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 get the puck from the opposition by checking an opponent who has the puck.
BLIND PASS to pass the puck without looking.
BLUE LINES two blue lines running parallel across the ice, each 60 feet from the goal: they divide the rink into three zones - attacking, defending and neutral
BOARDING OR BOARD-CHECKING a minor penalty which occurs when a player uses any method to throw an opponent violently into the boars; if an injury occurs, it becomes a major penalty.
BOARDS OR BOARD WALL a wooden wall which surrounds the rink to keep the puck and players from accidentaly leaving the rink and injuring spectators.
BODY CHECK when a player bumps or slams into an opponent with either his hip or shoulder 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.
BREAK a chance to start a rush when the opposing forwards are out of position.
BREAKAWAY OR BREAKOUT a fast break in which an attacker with the puck skates in alone on the goalie.
BUTT-ENDING a minor penalty where an opponent is hit with the top of a player's hockey stick.
CENTER OR CENTER FORWARD the center player in the forward line who usually leads his team's attack when they are trying to score; takes part in most of the face-offs.
CENTER FACE-OFF CIRCLE a 30-foot in diameter circle at the center of the ice where the puck is dropped in a face-off to start the game and to restart the game after a goal is scored.
CENTER ICE the area between the two blue lines; also called the neutral zone.
CENTER LINE a red, 12-inch wide line across the ice midway between the two goals.
CHARGING a minor penalty which occurs when a player deliberately moves more than two steps when body checking an opponent; a major penalty is called if it results in serious injury or blood is drawn.
CHECK OR CHECKING any defensive/guarding tactic used by players done by moving their bodies against an opponent to get the puck away; two main types of check - stick and body;
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 attaking zone, all the attacking players must leave the zone to avoid being called offsides when the puck reenters the zone.
CREASE LINES the red lines which form the semi-circular area with a 6-foot radius in front of the goal called the goal crease.
CROSS-CHECKING a minor penalty which occurs when a player holds his stick in both hands and drives the shaft into an opponent; a stick check where a player has both hands on the stick and no part of the stick on the ice; if blood is drawn or serious injury occurs, becomes a major penalty and a game misconduct.
DEAD PUCK a puck that a player has caught in his hand or that flies out of the rink.
DEFENSEMEN two players usually stationed in or near their defensive zone to help the goalie guard against attack; sometimes they lead an attack. The right defenseman covers the right half of the rink, the left defenseman plays to the left, but they can skate into each other's territory.
DEFENSIVE LINE consists of two defensemen.
DEFENSIVE ZONE the area nearest a team's goal (the goal they are defending).
DEKE OR DEKING a decoying or faking motion by the puck-carrier. There are shoulder dekes, stick dekes and head dekes.
DELAYED PENALTY OR 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; these delayed calls are made so as not to penalize the non-offending team by stopping their momentum; a penalty that is delayed, and then not called, is is waved off and play continues uninterrupted; also a penalty against the team tthat has only 4 players on the ice, which is assessed only when one of its players gets out of the penalty box.
DELAY OF GAME a minor penalty given to any player who purposely delays the game in any way, such as batting or shooting the puck outside the playing area or displacing the goalpost from its normal position.
DOUBLE MINOR a type of minor penalty given for certain accidental infractions that result in an injury to another player; penalty time of 4 minutes is given, double the time of a normal minor penalty.
DROP PASS when a player simply leaves the puck behind for a teammate following him to pick up.
ELBOWINGa mnor penalty which occurs when a player strikes his opponent with an elbow to impede his progress.
EMPTY-NET GOAL a goal scored against a team that has pulled the goalie out of the game.
ENFORCER also called the policeman; is usually the most penalized player on the team; his is the job of protecting his teammates from harm; usually a larger player who is not afraid of any fight.
FACE-OFF the 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.
FALLING ON THE PUCK a minor penalty which occurs when a player, other than the goalie, closes his hand on the puck, deliberately falls on the puck, or gathers the puck under his body while lying on the ice.
FEEDING passing the puck.
