Here are some of the more important terms in the game of ice hockey. The glossary terms and definitions are from the 3rd edition of the book “Ice Hockey Made Simple: A Spectator’s Guide”:
ASSIST: The pass or passes which
immediately precede a successful scoring attempt; a maximum of two assists are credited for one goal.
ATTACKING ZONE: The area between the opponents’ blue line and their goal.
BACKCHECK: An attempt by a player, on his way back to his defensive zone, to regain the puck from the opposition by checking or harassing an opponent who has the puck.
BACKHAND SHOT: A shot or pass made with the stick from the left side by a right-handed player or from the right side by a left-handed player.
BOARDS: A wooden or fiberglass wall 31⁄2 to 4 feet high which surrounds the rink to keep the puck and players from accidentally leaving the rink and injuring spectators; all rinks have shatterproof glass that rises above the boards to provide additional protection.
BODY CHECK: When a hockey player bumps or slams into an opponent with either his hip or shoulder (the only legal moves) to block his progress or throw him off-balance; it is only allowed against an opponent in control of the puck or against the last player to control it.
BREAKAWAY: A fast break in which an attacker with the puck skates in alone on the goalie, having gotten past or clear of the defensemen, trapping the opponents behind the play.
CENTER ICE: The area between the two blue lines, also called the neutral zone.
CENTERING PASS: Pass from an attacking player towards the middle of the ice to a teammate with a better angle at the goal.
CHECK OR CHECKING: Any contact initiated by a defending player against an opponent to get the puck away from him or slow him down; there are two main types of checks: stick check and body check; these are only allowed against a player in control of the puck or against the last player to control it immediately after he gives it up; checking after too many steps or strides becomes charging.
CLEARING THE PUCK: Getting the puck out of one’s own defensive zone.
CLEARING THE ZONE: When a defending player sends the puck out of the opponent’s attacking zone, all the attacking players must leave or clear the zone to avoid being called offsides when the puck re-enters the zone.
CROSSBAR: Horizontal bar that connects the top of the two goalposts.
DEFENSIVE ZONE: Zone or area nearest a team’s goal (the goal they are defending).
DELAYED PENALTY: Penalty against a team that has only 4 players on the ice, assessed only when one of its players gets out of the penalty box.
DELAYED CALL: When an official raises his arm but does not blow his whistle, waiting to see the outcome of a play before calling a penalty; this is done so as not to penalize the non-offending team by stopping its momentum.
DROP PASS: When a player leaves the puck behind for a teammate following to pick up.
EMPTY-NET GOAL: Goal scored against a team that has pulled the goalie.
ENDBOARDS: Boards at each end of the rink.
ENFORCER: Also called the policeman; is usually the most penalized player on a team; he has the job of protecting his teammates from harm; generally a larger player who is not afraid of any fight.
FACE-OFF: Method of starting play; the dropping of the puck by the official between the sticks of two opposing players standing one stick length apart with stick blades flat on the ice; used to begin each period or to resume play when it has stopped for other reasons.
FLIP SHOT: Shot in which a player cups the puck in his stick, then flips it with his wrists up off the ice toward the goal; this sometimes makes the puck harder to block.
FORECHECK: To check or harass an opponent who has the puck in his defensive zone and keep the opponents in their end of the rink while trying to regain control of the puck; usually done by the forwards.
FOREHAND: Shot or pass taken from the right side of a right-handed player or from the left side of a left-handed player.
FORWARDS: Three players who make up the attacking line or forward line of a team – the center and the right and left wings.
FOUL: Any infraction of the rules that will draw a penalty.
FREEZE THE PUCK: To hold the puck against the boards with the skate or stick in order to stop play briefly or gain a face-off.
FULL STRENGTH: When a team has its full complement of 6 players on the ice.
GOAL: Provides one point; scored when a puck goes between the goalposts from the stick of an attacking player and entirely crosses the red line between the goalposts; also the informal term used to refer to the area made of the goalposts and the net guarded by the goalie and into which a puck must enter to score a point.
GOAL CAGE: A 6 foot wide by 4 foot high tubular steel frame consisting of a cross bar and two goalposts to which a net is attached.
GOALPOSTS: Metal bars that frame the area to which the net is attached which rests on the center of the goal line and between which a puck must pass to score a goal.
HAT TRICK: Three or more goals scored by a player in one game.
HOOK CHECK: Sweep of the stick low to the ice to take the puck from an opponent’s stick.
ICING: Violation which occurs when the team in possession of the puck shoots it from behind the red center line across the opponent’s goal line into the end of the rink (but not into the goal) and a member of the opposing team touches it first; results in a face-off in the offender’s defensive zone; a shorthanded team cannot be called for icing.
