Hockey terms and slang

Terms A to Z

Apple

Slang for an assist.¹

Assist

Credit for up to two teammates who touched the puck just before the scorer, as long as no defender played or controlled it in between. Each assist counts one point. (Rule 78)^2,3

Backcheck

Skating back toward your own end to defend against an opposing rush.¹

Backhand

A shot or pass made with the back side of the stick blade.¹

Bar down

A shot that hits the underside of the crossbar and drops into the net.

Barn

Slang for a hockey rink or arena.

Beauty

Praise for a great play or for a well-liked, good-natured person.

Bender

Mocking slang for a weak skater, whose ankles bend in toward the ice.

Biscuit

Slang for the puck.

Blue line

Either of the two 12-inch blue lines, 64 feet out from each goal line, that mark the zones and decide offside. (Rule 1)²

Breakaway

When a puck carrier has no defenders between himself and the goalie.¹

Celly

Short for a goal celebration.

Change on the fly

Swapping players from the bench while play is going on instead of at a stoppage. The player leaving must be within five feet of the bench. (Rule 74)^1,2

Chirp

Trash talk aimed at opponents or officials.

Coast to coast

Carrying the puck from your own end all the way up the ice, often ending in a shot or goal.

Crease

The light-blue area in front of each net, a 6-foot-radius half circle with short side lines, where the goalie works. (Rule 1)²

Cycle

Moving the puck along the boards in the attacking zone to keep possession and wear down defenders.¹

Dangle

Slick stickhandling that beats a defender or goalie.

Deke

A fake with the puck or body that tricks an opponent into moving the wrong way.¹

Dump and chase

Shooting the puck into the attacking zone and then racing in to win it back.¹

Empty net

A goal scored while the other team's goalie is off the ice.¹

Enforcer

A player whose role includes fighting to protect teammates.¹

Faceoff

How play starts or restarts: an official drops the puck between the sticks of two opposing players at one of the nine faceoff spots. (Rule 76)²

Ferda

Slang for doing something 'for the boys,' meaning putting the team first.

Five hole

The gap between a goalie's legs, or a goal scored through it.¹

Flow

Long hair sticking out from under a player's helmet; also called lettuce.

Forecheck

Pressuring the other team in its own end to win the puck back.¹

Goal line

The 2-inch red line between the goal posts that runs across the rink, 11 feet from each end. The whole puck must cross it for a goal. (Rule 1, Rule 78)²

Goals against average

Goals allowed times 60, divided by minutes played.³

Gongshow

A chaotic, out-of-control game or situation.

Grinder

A hard-working player valued more for checking and board battles than for scoring.¹

Hat trick

Three goals by one player in a game, often celebrated by fans throwing hats on the ice.⁴

High slot

The upper part of the slot, toward the blue line, between the tops of the faceoff circles.

Icing

Shooting the puck from your own half past the opponent's goal line without anyone touching it, which stops play for a faceoff in your end. (Rule 81)²

Line change

Swapping one group of players for another, either at a stoppage or during play.¹

Neutral zone trap

A defensive setup that clogs the neutral zone so the other team cannot carry the puck over the blue line.¹

Odd man rush

An attack in which the attackers outnumber the defenders back, such as a 2-on-1.¹

Offside

When an attacking player crosses the blue line into the attacking zone before the puck. (Rule 83)²

One timer

Shooting a pass right away without stopping the puck first.¹

Penalty kill

Defending while shorthanded and trying to run out the penalty clock.^1,3

Pest

A player who gets under opponents' skin, sometimes with borderline hits.¹

Playmaker

A player known for setting up teammates and who usually has more assists than goals.¹

Plus minus

A stat that tracks whether a player was on the ice for more goals by his own team (plus) or by the opponent (minus).¹

Point

Either spot on the blue line near the boards in the attacking zone, where defensemen usually set up.¹

Power play

When a team has more skaters on the ice because the other team is serving a penalty. (Rule 16)^1,2

Pull the goalie

Taking the goalie off for an extra skater, usually late in a game when trailing.¹

Red line

The 12-inch center red line that splits the rink in half and is used to judge icing. (Rule 1)²

Saucer pass

A pass lifted just off the ice so it floats over sticks and lands flat; also called a sauce pass.¹

Save percentage

Saves divided by shots faced.³

Shift

One turn on the ice for a player or line before being replaced.¹

Sin bin

Slang for the penalty box.¹

Slap shot

A hard shot with a big windup, where the stick flexes against the ice to launch the puck.¹

Slot

The area right in front of the goalie between the faceoff circles.¹

Snapshot

A quick shot with little or no windup, faster than a wrist shot but more accurate than a slap shot.¹

Sniper

A player with a hard, accurate shot who finishes plays.¹

Stay at home defenseman

A defenseman who focuses on defense and rarely joins the rush.¹

Top shelf

The top part of the net, just under the crossbar and above the goalie's shoulders.¹

Two way forward

A forward who contributes on both offense and defense.¹

Wheel

Having room to skate with the puck; also a shout telling someone to skate.¹

Wrist shot

A shot driven mainly by the arms and wrists, released off the front of the blade.¹

More hockey rules

Hockey positions explained · What is a hat trick in hockey? · What is icing in hockey? · All hockey rules

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Glossary of ice hockey terms · accessed 2026-10-23
2. NHL Official Rules 2025-26 (league) · accessed 2026-10-23
3. NHL.com: Hockey Glossary (stats definitions) · accessed 2026-10-23
4. NHL.com: Hockey's 'hat trick' traces roots to cricket (2017) · accessed 2026-10-23

Rules are paraphrased, not quoted; the rulebook wins wherever wording matters. NHL rules unless a league is named.