FIGHTING a major penalty which occurs when two or more players drop their sticks and gloves and fight; if a refree deems one player to be the instigator, that player gets a game misconduct; the minor penalty for a less severe pushing and shoving fight is called roughing.
FLAT PASS when a player passes the puck to a teammate along the surface of the ice.
FLIP PASS a pass by a player to a teammate that lifts a puck from the ice.
FLIP SHOT a shot in which a player cups the puck in his stick, then flips it with his wrists up off the ice towards 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.
FORWARD LINE OR ATTACKING LINE consists of two wings (right and left) and a center; these three play nearer the opponent's goal and are responsible for most of the scoring.
FORWARDS the 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.
GET THE JUMP to move fast and thereby get a good start on the opponents.
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 CREASE a semi-circular area with a 6-foot radius in front of the opening of the goal; denotes the playing area of the goaltender into which no player without the puck may enter.
GOAL LINE the 2-inch red line between the goalposts that stretches in both directions to the sideboards.
GOALKEEPER, GOALIE, GOALTENDER the heavily padded player who guards the goal; prevents opponents from scoring by stopping the puck anyway he can.
GOALPOSTS the 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.
HIGH-STICKING a minor penalty which occurs when a player checks an opponent by carrying his stick above the normal height of his opponent's waist and hits, or menaces the opponent with it; if injury is caused it becomes a major penalty; if a referee determines that the raising of the stick was unintentional and no contact occurred,the penalty is only against the team and results in a face-off.
HOLDING a minor penalty which occurs when a player grabs and holds onto an opponent (or his stick) with his hands or arms to impede the opponent's progress.
HOOK CHECK a sweep of the stick low to the ice to take the puck from an opponent's stick.
HOOKING a minor penalty which occurs when a player attempts to impede the progress of another player by hooking any part of the opponent's body with the blade of his stick; an illegal use of one's stick.
ICING a 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.
INTERFERENCE a penalty called when a player attempts to impede the motion of another player not in possession of the puck.
INTERMISSION a fifteen -minute recess between each of the three periods of a hockey game.
KNEEING a minor penalty which occurs when a player uses a knee to hit his opponent in the leg, thigh or lower body.
LEAD PASS a pass sent ahead of a moving teammate designed to meet the player at the location he is headed.
LIE angle made by the shaft of the stick and the blade.
LINE CHANGE the entire forward line and/or defensive line will be replaced at once.
LINESMANthe two officials on the ice, one at either end, responsible for infractions of the rules concerning off-side plays at the blue lines or center line and for any icing violations; they separate players who are fighting; they conduct most of the face-offs.
MAJOR PENALTY a type of individual penalty given for more serious infractions of the rules; of 5 minutes in duration whether or not the non-penalized team scores.
MINOR PENALTY penalty lasting 2 minutes; if the non-penalized team scores a goal on the power play, the penalty ends immediately.
NEUTRAL ZONE& the area between the blue lines.
OFFSIDES a violation which occurs when both skates of an attacking player cross the oponent's blue line preceding the puck into the attacking zone or when a pass crosses more than one line without being touched (two-line pass); this is one of the most common calls made in a hockey game.
OFFICIALS one referee and two lines-men on the ice calling infractions and handing out penalties.
ON-THE-FLY making player substitutions while play is under way.
OPEN ICE the part of the ice that is free of opponents.
PASSING when one player uses his stick to send the puck to a teammate.
PASSOUT a pass by an attacking player from behind his opponent's net or goal line to a teammate in front of the net.
PENALTY punishment of a player for a violation of the rules, resulting in suspension from the game for a period of time; there are 6 types - minor, major, bench, misconduct, match and goalkeeper's penalties.
PENALTY BOX an area with a bench just off the ice, behind the sideboards outside the playing area where penalized players serve their penalty time.
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 a free shot awarded to 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.
POINTS 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 two 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 tie 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 or two men shorthanded because of a penalty (or penalties) which resulted in a player on the opposing team receiving penalty-box time.
PUCK a black, vulcanized rubber disc, 1-inch thick and 3-inches in diameter, weighing between 5 1/2 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 slapshot.
