CANBERRA KNIGHTS ICE HOCKEY

Ice Hockey Glossary

Ice hockey is an exciting, action packed game which is also the fastest indoor game in the world. It is a game of artistry and grace, but it can also be powerful and aggressive. It is this combination that makes this sport wonderfully unique, and ever-growing in popularity. Ice Hockey has a lot of terms that relate only to this sport.

This is the A to Z guide to help you understand our game — so that it too can become your game! Any word that looks like this has a definition in here.

Assist — the act of setting up a team mate who scores a goal. There may be up to two assists on each goal, and assists count for the same amount of points as goals in the stats. The best forwards will have just as many assists to their credit as goals.

Alternate (Captain) — Assists the Captain with on ice duties. Is the only player other than the captain that can ask questions of the Referee. Normally up to two per team.

Attacking (Offensive Zone) — One teams defensive zone is the others offensive zone. This is the end of the rink where the team is trying to score on their opponents goal. Again bounded by the boards and blue line.

Backcheck(ing) — One for the forwards!Once possesion is turned over to the opposition and they skate back down the ice,the forwards turn and chase trying to interupt the attack and cut off passing options. This is backchecking. The great forwards always backcheck just as hard as they forecheck.

Blue Line — There are two on a hockey rink. They divide the ice into equals thirds — the offensive zone, defensive zone and neutral zone.The blue lines are important for offside and offside passes.

Boards — This is the wall (and sometimes glass) that encloses the rink. The boards are made of high density plastic or wood and are reinforced by steel or aluminium. You don't want to get caught against them when 90kg of opponent lines you up at 40km/h!

Box — This is short for penalty box. More often used to describe by a shorthanded defensive play where the players set up in a box in their defensive zone. They try to keep the puck to the outside of the box and block any shots.

Breakaway — When a player gets a free skate at the net during play with only the goaltender to beat — The ultimate challenge!

Breakout — This is a pattern usually played in the defensive zone. Once the defencemen have possession of the puck which enables a teams transition from defence or offence. There are many variations and good teams usually have a high completion rate of their breakouts.

Captain — No explanation needed for this one e cept that he is one of the only three that can talk to the referee without copping a penalty.

Centre — This is the player on each line that takes face offs involved. He generally dictates the teams offence and is often a strong powerful skater as well as a proficient handler of the puck. The centre will often be required to skate the most on any shift involved as he leads the team's forechecking and backchecking .

Coincidental Minors — These are minor penalties incurred by a player or players on each team on the same play. Both players serve the penalties but the teams do not play shorthanded,and will have the full complement of five skaters and a goalie on the ice. Once the penalties have expired the players can only return to the ice after a stoppage. In this case the penalties continue even if a goal is scored by either team.

Crease — Home for the endangered "strangus goaltenderus" species ((goalies to you and me). The boys between the pipes get their own home inside which they are PROTECTED. Go there and you'll not only get a whopper of a penalty but you'll also have two rather upset D-men in your face.

Defenceman (D-MAN) — The players primarily responsible for stopping the opposition attacks. They do this by checking
the players or the puck at or around their own blue line. They also block shots,clear the puck from in front of their own net,work the defensive corners and constantly watch the opposing forwards.Offensively they carry the puck up the ice or pass up to the forwards, then they follow the play into the attacking zone and try to keep it there.

Defensive pairing (D-pair) — Just like a line for defencemen.Because there are only two
on the ice at a time they tend to play (and practice)in set pairs.
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Defensive Zone — This is the area from the blue line to the boards that contains a teams goal and goaltender. Face offs for Icing are taken in the defensive zone,as well as when the play is stopped in that zone by the referee or linesman, or by the goaltender stopping the play freezing the puck.

Delayed penalty — The referee will hold one arm up and point at the penalizes player but won't blow the whistle while the non-offending team has the puck.As soon as the offending player's team gets possession,the whistle goes.You may see the goaltender
of the non-offending team skate off the ice and be replaced by another skater during a delayed penalty call.

Dot — see Face off dot

Double minor penalty — A more serious penalty four(4)minutes in length.Generally issued for flagrant breaches of the rules or for two different penalties at once.The penalties are served back-to-back.

Dump — The act of sending the puck to the other end of the rink .Some teams may use a 'dump and chase' offence where they skate the puck over Centre Red Line and then dump into the End Zone ,sending their forward into chase and recover possession.

End Zone — Refers to either the Attacking or Defensive Zones.

Face off — NOT what you do when you drink too much! This is the way play is started. Both Centres face each other over a Face off DOT, and the referee or linesman drops the puck. Each centre will try to win the face off to create possession for his own team.

