NHL Terminology: Breakdown of Advanced Terms & Slang

Hockey coverage, especially around the NHL, has picked up its own language over time. Those new to the game might hear analysts talk about things like shot quality, zone entries, or possession and might not necessarily understand what these unique terms mean.

Below, we break down the most common advanced terms and everyday NHL slang in a clear, practical way. Each entry explains what the phrase means, how it is used during games or in analysis, and why it matters when you are watching or reading about hockey. By the end, you should be able to follow modern NHL coverage with more confidence and a better feel for how teams and players are evaluated.

Game & Rule Terms

These terms help explain why play stops and what teams are trying to do with the puck in the moments that lead to goals. Knowing them makes it much easier to follow what you see on the ice and what commentators are talking about.

Assist (Apple)

An assist is credited to a player who helped create a goal, usually by making the pass that led to the shot. In hockey slang, this is often called an apple. Up to two players can earn an assist on one goal, which helps show who was involved in setting up the scoring play.

Backcheck

A backcheck happens when a player skates hard back toward their own end after their team loses the puck, trying to either close down the puck carrier or disrupt the passing option before a dangerous shot develops.

Breakaway

A breakaway is when a skater gets behind the defence and heads toward the goalie with no defender in front of them. This puts a lot of pressure on the goalie since the shooter has time and space to pick a spot.

Change on the Fly

Players can go to the bench and be replaced while play continues, which is known as a change on the fly. Teams do this to keep players fresh without stopping the game. A bad change can lead to confusion and give the other team an opening.

Checking

Checking is the act of using the body or stick to slow down an opponent or knock the puck away. It is intended to break up plays rather than causing physical harm to someone. Good checking helps a team regain possession and limit time in its own zone.

Dump and Chase

Dump and chase is a strategy in which a team sends the puck deep into the offensive zone and then skates in after it. This is often used when defenders are blocking the blue line, and clean entries are hard to get. The goal is to win the puck back along the boards.

Face-off

A face-off begins when the referee drops the puck between two players. It happens at the start of periods and after every stoppage. Winning a face-off gives a team quick control of the puck and can lead to an early shot or clean breakout.

Five-hole

The gap between a goalie's leg pads when they're in their stance. Shooters aim there because it's one of the harder areas for goalies to close quickly, especially on dekes or when they're moving side to side.

Forecheck

This is a strategy where players aggressively pressure the opposing team in their own defensive zone to steal the puck or force a mistake. Think of it like a "full-court press" in basketball, aimed at regaining possession deep in the opponent's territory.

Gordie Howe Hat Trick

This term is used when a player records a goal, an assist, and a fight in one game. It's named after Gordie Howe, one of the sport's toughest and most skilled players.

Hat Trick

A hat trick is when a player scores three goals in a single game. Fans often throw their hats onto the ice to celebrate. It is one of the most well-known milestones for a scorer.

Icing

This occurs when a player shoots the puck from their own half of the ice all the way past the opponent's goal line without anyone touching it. It results in a whistle and a face-off back in the shooting team's zone as a penalty for using it as a delay tactic.

Offside

A team is offside if a player crosses into the offensive zone before the puck does. When this happens, play is stopped, and a face-off is held outside the zone. This rule keeps players from waiting near the goal for easy chances.

Odd-Man Rush

An odd-man rush occurs when the offensive team has more skaters than the defenders can cover. These situations are dangerous because the puck can be passed to an open shooter.

Penalty Box

The penalty box is where a player sits after being called for a rule violation. While they are there, their team must play with fewer skaters.

Penalty Kill

The penalty kill is the time when a team is short-handed because one of its players is in the penalty box. The main goal here is to prevent the other team from scoring until your penalized player returns.

Power Play

A power play happens when one team has more players on the ice because the other team took a penalty.

Rebound

A rebound is the puck that comes loose after a goalie stops a shot but cannot hold onto it. These loose pucks often lead to quick follow-up chances. Many goals are scored by players who are in a position to grab rebounds.

Saucer Pass

A pass where the puck lifts off the ice and travels through the air before landing flat. It gets over sticks and skates that would otherwise break up a flat pass. The name comes from how the spinning puck looks like a flying saucer.

Screened Shot

A shot where players or traffic block the goalie's view of the puck. Goalies struggle to track shots they can't see cleanly, making screens one of the most effective ways to beat them, even without a perfect shot.

Slapshot

A slapshot is a hard shot where the player winds up and strikes the puck with a full swing. It creates a lot of speed, especially from the blue line. Defensemen often use it to fire pucks through traffic.

The House

The area directly in front of the net, roughly inside the face-off circles. It's called the house because it's prime scoring territory, and defenders work hard to clear out opposing players who try to set up there.

Snipe

To snipe means to shoot the puck into a very small opening, usually near the top corners of the net. It describes a shot that beats the goalie clean.

Top Shelf

Top shelf means the upper part of the net, just under the crossbar. Shots placed there are harder for goalies to reach. When someone scores this way, announcers often call it top shelf.

Wrist Shot

A quick shot taken by snapping the wrists with little or no windup, so the puck comes off the stick fast. It’s easier to aim than a slapshot, which is why players use it so often near the net or when they don’t have much time.

Player Slang & Actions

Hockey has its own vocabulary that lives in locker rooms and on the ice. Some are compliments, others are insults, and a few just capture specific moments or styles that don't have formal names.

Bar Down

This describes a goal scored when the puck hits the bottom of the crossbar and deflects straight down into the net.

Beauty

A beauty is someone who makes a great play or does something impressive. It can also be used to describe a nice goal or pass. It is a simple way of giving credit for a strong moment.

Celly

Celly is short for celebration after a goal. It refers to how a player reacts after scoring, whether that is a fist pump, a jump, or skating toward teammates. Some players are known for bigger cellys than others.

Cherry Picker

A player who hangs around the offensive zone waiting for a long pass instead of backchecking or playing defence. It's an insult because cherry pickers don't do the hard work, and instead, they just wait for easy chances.

Chiclets

Chiclets is slang for teeth and usually comes up when a player loses teeth after taking a hit or a puck to the face. In hockey culture, missing Chiclets is often treated as a sign of toughness.

Chirp

To chirp means to talk trash to an opponent during a game. Players use chirps to try to get into someone’s head or throw them off their game. It happens constantly on the ice, even if fans cannot always hear it.

Dangle

This refers to a player using highly skilled stick-handling to maneuver the puck around an opponent or fake out a goalie. If a player "dangles," they are essentially using fancy moves to make the defender look silly.

Duster

A duster is a player who is not very good and spends most of their time skating without making much of an impact. The idea is that they are just collecting ice dust. It is a negative term used by fans and players.

Flow

Flow refers to a player’s long hair that sticks out of the back of their helmet. It has become part of hockey culture, especially with younger players. Good flow is often joked about as part of a player’s look.

Goon

A goon is a player whose main job is to be physical and fight. They are on the roster more for their toughness than for their skill. The role has shrunk in the modern NHL, but the term still gets used.

Grinder

A hard-working player who doesn't have flashy skills but battles in the corners and does the dirty work. Grinders wear opponents down over the course of a game and make life difficult for the other team's top lines.

Mitts

Mitts is slang for a player’s hands, which means their stickhandling ability. When someone has good mitts, they can control the puck in tight spaces.

Pigeon

A player who scores goals by being in the right place while others do the hard work. Pigeons don't create chances on their own and instead just finish what their linemates set up.

Pylon

A slow, immobile defender who stands still and gets skated around. Comparing someone to a pylon means they're not moving their feet, and they're easy to beat. It's one of the harsher criticisms you can make of a defenseman.

Sieve

A sieve is a goalie who lets in a lot of goals. Opposing fans chant it when a goalie is getting lit up, and it's not something any netminder wants to hear.

Stripes

This slang term refers to referees, named after the black-and-white striped shirts they wear. Players and fans use it when they're frustrated with a call or a no-call. You'll hear "come on, stripes" shouted from the bench when someone thinks the refs missed something.

Equipment & Location Terms

Learn these terms, and you'll understand what players mean when they're talking about their equipment or the rink they're skating in.

Barn

A barn is another name for the arena or rink where a game is played. The term comes from the old days when rinks were simple structures that looked more like actual barns than modern facilities.

Biscuit

It's the most common slang term for the puck and gets used constantly in conversation about the game. When someone says to put the biscuit in the net, they mean to score a goal.

Bucket

A bucket is another name for a player's helmet. Players wear their buckets to protect their heads, and the term applies whether it's a standard helmet or one with a cage or visor attached.

Cage

The wire face guard that attaches to a helmet is referred to as a cage. Cages are mandatory in youth hockey and common in college, but most NHL players switch to visors or play without face protection.

Pillows

Pillows is slang for a goalie’s leg pads and it fits because modern leg pads are thick and padded to help goalies cover more net or to absorb shots.

Twig

This is a casual term for a hockey stick. The term comes from the early days of the sport when all sticks were made entirely of wood, resembling a large branch or "twig".