A handy hockey glossary

Hoping to build out your hockey vocabulary as Seattle welcomes the Kraken? Check out this searchable guide for definitions of hockey terms and jargon.

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  • n.Another name for an assist, the pass that leads to a goal.
  • n.A hockey rink.
  • n.Term of endearment among hockey players for either a great player or play (e.g., “He/she’s a beauty”; “What a beauty” after a pretty goal).
  • n.Alternate name for a hockey puck.
  • n.When an attacking player is in all alone against the opposing goalie.
  • n.A helmet.
  • n.A goal celebration.
  • n., pl.Teeth, especially when extricated from the mouth.
  • v.To talk trash to an opposing player.
  • n. or v.1) A stick move to make a goalie or opposing player miss.
    2) To complete a stick move with the same intent.
  • n. or v.1) Hockey-specific word for a stick move to evade an opposing defender or goalie.
    2) To execute said stick move.
  • adj.A well-made move (e.g., a “dirty” dangle).
  • n.The space between a goaltender’s legs. (The other four holes are the corners of the nets; the six and seven holes are under a goalie’s arms and are less commonly referenced.)
  • n.Hair, often left long.
  • n.A goal
  • n.A single player picking up a goal, an assist and a fight in a single game.
  • n.Three goals scored by a single player in a game.
  • n.A loser. Allegedly stems from the practice of the losing team hosing the pond after a game of pickup hockey (see “shinny”).
  • n., pl.Hockey gloves.
  • n.An attacking play in which offensive players rushing toward the opposing goalie outnumber the defenders in their way.
  • n.The six founding franchises of the National Hockey League: the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs.
  • n.One-third of a hockey game, 20 minutes of game time. Not to be confused with a “quarter” or “half.”
  • n.A bad player.
  • n.A pass that travels through the air to a teammate.
  • n.Informal hockey where you don’t elevate the puck, often played on the pond.
  • n.A bad goalie.
  • n.Another name for the penalty box, where players are sent for rule infractions.
  • adj.A bad goal or play (e.g., “the goalie, a sieve, let in a soft goal”).
  • n.The highest prize in hockey, a silver cup presented to the NHL champions. It was first presented in 1893 and is named after Lord Stanley of Preston, once the governor general of Canada.
  • n.A hockey jersey.
  • n.The area directly underneath the crossbar, the iron bar that forms the top of the net.
  • n.A hockey stick.
  • n.The vehicle used to resurface, or “clean,” the ice. AP Style probably prefers “ice resurfacer.” Do not call it that.
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