INTERMISSION: A 15-minute recess between each of the three periods.
LINE CHANGE: The entire forward line and/or defensive line will be replaced at once, which puts players on the ice who work well together.
LINESMEN: Two officials on the ice, one toward each end of the rink, responsible for infractions of the rules concerning offside plays at the blue lines or center line and for any icing violations; they conduct most of the face-offs, sometimes advise the referee concerning penalties, and separate players who are fighting; they wear black pants and an official league sweater, and are on skates.
OFFSIDE: Violation which occurs when both skates of an attacking player cross the opponent’s blue line before the puck is passed or carried into the attacking zone; also called when a player passes the puck from his defending zone to a teammate across the red center line (two-line pass); this is one of the most common calls made in a hockey game and results in a face-off.
ON-THE-FLY: Making player changes or substitutions while play is under way.
OVERTIME LOSS: The result for a team that loses a game in overtime that was tied after regulation; this category was created starting with the 1999-2000 season and is worth 1 point in the standings.
PASSING: When one player uses his stick to send the puck to a teammate.
PENALTY: Punishment of a player for a violation of the rules, resulting in suspension from the game for a period of time; 6 types exist: minor, bench, major, misconduct, match and goalkeeper’s penalties. For the different kinds, see page B1 and below.
PENALTY KILLER: A player expert at backchecking and keeping or gaining control of a loose puck under difficult circumstances who is trained to break up a power play when his team is shorthanded.
PENALTY SHOT: Free shot awarded a player who was illegally interfered with, preventing him from a clear scoring opportunity; the shot is taken with only the goalie guarding against it.
PERIODS: Three 20-minute playing intervals separated by two intermissions.
POINT: The left and right positions taken by the defensemen of the attacking team, just inside the blue line of the attacking zone; also the term used to describe the defensemen playing at this location; also an individual statistic for players equal to their goals plus assists; also a team statistic used to determine team standings (2 points for each win and 1 point for each tie or overtime loss during the regular season).
POKE CHECK: A quick jab or thrust to the puck or opponent’s stick to knock the puck away from him.
POWER PLAY: An attack by a team at full strength against a team playing one man (or two men) shorthanded because of a penalty (or penalties) which resulted in a player on the opposing team receiving penalty-box time. The team on the power play is said to have a man (or two-man) advantage.
PUCK: Black, vulcanized rubber disc, 1-inch thick and 3-inches in diameter, weighing between 51⁄2 and 6 ounces used to play hockey; they are frozen to prevent excessive bouncing and changed throughout the game; can travel up to 120 miles per hour on a slap shot.
PULLING THE GOALIE: Taking the goalkeeper off the ice and replacing him with a forward; leaves the goal unguarded so is only used as a last minute attempt to score.
REBOUND: A puck that bounces off the goalie’s body or equipment, usually on a shot.
REFEREES: Chief officials in a hockey game, distinguished from the other officials by a red armband; they start the game, call most of the penalties and make the final decision in any dispute; they are responsible for making sure the ice, the nets and the clock are in good condition; they wear black pants and an official league sweater; they are also on skates.
REFEREE’S CREASE: Semi-circular area, with a 10-foot radius, marked in red on the ice in front of the timekeepers’ bench into which players may not follow a referee.
RUSH: An individual or combined attack by a team in possession of the puck.
SAVE: Act of a goalie in blocking or stopping a shot.
SCREEN SHOT: Shot on goal that the goalie cannot see because it was taken from behind one or more players from either team standing in front of the net.
SHORTHANDED: A team with one or more players off the ice in the penalty box when the opponent has its full complement of 6 players; also a power play for the other team.
SHOT ON GOAL (SOG): A scoring attempt that would enter the goal if not stopped by a goalie: results in either a goal or a save.
SLAP SHOT: Shot in which the player raises his stick in a backswing, with his strong hand held low on the shaft and his other hand on the end as a pivot. Then as the stick comes down toward the puck, the player leans into the stick to put all his power behind the shot and add velocity to the puck; achieves an extremely high speed (up to 120 miles per hour) but is less accurate than a wrist shot.
STICK-HANDLING: Moving the puck along the ice with the stick blade.
TWO-LINE PASS: Type of offside violation occuring when a player passes the puck from his defending zone to a teammate across the red center line, play is stopped for a face-off; also known as an offside pass.
WAFFLE PAD: Large rectangular pad attached to the front of the goalie’s stick hand.
WASHOUT: A goal that is ruled invalid by the referee or the waving off of an infraction like offsides or icing by the linesmen.
WRIST SHOT: Shot made using a strong flicking of the wrist and forearm muscles, with the stick blade kept on the ice; it is slower but more accurate than a slap shot.
ZAMBONI: Brand of machine used to clean the ice.
