Learn how to speak hockey with some hockey slang and terms. Have you ever wanted to expand your horizons and learn another language? Why not learn the language of hockey. Impress your friends with how easily you can throw out some cool hockey slang while watching the game. The language of hockey can be used in the locker room, in the bar and even at home to impress your significant other. So relax and start to learn how to speak hockey right here. You won’t regret it!!
Hockey is a sport that is loved by millions of people and it has a language that is all its own. Here is an introduction to the most common hockey slang terms and what they mean. By the end of today’s lesson you will be able to translate the following paragraph from hockey slang to normal everyday language.
“Buddy’s got wheels and he went coast to coast, dangled a couple of guys and then let a clapper fly. The biscuit bounced off the defenceman’s bucket and right through the five hole for the tenth goal of the game. What a barn burner this game turned out to be.”
Barn – Refers to the hockey arena.
Barn Burner – An exciting and high scoring game
Biscuit – The hockey puck
Brawl – A fight that involves multiple players
Buds – The Toronto Maple Leafs nickname
Bucket – Hockey helmet
Buzzer Beater – A goal that is scored just before the end of the period
Cheap-shot Artist – A player that is a pest and makes a lot of dirty plays including trying to injure
Celly – Celebrating a goal with a gesture (like a ball spike in football)
Chiclets – Your teeth
Chirp – To taunt or verbally insult an opponent
Clapper – Take a slapshot
Crossbar – The post that runs across the top of the net
Dangle – To skillfully deke an opposing player
Disk – Refers to the hockey puck
Face Wash – In a scrum when a player shoves his glove in another player’s face
Five Hole – The space between a goalies legs
Fishbowl – A full face mask
Give and Go – When a player gives a pass and gets one right back to get by an opposing player
Grapes – The nickname for legendary hockey commentator Don Cherry
Great One – The nickname for one of the greatest players of all time……Wayne Gretzky
Greasy – A goal that is not pretty. Maybe a lucky bounce or a scrum in front of the net
Goon – A tough guy whose main job is to protect his teammates and fight other goons
Gongshow – A chaotic situation on the ice, usually an out of control game with fights or goals
Gordie Howe Hat trick – When a player scores a goal, an assist and a fight in one game
Grinder – Usually a less skilled player that skates hard, hits players and plays with tenacity
Hands – Refers to a player with great dekes and moves
Howitzer – A really, really hard slapshot
Lumber – The hockey stick
Lighting the lamp – Refers to a goal. A red light goes on behind the net when a goal is scored
Mitts – Hockey gloves
Muffin – A really weak shot
Nosebleeds – Seats that are way up near the rafters in a hockey arena
Open ice hit – When you hit an opposing player away from the side or end boards
Paint – The area in the goalie crease that is a different color from the ice
Pipe – The goal post. “Starting between the pipes tonight…..Gump Worsely.”
Pinch – When a defenceman moves from the blueline into the offensive zone to try and keep the puck in. If they get caught inside the zone it sometimes leads to a scoring chance for the defensive zone team
Playoff Beard – During the playoffs some teams players will not shave until they get knocked out of the playoffs. A bit of a superstitious move
Point – Defensemen at the blueline of the opposing team. “Get the biscuit back to the point for a shot”
Puck Hog – A player that doesn’t pass the puck
Pylon – Describes a really slow player that is easy to get around
Riding the pines – A player that sits on the bench without a lot of ice time is riding the pines
Roof – Scoring a goal that hits the mesh at the top of the net
Sauce – A pass that is off the ice to make it more difficult for the defender to intercept it
Sieve – A goalie that lets in a lot of goals
Sin Bin – Refers to the penalty box
Slot – The area in front of the net that is a great spot to take shots on goal
Snow Job – When a skater side stops creating a spray of snow at a goalie…..it’s a good thing to do if you like getting punched in the face by a member of the goalies team
Stacking the pads – When a goalie lays on his side and his pads are on top of each other to make a save
Stay at home defenseman – A defensive player who plays safely and concentrates more on defense than offense. Doesn’t usually pinch in the offensive zone
Suicide Pass – A pass that can be easily telegraphed by the opposition and sets the pass receiver up to get hit hard
Stand on his head – Refers to a goalie making a lot of good saves to keep his team in the game
Stripes – The Referees
Tape to Tape – A pass that is perfectly executed from stick to stick
Tic-Tac-Toe – A crisp three way passing play ending in a goal
Toe Drag – When a player uses the end of his stick blade to deke another player
Turtle – When a player is being attacked but doesn’t want to fight he turtles on the ice by covering up his head with his hands making him look like a turtle
Twig – Refers to a hockey stick
Wheels – Used to describe a really fast skater
Wrap Around Goal – When a player swoops around the back of the net and tries to score in one full motion
Just like other sports and activities hockey has its own language. It’s kind of fun to get into it. And I think it makes the game of hockey more enjoyable when you can listen to the announcers and know what the heck they are saying.
Please leave a comment and share your best hockey slang…..there’s a ton of them