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.
RAGGING retaining the puck by clever stickhandling; often used by a shorthanded team to kill time.
REBOUND a puck that bounces off the goalie's body or equipment.
RED LINE the line that divides the length of the ice surface in half.
REFEREE the chief official in a hockey game, distinguished from the other officials by a red or orange armband; he starts the game, calls most of the penalties and makes the final decision in any dispute; he is responsible for making the ice, the nets and the clock are in good condition.
ROSTER a list of the players on a team.
ROUGHING a minor penalty which occurs when a fight between players is more of a pushing and shoving match; a less severe penalty than fighting.
RUSH an individual or combined attack by a team in possession of the puck.
SAVE the act of a goalie in blocking or stopping a shot.
SCRAMBLE several players from both sides close together battling for possession of the puck.
SCREEN SHOT a 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.
SHOOTING ANGLE the angle determined by the position of the shooting player in relation to the goal at the moment he shoots the puck.
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 is successfully blocked or otherwise prevented by a goalie; a save.
SHOULDER DEKE a quick move of the shoulder in one direction and the player in another to fake out the opponent.
SLAP SHOT a 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 extremly high speed (up to 120 miles per hour) but is less accurate that a wrist shot.
SLASHING a minor penalty which occurs when a player swings his stick from below his shoulder at an opponent to impede his motion, whether or not contact is made; if injury is caused it becomes a major penalty and a game misconduct.
SLEEPER an attacking player who slips into the center or neutral zone behind the attacking defensemen; same as a floater or a hanger.
SOLO a rush by a player without assistance from a teammate.
SPEARING a major penalty which occurs when a player illegally jabs the point of his stick blade into another player's body; one of the most serious infractions a player can commit; results in an automatic game misconduct.
STICK DEKE when a player's stick is moved as though for a shot, but instead the player moves the puck past the defending player; done to fake out the opponent.
STICKHANDLING moving the puck along the ice with the stick blade.
SUBSTITUTION occurs when a player comes off the bench to replace a player coming out of the game; can be made at any time and play does not need to stop.
SUDDEN-DEATH OVERTIME an overtime period that ends as soon as one team scores a goal, determining the winner and terminating the game.
SWEEP CHECK a check made by a player with one hand on the stick, and one knee so low it is almost on the ice, with the shaft and blade of the stick flat on the ice to take the puck away from an opponent.
THIRD-MAN-IN RULE the third man in a fight gets a game misconduct penalty and is out of the game for its duration; created to discourage players from jumping into a fight, even if they are only trying to break it up.
THREE-ON-ONE a type of break with three attackers coming in on one defenseman; this is a desperate situation.
THREE-ON-TWO a type of break with three attacking players skating against two defensive players.
TRAILER a player who follows his teammate on the attack seemingly out of the action but actually in a position to receive a backward or drop pass.
TRIPPING a minor penalty which occurs when a player places his stick or a part of his body under or around the feet of an opponent causing him to lose his balance; will also be called if a player kicks an oppomnent's skates out from under him, or uses a knee or leg to cause his opponent to fall.
TWO-LINE PASS a team violation occurring when a puck is passed across two or more lines without being touched; play is stopped for a face-off; a type of offsides.
TWO-ON-ONE a type of break with two attacking players skating against one defensive player.
TWO-ON-TWO a type of break with two attacking players skating against two defensive players.
UNDER-LED PASS a pass behind or to one side of a teammate, making it difficult for him to control the puck.
WAFFLE PAD a large rectangular pad attached to the front of the goalie's stick hand.
WASH OUT a goal that is ruled invalid by the referee or the waving off of an infraction by the linesmen.
WINGS two players who flank the center on his right and left sides and, with him, make up the attacking unit or forward line.
WRIST SHOT a 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 the brand of machine used to clean the ice.
ZONES three areas made up by the two blue lines; the attacking zone is the area farthest from the goal a player is defending; the neutral zone is the central area; the defending zone is the area where a player's goal is ( the goal where his team's goalie is stationed).