey socks in place

GOAL LINE

The goal line is a red stripe running the width of the rink at least 10 ft. from the end of the rink. The front of the goal sits directly on the goal line. When a puck has completely crossed the goal line and is into the goal with no part of the puck still in contact with the goal line a goal is awarded

GOAL, THE

The goal, sometimes referred to as the net, is a frame completely covered by heavy netting. The "mouth of the goal" encloses an area 6 ft. wide by 4 ft. high directly on the goal line and centered half way between the sideboards. In order to score a team must get the puck completely into the goal or net of the opposing team

GOALIE

This player is positioned in front of his team's goal at all times to prevent the shots from the other team from entering the goal. This player wears extra protective padding and is a privileged player in that members of the other team may not check the goalie

GOON

A player who may lack finesse but specializes in hard hitting checks to interfere with the other team

HAT TRICK

The scoring of three goals (or more) by a player in one game

HIGH STICK

High stick can refer to a penalty of striking an opponent with the stick raised, but more commonly it refers to playing the puck with a stick above the level of the Shoulder. The latter results in a face off outside the attacking zone

HIGH STICKING

Penalty is called when the stick is carried above the normal shoulder height and especially if contact is made with another player

HOCKEY TAPE

Cloth tape similar to electrician's tape. White is strongly encouraged because it is less likely to cause unsightly marks on the uniform. Hockey tape is used to tape both the blade and the handle of the stick, to hold pads in place, to tape the top of skate

HOLDING

Penalty called when a player impedes another player's progress with his hands or stick

HOOKING

Penalty called when the player hinders the progress of an opponent by hooking him with the stick

HOT DOG

A player who is good and frequently shows off to let people know it

ICING

Icing the puck is called if the player shoots the puck from behind the center red line the entire length of the rink crossing his opponents' goal line. When icing is called the puck is returned to the opposite end of the rink and the face-off is held in the area near where the icing was initiated. Icing is not called when an opposing player touches or has a chance to play the puck before it crosses the goal line. Icing is not called if the team of the player shooting the puck is short handed because of penalty

INTERFERENCE

Penalty called when a player body checks or impedes the progress of the opponent who is not in possession of the puck

KILLING A PENALTY

playing short handed during a penalty and keeping the other team scoreless during their two minute power play

LIFTING THE PUCK

Lifting the puck means shooting or passing in such a way that the puck goes through the air and is not in contact with the ice surface. This makes it much more difficult for the goalie to make the save or the defending players to make the interception

LINE CHANGE

Allows teams to get fresh players on the ice and remove their tired players. Line changes can be done while play is going on (known as changing on the fly) or after a whistle

LINE MATE

2 players are said to be line mates if they regularly skate together on the same line

MAJOR PENALTY

A major penalty is a more flagrant violation resulting in a player spending 5 minutes in the penalty box

MINOR PENALTY

These result in a player spending two minutes in the penalty box

MOUTH GUARD

A mouth guard is a soft plastic device fitted to a player's teeth and worn during play to protect against the tooth and jaw injuries

NATURAL HAT TRICK

A "natural hat trick" is when the three goals are made in sequence with no players from either team scoring between the goals

NEUTRAL ZONE

Neutral zone is the area between the two blue lines.  Approximately one-third of the rink

OFF SIDE

When on the attack a team must be sure that the puck goes over the opponents' blue line before any of it’s players. If a player crosses the blue line before the puck this is referred to as an "off side". If an off side occurs the play is stopped and a face off is conducted outside the blue line

OFFENSIVE ZONE

The offensive zone, sometimes referred to as the attacking zone for a given team, is that portion of the rink on the other side of the neutral zone which a team must enter to score. Obviously the offensive zone for one team is the defensive zone for the other

OFFSIDES

When an attacking player precedes the puck into the attacking zone, play is halted and restarted with a face-off. Also when a puck is passed over more than one line (i.e. a two-line pass) it is considered offsides and play is halted. When this violation occurs, a face-off is held at the point where the pass was originated

ONE-TIMER

Hitting the puck directly after receiving a pass. The player takes his back swing while his puck is on the way to him and tries to time his swing with the arrival of the puck

