Hockey Jargon, Hockey Terminology & Hockey Sayings

Hockey Terms P-T

The HockeyFanatic.com presents our glossary of hockey terms. From A to Z, find your favorite hockey terms here.

P

Paddle – goalie stick

Pass – When one player uses his stick to send the puck to another player on the same team. Passing the puck to a player who scores a goal is often credited with an assist.

Penalty Box – The area where penalized players serve their time also referred to as the Sin-Bin.

Penalty Killing – The attempted act by a team that is short handed (due to a penalty) to keep the opposition from scoring referred to as killing off the penalty.

Penalty Shot – Giving a player a clear shot with only the goaltender to defend it. It is called when a player is fouled from the rear when he has an otherwise clear path to the goal and was hauled down while in the process of shooting. Often referred to as the most exciting play in hockey.

Pepper – firing a number of shots at the goalie in quick succession.

Period – One of the three timed parts that make up a game, In hockey a period usually consists of 20 minutes in length.

Pinch – When an attacking player, usually a defenseman, skates along the boards from the point to keep the puck in the defending team’s end.

Pipe – goal post

Point – A position on the ice just inside the opposition blue line and close to the boards on either side of the rink. The attacking defensemen usually take these positions when their team is in control of the puck in the opposition’s zone. The point is often used by teams when on the powerplay thereby creating time and space for the attacking team in the offensive zone.

Poke Check – a move to dislodge the puck from the puck carrier by stabbing at it with the blade of the stick. The move was made famous by Toronto Maple Leaf goaltender Johnny Bower which coined the phrase a “Johnny Bower poke check”.

Power Play – when a team has a one or a two man advantage because the other team is serving penalty time.

Puck –the six-ounce hard rubber disc used to play hockey. Pucks are often frozen to glide better and bounce around less on the ice.

Puck Bunny – female groupie-like type who tries to meet exclusively with hockey players.

Pull the Goalie – When the goalie is taken off the ice and replaced with an extra skater. This usually happens in the final minutes of a game, if a team needs to get a goal to even the score.

Pulling the goalie – team removing their goalie from the game for an extra attacker on the ice. Usually done within the last 90 seconds of the game in order to try and score the tying goal.

Pylon – player usually a defenseman that is of lower skill level when it comes to their skating abilities.

Q

Quick Break – a fast moving rush from out of the defensive zone.

R

Rebound – a shot that bounces off the goalie’s equipment providing the attacking team with another chance to score.

Referee – the chief official(s) who makes sure all rules are followed during a game.

Right Wing – the player on the forward line who mainly plays on the right side of the ice. Example: Former New York Islander, Mike Bossy

Riding the pine – act in which a player remains on bench for prolonged period of time based on the coaches preference for other, often more skilled players to receive ice time.

Rubber – hockey puck

S

Saucer pass – pass that is elevated slightly off of the ice

Save – a shot on goal that is blocked by the goalie.

Score – to get a goal.

Scramble – where several players from both teams fight for possession of the puck.

Screen Shot – A shot that the goalie can’t see because his vision is blocked by his own teammates or opposing team players.

Shadow – the act of losely follow another player on the ice and prevent him from making plays.

Shaft – the long, straight part of the stick.

Shift – the active time when a player is on the ice to play.

Shorthanded – when one team has taken a penalty and has fewer players on the ice than the other team, the opposite of having a man advantage or being on the power play. Being one or more men short during the play on the ice.

Shoot – a scoring attempt directed towards the net using a backhand shot, slap shot, snap shot or wrist shot.

Shoot-Out – a breakaway competition used in a tied game to determine which team wins the game.

Shutout – When the goalie has not allowed the opposing team to score any goals in a game

Sin bin – penalty box

Slap Shot – a hard shot by winding up by bringing the stick back, then quickly forward and slapping the puck ahead with a fore-handed shot. The slap shot was made famous by Bobby Hull and is often used by defenseman playing the point. Or the 1977 hockey movie starring Paul Newman featuring the Hanson Brothers.

Slashing – A minor penalty for swinging the stick hard at an opposing player.

Slot – The area in front of the net/goal between the two face-off circles. It is from this area where a number of goals are scored and where players typically try to set up while deep in the offensive zone.

Snowing the goalie – act of a player intentionally stopping in front of the goalie and thus spraying snow from the ice in the goaltenders face.

Spearing – A major penalty given to a player who jabs or attempts to jab an opposing player with the blade of his stick.

Splitting the D – hockey move where a player carries the puck in between two defenceman thereby “splitting the D”.

Spinorama – perfected by Denis Savard where player spins around with the puck to avoid opponents. The Savardian-Spinorama was coined based on this trademark play from Denis Savard.

Stacking the pads – move where a goalie slides across the ice with both pads placed beside each other horizontally to block the lower portion of the net.

Standing on your head – game in which a goalie proves to be almost impossible to beat or score a goal on.

Stick Handle – To control the puck with both the front and the back of the blade while in a skating motion.

Stripes – referee or official

Stone Hands –when a player has a great scoring opportunity but cannot score due to lack of skill.

Sudden Death – An overtime situation in which the next goal wins the game.

T

Tic-tac-toe – three consecutive passes using three different players resulting in a goal.

Time-Out – a 30 second break in the action called by the coach. Often used to rest key players or devise a plan to score a goal or prevent the opposition from setting up in hopes of scoring a goal.

Top shelf – upper portion of the net; also referred to as the “area where mamma hides the cookies”.

Trailer – The player skating behind or following a teammate to be in position to receive a backward or drop pass.

Trap – type of neutral zone defensive formation that results in a boring style of game play that takes the form of a type of man-to-man coverage made famous by Jacques Lemaire coached teams such as the New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild.

Trapper – goalie’s glove

Twig – hockey stick

Twine – mesh of the hockey net.