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Hockey terminology
Hockey is the fastest game on earth and keeping up with the puck is often quite a challenge. It helps if you know the terminology being used, and with that in mind you out, SportsLine.com has prepared an alphabetical list of the most common terms.
Penalty glossary
| ASSIST |
| What a player is credited with for passing the puck to a player who scores a goal. Two assists per goal are allowed and each assist adds one point to a player's scoring total. |
| ASSISTANT CAPTAIN |
| Wears an "A" on his jersey and in the absence of a captain, is the only player who can have on-ice conversations with referee about calls or penalties. |
| BACKCHECKING |
| A forward who skates back deep into his own zone to separate an opponent from the puck or to prevent him from getting a scoring chance. |
| BACKHAND |
| A shot or pass using the back of the stick blade. |
| BETWEEN THE PIPES |
| The goal area where the netminder is positioned. |
| BLOCKER |
| The padded glove with which a goaltender holds his stick. It is often used to stop shots. |
| BLUELINE |
| The line that indicates the limit of a team's defensive zone. |
| BODYCHECK |
| Hitting an opponent legally with one's body to impede his progress or knock him off the puck. |
| BOX |
| Defensive formation used by teams who are killing off a penalty. |
| BREAKAWAY |
| A play in which a puck carrier has gotten behind all the other team's defenders and is moving in alone on the goaltender. |
| BREAKOUT |
| A defending team's play to get the puck quickly out of the its own zone usually started by a defenseman. |
| BUTTERFLY |
| A goaltending style in which the goalie keeps his knees together and his feet slightly apart. This allows him to drop quickly to knees for a save and quickly regain his upright position. |
| CAUGHT UP ICE |
| A player who is in his team's offensive zone while the play has moved back to his defensive zone. |
| CENTER ICE LINE |
| A red line that divides the ice in half. |
| CENTERING THE PUCK |
| Passing the puck toward the front of the net. |
| CHANGE ON THE FLY |
| Replacing players while the play goes on. |
| CHECK |
| To move an opponent off the puck with the stick or the body or to guard him. |
| CHECKER |
| A player whose primary responsibilities are to prevent opponent's from scoring. |
| CHECKING LINE |
| A forward line assembled to play against opponents' top scoring lines. |
| CLEARING |
| Moving the puck out of harm's way in one's defensive zone. |
| CHIPPY |
| An adjective that describes dirty play, usually involving the illegal use of sticks. |
| CLUTCH AND GRAB |
| Defensive style usually used by slower players who grab opponents to prevent them from using their speed. |
| COINCIDENTAL PENALTIES |
| Penalties assessed simultaneously to opposing players. Neither team plays shorthanded as a result. |
| CORNERS |
| The rounded off part of the rink between the goal line and the boards. |
| CUTTING DOWN THE ANGLE |
| Technique in which goaltender moves out of his crease to reduce the amount of net the shooter can see. |
| CYCLING THE PUCK |
| Moving the puck along the boards in the offensive zone by at least two players. |
| DELAYED OFFSIDE |
| A situation where play continues even if an attacker is offside because the defending team has possession of the puck. This allows the defensive team the opportunity to clear its zone without a stoppage in play. |
| DELAYED PENALTY |
| A continuation of play that ends when a penalized team gains control of the puck. |
| DIG |
| To use one's body or stick to get the puck away from an opponent, usually along the boards. |
| DIVE |
| A player falling intentionally to make a routine check look worthy of a penalty. |
| DROP PASS |
| The act of leaving the puck behind for a trailing teammate. |
| DUMP AND CHASE |
| A strategy in which attacking team crosses the center-ice line, shoots the puck into opponents end and then skates aggressively to retrieve it. |
| ENFORCER |
| The "muscle" of the team, a player who fights often and protects teammates against liberties being taken. |
| FACEOFF |
| The act of dropping the puck to start play after a stoppage. |
| FINISH A CHECK |
| Following through on a stick, or body check |
| FIVE HOLE |
| The area between the goalie's legs. |
| FORECHECKING |
| Pursuing a opponent in his defensive zone. |
| FREEZING THE PUCK |
| Pinning the puck against the boards by a player, or in the goalcrease by the goaltender. |
| GOAL LINE |
| A thin red line painted across the ice, 13 feet from the end boards. A puck must cross the line completely to count as a goal. Also used to determine icing. |
| GRINDER |
| A hard-working player known for his checking rather than scoring. |
| HAT TRICK |
| Three goals scored in one game by a player. A natural hat trick is accomplished by a player who scores three consecutive goals in a game. |
| HEADMANNING |
| Passing the puck forward during an offensive rush. |
| LINE |
| The group of three forwards - the center, left wing and right wing. |
| LEFT WING LOCK |
| A recently designed defensive system in which the left wing (and sometimes the right wing) hang back at an opponent's blueline to prevent the other from clearing its zone. |
| LOOSE PUCK |
| A puck that is on open ice and not controlled by either team. |
| NEUTRAL ZONE |
| The area between the blue lines. |
| NEUTRAL ZONE TRAP |
| Defensive system designed to have forwards forecheck aggressively to create turnovers near the opponent's defensive zone. |
| OFF-ICE OFFICIALS |
| Those who help conduct the game but are not in uniform. They include goal judges, game and penalty timekeepers, the official scorer and the video goal judge. |
| OFF WING |
| A left-handed shot skating down the right side and vice versa. |
| ONE-TIMER |
| A player who shoots immediately upon receiving a pass without stopping the puck. |
| PENALTY KILLING |
| Defending against a opponent while your team is shorthanded. |
| PLAYING THE MAN |
| When a player checks the puck carrier, leaving the puck to be retrieved by a teammate. |
| PLAYING THE PUCK |
| When a goaltender leaves his net to handle the puck, whether to pass it or clear the zone. |
| PLAYMAKER |
| A player whose greatest skill is setting up teammates for scoring chances. |
| POWER FORWARD |
| A big, strong forward who plays physically and usually accumulates high scoring and penalty totals. |
| POWER PLAY |
| Offensive situation where one team has more men on the ice than penalized opponents. |
| RAGGING THE PUCK |
| Skating around to waste time, usually while killing a penalty or at the end of a game. |
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SCREEN
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| Blocking the goalie's view of the play. |
| SIXTH ATTACKER |
| The extra skater on the ice who comes on after the goalie has been pulled. |
| SLAP SHOT |
| A shot that is taken with a full windup. |
| SLOT |
| The area directly in front of the net from the crease to the top of the faceoff circles. |
| SNAP SHOT |
| A quick wrist shot. |
| TAKING THE BODY |
| Checking with the body rather than the stick. |
| TOP SHELF |
| The upper part of the net. |
| TRAILER |
| An attacking player who follows the puck carrier into the offensive zone. |
| TWO-ON-ONE |
| A situation in which two attacking players have only one defender between them and the opposing goaltender. |
| TWO-LINE PASS |
| A pass that is made from inside one's blueline across the red line. When a teammate of the player making the pass touches the puck, it is ruled offside of the across . |
| TWO-WAY PLAYER |
| A player who is equally adept at the offensive and defensive aspects of the game. |
| WRAPAROUND |
| A play in which the puck carrier starts behind the other team's goal line and swings quickly in front of the net to stuff the puck into the net. |
| WRIST SHOT |
| A shot taken by snapping the wrists. |
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