OVERTIME

If the score is tied at the end of the regulation three periods, the teams may agree to play a sudden death overtime. This is an additional period of usually 10 minutes. During this overtime period the first team to score wins the game

PENALTY SHOT

Penalty shot is one of the most rare but exciting plays in hockey. A penalty shot is awarded when an attacking player is flagrantly fouled from behind in a break away situation. The player in possession of the puck is awarded a free shot on goal with him and the opposing goalie being the only players allowed on the ice

PENALTY SHOT

A free shot given to a player who illegally impeded from behind when in possession of the puck and with no opponent between him and the goal (other than the goaltender). The team that commits the offense is not penalized beyond the penalty shot, whether it succeeds or not. The player who was impeded takes the puck from center ice and skates in alone on the goaltender to attempt to score. The player can only score on the original shot

PERIOD

A hockey game is divided into 3 periods of equal length. For most age groups in Youth Hockey the time of a period is 15 minutes. This may vary, however, with the agreement of the coaches

PIPE SHOT

A Pipe Shot is a shot that strikes the frame of the goal and rebounds out. Many a goalie has been thankful that he has been "saved by the pipe." If a shot hits the horizontal part of the goal it is said to have hit the "crossbar.

PLAYMAKER AWARD

A playmaker is any player who is awarded three or more assists in a game

POINT

The two "points" are the corners of the attacking zone formed by the sideboards and the blue line. Generally the defenseman plays at the point

POKE CHECK

The poke check means taking the puck from the opponent by hitting it with the stick. No body contact is made

POSSESSION

The player in possession of the puck is the one who presently has it or if the puck is free the player who last touched the puck

POWER PLAY

Occurs when one team has a one-man or two-man advantage as a result of an opponent's penalty

RED LINE

The red line is a red stripe 12 in. in diameter which runs the width of the rink and divides it into two equal halves

SOCKS

Hockey socks are a long knit legging which completely covers the player's leg and leg pads. It generally has a heel strap at the bottom to hold it in place and is suspended at the top by garters

RINK RAT

A young player who would rather hang out around the hockey rink practicing and playing hockey than just about anything. ">A young player who would rather hang out around the hockey rink practicing and playing hockey than just about anything.

RUSH

Advancing up the ice quickly

SCREENED

another player blocks the goalie his vision of the puck as it is shot

SHORT HANDED

A team that is playing at less Than full strength because a teammate is serving a penalty is said to be playing "short handed."

SHORTIE

when a penalty killing team can take the offense and score against the team which has the power play

SHUTOUT AWARD

A shutout refers generally to any time a goalie holds the opposing team scoreless throughout an entire game

SIEVE

Everyone is familiar with the expression "leaks like a sieve." In hockey context a goalie who lets a lot of goals leak through is said to be a "sieve." The University of Wisconsin Hockey Fans originated the "sieve cheer" which is now popular throughout collegiate amateur hockey

SLAP SHOT

Where the player winds up to shoot by raising the stick above waist level then forcefully hitting the puck towards the opponents' goal

SLOT

Slot area refers to the portion of the attack zone directly in front of the goalie. Most goals are scored from the slot area

STICK HANDLE

To stick handle the puck is to carry it by moving it on the ice surface in back and forth motions with the blade of the stick

STINGER PADS

Stinger pads are worn by a goalie to protect his upper arms and forearms. Other players generally do not wear stinger pads

SUSPENDERS

Suspenders are used to hold up the breezers

TIP IN

A shot which intercepts a teammate's shot and changes its direction at the last second. A deflected shot is very difficult for a goalie to stop. A "tip in" is the same as a deflection

TOP SHELF

When an offensive player shoots high past the goalie, putting the puck in the top part of the net

WING

The left wing and right wing position themselves on either side of the center. They too are forwards. The wings too have many score making opportunities

WRAP AROUND

When a player skates behind the opposing goal and attempts to wrap the puck around the goalpost under the goalie into the net

WRIST SHOT

A wrist shot is one in which the stick remains in contact with the puck and the shot is made by a quick snap or the wrist which forces the puck towards the opponents' goal