The Ultimate Guide to Hockey Slang
A
Apple: an assist
B
Bar down: when the puck goes in the net off the bottom of the crossbar
Barn: an arena rink
Barnburner: a high-scoring game
Bender: a badly skating player whose ankles bend beneath him
Beauty: a pretty play
Biscuit: the puck
Bottle rocket: when a goal breaks the goalie's water bottle
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
Cheese: the top shelf of the net (see, top cookies)
Chel: the EA Sports NHL video game
Cherry picker: a player who stands behind the opposing team's defense in hopes for a breakaway
Chiclets: teeth
Chirp: when you talk trash to opposing players
Clapper: a slapshot
Coast to coast: taking the puck all the way down the ice
Crossbar: the post that runs along the top of the net
D
Dangle: a deke
Dirty: used to describe an incredible deke or pass (see, filthy)
Duster: a player who doesn’t play much and “collects dust” on the bench
F
Face wash: when you shove your glove into an opponents face
Filthy: also used to describe an incredible deke or pass
Fishbowl: a full face shield
Five-hole: the area between a goalie’s legs
Flamingo: when a player lifts his leg to avoid blocking a shot
Flow: long hair (see, lettuce)
G
Garbage: referring to the puck when there is a rebound, picking up the garbage means putting the rebound in the net
Gino: a goal
Gongshow: when a game that is getting out of control, possibly from the score, a lot of fights or big hits
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
Grocery stick: the player who separates the offense from the defense on the bench
H
Hands: refers to a player who has good stickhandling and often dangles opposing players
Hoser: another term for loser, derived from the when the losing team would hose down the ice before the invention of the Zamboni
J
Junction: the corner of the goal where the crossbar and post meets (also referred to as the “junk”)
K
Kronwalled: a big hit a defenseman lays on a player attempting to carry the puck out of his zone, derived from Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall who is famous for this type of hit
L
Lettuce: hair, including both on the head and facial hair (see, lip lettuce)
Light the lamp: scoring a goal
Lip lettuce: a mustache
Lumber: a hockey stick, derived from when sticks were made of wood (see, twig)
M
Mitts: hockey gloves
O
ODR: an outdoor rink (see, pond)
Open ice hit: a big hit on that happens away from the boards
P
Pigeon: a player who can’t score on his own and relies on others to feed him the puck or pick up the garbage
Pipe: the goal post
Pinch: when a defenseman moves into the offensive zone in an attempt to keep the puck inside the zone
Plug: a useless player, derived from when a removable extension for a composite stick
Playoff beard: when players stop shaving during the playoffs
Point: a defenseman in the offensive zone
Pond: where players play outdoors in the winter
Pylon: a slow defenseman that often gets skated around
S
Sauce: a pass that leaves the ice to make it more difficult for opposing players to intercept
(The) Show: the NHL
Silky: used to describe a smooth occurrence such as a play or a player’s hands
Stripes: the referee
Sieve: a bad goalie, often referred to as full of holes
Sin-bin: the penalty box
Slot: the high-scoring area in front of the net
Snipe: a perfectly placed shot
Stack the pads: when a goalie lays on his side and puts his pads on top of each other to make a save
Stay at home defenseman: a defenseman who is strong in his own zone but not particularly good in the offensive zone
Stoned: when a goalie makes a great save
Suicide pass: when a player receives a pass that puts him in danger of immediately receiving a hard hit
Sweater: a hockey jersey
T
Tape to tape: a pass that perfectly lands on your teammate’s blade
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
Top cookies: top shelf (where grandma hides the cookies)
Trapezoid: the area behind the net where a goalie is allowed to play the puck
Turtle: when a player completely covers himself up as to not be involved in a fight
Twig: a hockey stick, also derived from when they used to be made of wood
W
Wheel: refers to a player's strong skating, in addition to picking up girls
Wraparound: when a player takes the puck around the back of the net and tries to score in one full motion