Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press via AP
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin (8) celebrates his goal against the Ottawa Senators with teammates Phil Kessel (81), Evgeni Malkin (71), Ian Cole (28) and Scott Wilson (23) during the second period of Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals, Friday, May 19, 2017, in Ottawa, Ontario.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017 | 2 a.m.
Hockey 101
Hall of Famer Gordie Howe once said, “All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity.”
That’s not the type of hockey lingo we’ll be going over. Hockey talk is almost a language of its own, and here are a few common (and not-so-common) terms you’ll hear during a hockey broadcast and exactly what they mean.
Apple: An assist
Backhand: A shot that comes off the back of the blade of a hockey stick.
Bar Down: A shot that deflects off the crossbar of the goal and into the net.
Biscuit: The puck
Blue-Liner: A defenseman
Bucket: A helmet
Clapper: A harder, faster slapshot where the stick lifts into the air on the backswing.
Deke: A juke, as it's commonly referred in other sports when a player fakes out an opponent with a slight movement of misdirection.
Five Hole: A shot that goes between the goaltender’s legs.
Gordie Howe Hat Trick: A variation of the classic hat trick, where the player must instead score a goal, register an assist and get into a fight in one game.
Lettuce: A head of long hair. Hockey players love their hair.
Light the Lamp: A goal, as it triggers the red light behind the goal to turn on.
Pulling the Goalie: A strategic move to give the team an extra attacker, with the goalie skating off the ice. It usually occurs when a team is down late in the game and desperate.
Sin Bin: The penalty box
Top-6 forward: A forward (center, left wing or right wing) who is good enough to play on the first two lines of a team.
Top Shelf: A shot that hits the inside of the top of the goal. It’s considered one of the most impressive ways to score.
Wraparound: When a player comes from behind the net and attempts a shot all in one motion.
Wrister: A slower, more accurate shot where the stick doesn’t lift off the ice during the windup
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy