WHAT DID THEY JUST SAY?!
A quick reference for the different terminology in hockey.
Here you'll find some of the terms frequently used in hockey. As the legendary Gordie Howe said: "all hockey players are bilingual; they speak English and profanity."
A
Apple: an assist
B
Bar down: when the puck goes in the net off the bottom of the crossbar
Barn: an arena rink
Barn burner: a high-scoring game
Biscuit: the puck
Breakaway: when a player has the puck and an open skating lane to the net with no one in front of him
Bucket: a helmet
C
Celly: a celebration after a goal
Cherry picker: a player who stands behind the opposing teams defense in hopes for a breakaway
Chiclets: teeth
Chirp: when you talk trash to opposing players
Coast to coast: taking the puck all the way down the ice
Crossbar: the post that runs along the top of the net
D
Dangler: refers to a player with excellent stick-handling skills
Dirty: used to describe an incredible pass (see, filthy)
F
Filthy: another term used to describe an incredible pass
Fishbowl: a full face shield; often used as an insult
Five-hole: the area between a goalie’s legs
Flamingo: when a player lifts his leg to avoid blocking a shot
Flow: a players hair; typically what sticks out from their helmet (see, lettuce)
G
Goon: a player whose only talent is fighting, usually to keep the teams best players safe
Gordie Howe hat trick: when a player scores a goal, adds an assist, and gets in a fight in one game
Grinder: a lesser-skilled player who is meant to hit and agitate the opposing players; similar to a goon but does not get into a full-on fight
H
Hands: refers to a player who has good stickhandling and often dangles opposing players
Hat Trick: when one player scored three goals in the same game
I
Icing: when a player behind the red line in their own zone shoots the puck past the goal line in his offensive zone when both teams are playing at even strength. The refs then stop the play if an opponent other than the goalie touches the puck
K
Kronwalled: named after Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall, Kronwalled is when a defenseman lays a big hit on a player who is attempting to the get the puck out of their zone
L
Light the lamp: scoring a goal
Linesman: Similar to referees as they watch over the game, however, they do not call penalties. There are two linesmen who call offsides, icing, and handle face-offs
M
Mitts: hockey gloves
O
Offsides: when a player crosses his offensive zone before the puck
Open ice hit: a big hit on that happens away from the boards; literally in the open
P
Penalty Killing: when a team is shorthanded and attempts to prevent the opposition from scoring
Penalty Shot: a penalty shot occurs when a player is on the breakaway and the opposition checks or impedes their scoring opportunity illegally. The player then has the opportunity for a one-on-one shot at the goalie to score
Poke Check: when a player is able to dislodge the puck from the puck-carrier by stabbing at it with the blade of their stick
Power Play: abbr. PP; occurs when the opposing team is assessed a penalty, and the non-offending team has a man-advantage for the duration of the penalty
S
Shoot-Out: if no one scores in sudden-death overtime, the game proceeds to a shootout. The two teams pick at least three players and then one after the other takes a penalty shot. Winner is the best out of three
Stripes: the referee
Sin bin: the penalty box
Snipe: a perfectly placed shot
Sweater: a hockey jersey
T
Tic-tac-toe: refers to a quick passing play that results in a goal
Toe drag: when a player uses the end of his blade to dangle the opposition
Turnover: when a team loses control of the puck to the other team
W
Wings: forwards are broken up into three different positions: left wing, right wing, and centerman. They stay on the sides of the centerman and pass the pucks between each other to score a goal. They also watch the opposition's wingers
Wraparound: when a player takes the puck around the back of the net and tries to score in one full motion
Wrist Shot: Hitting the puck with the blade of the stick using a quick snap of the wrist rather than a full back swing.