Face off circles — These circles enclose the face off dots in each end zone. They ensure that all players other than the centres remain the right distance from the face off.

Face off dots — Red spots on the ice,marked parallel to each other where face offs are
taken. Often used as a point of reference for coaches and game announcers.

Forchecking — One of the most important offensive tactics any team can use. Forchecking is the act of harassing the opposing players when they have the puck in their own zone.A structured play using different pattern such as 1-2-2, 2-1-2, 1-3-1, 3-1-1, forechecking is designed to direct the opposition breakout so that they lose possession of the puck to the other side. Successful forchecking teams will spend as much of their time on the attack and will adapt their forecheck pattern for different teams and different time of the game.

Forwards — See line, centre, wingman

Game Misconduct Penalty — Usually accompanies a Major penalty and results in a player being ejected from the game. This is a personal penalty and the team only plays Shorthanded if there is an accompanying minor, double minor, or major penalty.


Goal — Between the post and under the crossbar, off the stick or an unintentional deflection from the body or skate will be a goal. "Hands of God" won't cut it here, neither will fancy footwork. Oh and you can't score off the ref either.

Goaltender — The player on each team that is responsible for stopping the shots from entering the goal. The goaltender is allowed special equipment such as bigger leg and body pads, larger full face helmet, a wider stick with a broad paddle, a large board-like
glove called a blocker and another glove similar to those used in baseball and softball called a catcher. The goaltender has his own area, usually marked in blue, called the goal crease. Players are not allowed to check a goal tender in his crease.Also players cannot score a goal if they enter the goaltender ’s crease before the puck.Each team will normally have two to three goaltenders on the roster and each may use different styles of play — traditionally stand up or butterfly.

Gross misconduct penalties — Only awarded for off ice incidents such as a player assaulting game or minor officials for accidents after a player has been ejected from the game. Big suspension time folks! If you get one of these think about playing another sport for a while!

Hash Marks — These are the marks on the face off circles in each end zone that ensure the wing men are the right distance from each other.

Icing — This is when the Puck is shot by one team from their own half of the ice (see:Red line) past the goal line at the other end of the rink without either a)defending team touching the puck or marking a player at the puck or b)without the attacking team touching it before it gets to the goal line. For icing to be called, the team shooting the puck must have greater than or equal to the number of players on the ice as the other team. If icing is called the linesman or the referee will stop play and play will restart in the Defensive Zone of the team that shot the puck with a Face off .Icing cannot be called on a team that is shorthanded.

Intentional offside — An offside play where either the puck is shot at the Goaltender or through his crease or where a team has not cleared the attacking zone and the puck is deliberately passed to an offside player.Face-offs for intentional offside are taken in the defensive zone of the offside team.

Line — Forwards are normally grouped together as lines that play together at all times.Each team may have up to four (4) lines comprising a centre and two wingmen .Each line sticks together so that if one of them changes,all should change to enable the next fresh line to come out and attack.

Linesmen — There are normally two and they make the offside and icing calls. They are the ones who separate fighting players and can advise the referee ONLY on Major penalties and above.Often assist the referee in determining goals and awarding assists.

Major Penalty — Very serious penalty awarded when a player deliberately sets out to injure an opponent or for very serious breaches of the rules. A major penalty produces a powerplay of five (5) minutes regardless of whether the team on the powerplay scores or not. Usually accompanied by a Game misconduct penalty.

Match penalty — The most serious of all penalties and sees the player ejected from the game. Usually assessed for
only the most serious of infractions such as fighting, slashing etc. If a player is assessed a match penalty, he must go to the change room and his team must play shorthanded for five (5) minutes.

Minor Officials — These are the off ice officials. They include scorer, penalty timekeeper, game time keeper, and goal judges. Just as important as the referee and linesman to keep the game running smoothly.

Minor penalty — A two (2) minute penalty for a general infraction of the rules. The team of the penalized player plays one skater short for the duration of the penalty. The penalty is over once the two minutes are up or if the opposition scores a goal, whichever comes first. This does not apply for coincidental minors.

Misconduct penalty — Issued for specific infractions of persistent misconduct after a penalty has been awarded and is ten (10) minutes in length. This is a personal penalty. The penalized player serves the accompanying minor or double minor penalty, during which time his team is shorthanded. After the accompanying penalty expires, he sits out the ten minutes while his team is at full strength (barring any further penalties of course!) Two misconduct penalties in a game constitute a game misconduct penalty.

Neutral Zone — In between the blue lines where the puck is neither in a defensive or attacking zone — the teams build their attacks here. Face offs for offside generally take place here too. Often the place where the biggest hits happen. Efficient teams play excellent hockey in neutral ice with swift, neat passing.

Officials Crease — The three guys in stripes have one as well and it's marked at the centre ice on the boards with a half circle. Generally they go there only to discuss penalties and unless you have a 'C' or an 'A' on your shirt — it's out of bounds.


Offside — Offside is called if an attacking player goes across his attacking Blue Line into the Attacking Zone before the puck .If the puck leaves the zone,all attacking players must leave the attacking zone and be clear of it at the same time before they can go back in. Sometimes the linesman will give the attacking players the chance to clear the zone, by holding one arm up, and delaying the offside call (delayed offside). If the players still don't clear the attacking zone,offside is called by the linesman. Face offs for offside are taken in the neutral zone closest to the relevant attacking blue line.

Offside (2 line) pass — An offside pass is called when a player passes from within his own Defensive zone directly to a team mate standing with both skates on the attacking side of the Centre Red Line.

(Change) On the fly — A change on the fly happens while the puck is still in play. A player may change with a team mate at any time and once he is within three metres of his team bench, the replacement can jump. Once a players replacement is on the ice, the
substituted player can't participate in play — if he does it's penalty time!

Overload — This is an attacking pattern, used close to the end of a period or game, when an attacking Face off is about to take place. The attacking team will stack players to one side of their centre in the hope that he wins the face off and gives possession to his team for a quick shot.

The Point — The attacking position of defencemen inside their attacking zone.D-men are often referred to as playing "on the point" or being "point men".

Powerplay — A powerplay occurs when a team is playing with a numerical advantage over another. This normally happens when a player from the opposing team receives a penalty. The duration of the powerplay depends on the length of the penalty incurred. During a powerplay a team will send out a powerplay line ,usually made up of its best attacking players. They will run a specific set of plays unique to the powerplay that will enable them to score.A good team will 'convert' their powerplays by scoring.

Puck — Little black thing that the players chase through out the whole game. It weighs about 200 grams and is made out of vulcanised rubber. Once it's cold its even harder and can travel at speeds greater than 175 km/h,so look out!!!

(Centre red Line) — This line divides the ice in halves and is important for ICING calls.

Referee — The guy we all love to hate. He wears red arm bands and calls the penalties, enforces the rules and above all else, looks after the safety of his other officials and the players.

Rink — Sheet of ice,surrounded by the BOARDS that they play on. Playground for modern day gladiators, kids and women alike. (But you knew this already!)


Shift — The duration of playing time for each line and Defensive pairing .Normally only sixty (60) seconds maximum duration ('cause they get tired), the players may change at a stoppage or on the fly.

Shorthanded — This is when a team is playing with less than the full amount of players on the ice due to a penalty (or sometimes many penalties). The shorthanded team will attempt to "kill" the penalty by sending out a specialist defensive unit known as the penalty killing line. Their job is to play specific (generally zone style) defensive plays against the opposition powerplay. You will often see a shorthanded team play a box, then dump the puck the length of the ice. A shorthanded team cannot be called for
icing.

Shot on — This is recorded by the scorer when a shot is taken on the goaltender. The goaltender must have been forced to make a save and the shot must have been going to score if the goaltender did not save it. Not always the easiest thing to see and are foremost in the mind of many goaltenders.

Shutout — Looks good on a goalie ’s stats. When a team has zero goals scored against them in a game, the goaltender is credited with a shutout.

The slot — The area immediately in front of the net in an End zone which provides the ideal scoring position for attackers. Often referred to in terms of High, Mid and Low.

Stretchman — Refers to a forward,usually a wingman, that has been positioned close to the attacking blue line in an attempt to stretch the zone of play and receive a long pass from a team mate. May be used as a decoy to attract the D-man so that other Forwards have a clearer path to the net.

Strong side — This is the side of the ice where the puck is being played.

Transition — The act of transferring play from defence to offence. If a teams attack is deflected by the opposing defence, they may run a transition play any number of times before another good attacking opportunity comes along.These plays normally occur in the neutral zone.

Team bench — Where they sit, dummy! What, you thought they were gonna stand all through the game?!?

Weak Side — The side of the ice other than where the Puck is being played. Players can create attacking opportunities by good weak side positioning.

Wingman (Wing) — Traditionally the wingmen operated up and down the Boards. Nowadays they are interchangeable with the Centre and can cover the entire attacking zone, depending on where the puck is. In forechecking and in breakouts they have specific jobs. They tend to work the attacking corners and will be just as influential as the centre in both offence and defence. In defence they cover the opposing D-men on The Point, and when their team gets possession they move to the boards in position for a Breakout.