Those new to hockey might run into some words and phrases that they are unfamiliar with when they’re first introduced to the sport. Here is a list of some common terms to help clear up the confusion. Keep in mind that this is not a comprehensive hockey glossary, just some of the more common terms. The list was mostly taken from Wikipedia (among multiple other sources), but we did away with archaic terms or terms that aren’t used commonly, or ones we felt didn’t need to be in an introductory glossary, as well as added some of our own or edited existing definitions for clarity.

Don’t waste your time reading these terms over and over again until you’ve memorized them all, just simply use it as reference if you read or hear a hockey term somewhere that you don’t recognize. Also, feel free to leave comments if you’d like to suggest we add particular phrase to our glossary.

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2-man advantage

See Five on three.

2-on-1

See Odd man rush

3-on-2

See Odd man rush

5-hole

See Five-hole

5-on-3

See Five on three.

5-on-5

See Full strength.

A

Attack zone

The opposing team’s end of the ice, as determined by the blue line.

Assist

An assist is credited to a player who helps set up a goal. Assists are awarded to the last man to handle the puck immediately preceding the goal. There is a maximum of two assists per goal.

B

Backhander or Backhand shot

A shot that is taken from the backside of the hockey stick’s blade.

Backchecking

Rushing back to the defensive zone in response to an opposing team’s attack.

Blue line

The lines separating the attack/defense zones from the neutral zone.

Blueliner

A defenseman.

Boarding

Checking a player from behind into the boards

Boards

The wooden and glass walls that surround the rink..

Body checking

Using the hip or body to knock an opponent against the boards or to the ice. (also known as hip checking)

Breakaway

When a player has possession of the puck and there are no defenders other than the goalie between him and the opposing goal.

Butterfly

A style of goaltending wherein the goalie tends to cover the lower half of the net with his or her leg pads.

C

Cage

The hockey goal

Center

A forward position whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice.

Change on the fly

Substituting players while the puck is in play.

Checking

Typically refers to body checking (different than cross-checking, however). Can also refer to any number of tactics used to keep an opponent under control.

Crease

The blue ice in front of each net.

Cross-checking

The act of checking an opponent with the shaft of the stick held in both hands. This is illegal and earns a minor or major penalty depending on the severity of the infraction.

D

Defensive zone

The defending team’s zone as determined by the blue line.

Deke

When a player handles the puck or himself in such a manner to fool the opponent into moving out of position, allowing the player to get past. Originated from the word decoy.

Delayed penalty

When a penalty is called, the referee will raise his or her arm to indicate that one is being called, but if the team who committed the infraction is not in control of the puck, no whistle will occur until a player from that team touches the puck. This is called a delayed penalty.

Dirty

Physical play in hockey, typically consisting of disallowed techniques such as elbowing, high-sticking, cross-checking, and/or fighting.

Dirty Player

There are some players, both current and historical, whose style of play and history of penalties characterizes them within hockey circles as “dirty players.” Usually, this entails a history of illegal hits that appear to attempt injury to the opposition, multiple suspensions, and a reputation around the league as a player who cannot control his outbursts on occasion.

Dive

A dive is when a player embellishes contact made against him in order to draw a penalty against the opponent, however, sometimes (but rarely) this ends up in a penalty being called against the diving player.

Drop pass

When a player passes the puck directly behind him to a teammate. If executed properly, the puck stops moving and the pass’s receiver catches up to it.

Dropping The Gloves (or Mitts)

A player or players preparing to fight (players will take off their gloves in order to be able to throw punches).

E

Empty net goal

A goal scored when the opposing goalie is not on the ice (generally the opposing team would have taken the goalie off the ice to send in an extra attacker).

enforcer

A player quick to fight who defends his teammates against violent members of the other team.

Extra Attacker

A player who has been substituted for the team’s goaltender on the ice.

F

Faceoff

A faceoff is the method used to begin play. The two teams line up in opposition to each other, and the opposing centres attempt to gain control of the puck after it is dropped between their sticks by an official.

Fanning the puck

Fanning the puck occurs when a player misses the puck when attempting to play or shoot it.

Five on three

Five on three (also called two-man advantage) is when one team has had two players sent to the penalty box. This leaves the opponent with five skaters (i.e., not including the goaltender) to penalized team’s three. The team with the advantage has a very good chance of scoring during these periods.

Five on five

See Full strength.

Five-hole

A five hole is the gap between a goaltender’s legs.

Forechecking

Checking in the offensive zone in order to gain control of the puck and set up a scoring opportunity.

Full strength

Full strength (also called 5-on-5) refers to when both teams have five skaters and one goaltender on the ice.

G

Game Misconduct

A penalty on which a player is ejected for the rest of the game, assessed for a serious violation such as (but not limited to) continuing a fight after being separated by a linesman, or being the third party to join in a fight. The team doesn’t have to play shorthanded. (compare to match penalty)

Garbage goal

A goal that takes little talent to score. Most such goals are scored from right in front of the net, often when the goaltender is out of position.

Goal

A goal is scored when a puck completely crosses the goal line within the goal frame. A goal provides a team with one point.

Goal line

The line within the goal frame that the puck must completely cross in order to be considered a goal.

Goon

See Enforcer (usually, an enforcer that plays for the other team.)

H

Hand pass

The act of passing the puck using one’s hand. This is legal inside a team’s defensive zone, but illegal in the neutral zone and attacking zone, even if the pass originates from another zone.

Hat-trick

A hat-trick is when one player scores three goals in one game.

High sticking

The act of hitting a player in the head or shoulders with a stick. Also the act of hitting the puck in the air when the puck is above the height of the top goal pipe (4′).

Hip checking

Using the hip to knock an opponent against the boards or to the ice.

Hooking

Using a stick to hold or slow down a player (illegal).

I

Icing

Shooting the puck from behind the center red line over your opponent’s goal line. If an offensive player touches the puck first after it crosses both the red line and the goal line, icing is negated. When icing occurs, a linesman stops play. Play is resumed with a faceoff in the defending zone of the team that committed the infraction (with the team that committed the infraction being unable to make a line change during the stoppage).

J

K

L

Left wing

See Winger.

Linesman

See Officials

Line

(Not to be confused with blue line or red line) Used to describe a group of players that play in a group, or shift, together during a game. These players are called linemates. Linemates may change throughout the game at the coach’s discretion.

M

Major penalty

a type of individual penalty called for more serious infractions of the rules; of 5 minutes in duration whether or not the non-penalized team scores. (see minor penalty and game misconduct)

Man Advantage

When one team is penalized and one of its players is sent to the penalty box, the opposing team maintains a man advantage for the duration of the penalty. If two penalties are called on one team there will be a two man advantage. If more than two penalties are called on one team the man advantage is limited to two men.

Match Penalty

The equivalent of a major penalty plus a game misconduct penalty. The guilty player is suspended for the remainder of the game, another player goes to the penalty box for five minutes, and the team plays short-handed for that time.

Minor Penalty

a type of penalty lasting 2 minutes; if the non-penalized team scores a goal during this time, the penalty ends immediately.  (see major penalty and game misconduct)

N

O

Odd man rush

When a team enters the attacking zone and outnumbers the opposing players in the zone.

Offensive zone

See Attack zone.

Officials

The two referees and two “linesmen” (who assist the referees) on the ice calling infractions and handing out penalties. Can also (but less commonly) refer to several off-ice officials including two goal judges, the game timekeeper, the penalty timekeeper, the official scorer, the statistician and the video goal judge.

P

Penalty box

The penalty box (sometimes called the sin bin or bin) is the area where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty, for an offense not severe enough to merit outright expulsion from the game.

Penalty Kill

When a team is shorthanded due to a penalty, they are on a penalty kill.

Period

In each game, there are three 20-minute playing intervals called “periods,” each separated by receses called “intermissions” (which can be either 15:30 or 17:00 minutes long).

Playoff beard

A playoff beard is the result of the superstitious practice of players and fans not shaving their beards during the Stanley Cup playoffs until their team wins or is eliminated.

Poke checking

Using the stick to poke the puck away from an opponent.

Powerplay

A powerplay occurs when one team has more players on the ice than the other team as a result of penalties assessed to the shorthanded team.

Q

R

Rebound

A Rebound occurs when the puck bounces off a goalie, a player, or the net (or occasionally, the back boards) after a shot on goal.

Right wing

See Winger.

Red line

the line that divides the length of the ice rink in half.

S

Saucer pass

A saucer pass is an airborne pass from one player to another. It is called a saucer pass because the puck resembles a flying saucer in mid air.

Screened shot

A shot that the goaltender cannot see due to other players obscuring it.

Shorthanded

A team is said to be shorthanded when they have fewer players on the ice than the opposing team as a result of penalties.

Shot on goal

A shot on goal is a shot that will enter the goal if it is not stopped by the goaltender. A shot on goal must result in either a goal or a save (shots that hit the pipes of the goal are not counted as shots).

Sin bin

The penalty box.

Slapshot

A slapshot is a hard shot, usually with a big wind up, wherein the player bends his stick on the ice and allows the energy stored in bending the stick to launch the puck forward.

Slashing

striking an opponent’s arms or lower body with the hockey stick (illegal).

Snapshot

A snap shot is a like an abbreviated slapshot. The purpose of the snap shot is to combine the main advantages of the wrist shot (shot accuracy and quick delivery) and the slap shot (puck speed). The stick should be at your hip when shotting.

Sniper

A player with a powerful, accurate shot skilled at finishing plays. Snipers frequently score more goals than assists. Snipers can be either forwards or defensemen.

Stickhandling

The act of controlling the puck with one’s stick, especially while manoeuvering through opponents.

Stripes

Referees (see Officials).

T

Top shelf

The top section of the goal net.

U

V

W

Winger

A winger is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. A right wing is responsible for the right-hand side of the ice and a left wing is responsible for the left-hand side.

Wrist shot

A wrist shot is a type of shot that involves using arm muscles (especially those in the wrist and forearm) to propel a puck forward from the open-faced, concave part of the blade of a hockey stick.

X

Y

Z

Zamboni

The brand of a machine used to clean the ice in between periods of play (typically before the game and in betwee periods).

Zone

One of three zones on the ice, the offensive zone, the neutral zone and the defensive zone.

Zebra

A referee and/or linesmen (see Officials).