The Ultimate Dictionary of Hockey Slang!

Hockey has a unique culture that is perhaps more prevalent than any other sport. Consequently, having a comprehensive understanding of hockey’s slang is one of the most fascinating things about the game. As a result, more hockey lingos are added every year to develop a unique relationship between hockey-specific events.

Let’s dive deep into understanding the hockey slang most commonly used by players and fans. Having mastered the hockey language will also allow you to converse and understand!

List of Hockey Slang

Below we listed the top most common hockey slang used in hockey:

A

Apple: Assists are known as an apple.

B

Bar down: Used for a shot hitting the crossbar before going into the net for a goal.

Barn: Used for the hockey arena.

Barnburner: A high-scoring game with lead changes.

Bender: A player whose ankles are bending while skating

Beauty: A game beautifully played or a goal nicely done

Biscuit: Puck in hockey

Blades of Steel: A hockey video game that came out in 1987 – 88

Bottle Rocket: When the goalie’s water bottle gets hit

Brawl: Fighting among players

Brick wall: A goalie is called a brick wall when he keeps making saves

Broadway Blueshirts: Another name for New York Rangers

Bucket: Helmet

Buds: Another word for Toronto Maple Leaf’s

Buzzer Beater: A goal just before the period end

C

Cage: Mask is worn by the goalie

Caps: Another name for the Washington Capitals

Celly: To celebrate

Charleston Chiefs: A team’s name in the Slapshot movie

Cheap Shot Artist: Player playing dirty

Cheese: The goal at the top net shelf

Cherry Picking: A player who does not help his team to defend but instead tries to get the offensive opportunity

Chiclets: Teeth

Chirping: Hockey insults and trash talk

Clapper: Slapshot

Coast to Coast: Skating in the rink from one side to another

D

Dangle: Deke

Denied: A big save by a goalie

Desert Dogs: Another name for Arizona Coyotes

Disk: Puck

Duster: A player sitting on the bench

E

Enforcer: A player charged on the team

F

Face Wash: Rubbing one’s glove into the other player’s face

Fake: Making the opponent believe the player is going to one side when he goes to the other.

Fanned: Missing shooting the puck

Filthy: A good goal

Firewagon Hockey: When there is more offense and less defense in the game

Five Hole: Hole opening between the goalie’s pads while going to the ground

Flamingo: Lifting one leg to block a shot

Flash the Leather: Making a stop with the glove hand

Flow: Hockey hair flowing out of the helmet

G

Garbage Goal: Goal scored through rebound

Gino: Goal

Give and Go: Passing the puck to a partner and then getting it back

Goon: Fighter in the team

Goose Egg: Zero goals allowed against a goalie

Gordie Howe Hat Trick: When a player gets a goal, assist, and fight

Grapes: Nickname of Don Cherry

Great One: Another name for Wayne Gretzky

Greasy: A goal not nicely done

Grinders: A forward is called Grinders when he has to hit and check more than scoring

H

Handcuffed: A player not able to score despite getting many opportunities

Hanging from the Rafters: Jersey number of a retired player hanging in the home arena

Hanson Brothers: Brothers in the Slapshot, who played Charleston Chiefs

Holy Grail: Another name for Stanley Cup

Hot Dog: The player shows up his opponent

Howitzer: Hard shot

I

Insurance goal: Adding a goal for increasing the lead, which increases the chance of error

J

Jarring Hit: A hit that shook up a player

Johnny on the Spot: A player at the right place and time to goal

Journeyman: A player who has played for many teams

K

Knuckle Puck: A puck flipping in the air

L

Lamplighter: A player scoring many goals

Laser Beam: Hard shot hitting the aim

Laying on the Lumber: Slashing a player with your stick

Light the Lamp: Motivating a player to goal

Lumber: Earlier hockey sticks

M

Manhandle: Roughening up another player

Mitts: Hands

Muffin: Weak shot

N

Nail: Striking someone hard with a body check

Nosebleeds: Audience seats at the top of the hockey stadium

O

Office: The place behind the goalie’s net

P

Paint: Goalie crease

Pest: An annoying player

Picking his Pocket: Stealing the puck from other players

Pipe: Goalposts

Pinch: Defenseman into the offensive zone to help

Playoff Beard: A tradition to grow the beard until the team wins or loses the Stanley Cup

Plug: A lousy player

Plumber: A player good at getting the puck out of the board corners

Preds: Nashville Predators

Puck Bunny: A girl hanging out with guys from hockey

Puck has Eyes: Puck with several rebounds before going into the net

Puck Hog: Player not passing the puck

Puck Luck: Lucky bounce of a puck resulting in scoring

Puckhead: Anyone who loves hockey

Pylon: Defenseman easy to skate around

R

Razor Sharp: The player showing outstanding play

Riding the Pine: The player is not allowed to play

Right in the Numbers: The player hits from the back

Ring it Off the Iron: A shot puck staying out of the net

Rink Rat: A person staying more in the hockey arena

Ripple the Mesh: Scoring the goal

Rob (goal): Stopping a sure goal

Roof: Puck hitting the nettop

Rubber: Puck

S

Sens: Ottawa Senators

Stand on his Head: Goalies saving a lot of goals.

Sharpshooter: A player who is a perfect shooter and scores many goals.

Shinny Hockey: An outdoor rink hockey where players do not wear padding, so do not raise the puck above the sins.

Sick Bay: A term used for an injured player (he is a sick bay) or a player who goes to check his injury (he goes to a sick bay).

Sieve: A goalie who failed to make a save, a sieve reference that drains water through it.

Sin Bin: Penalty box.

Snow Job: A player stops to spray snow in the goalie’s face as he is down the ice.

Soft Hands: A player who scores most goals with finesse rather than power.

Spin-o-rama: The player makes a 360-degree spin hockey move to deke or fake out the opponent.

Stone Hands: A player who cannot score a goal; even if he gets a chance, he fails.

T

Turtle: A player dropping to the ice to save himself from another

Tic-tac-toe: A 3-way passing trick that results in a goal.

Top Shelf: A player who scores a goal that hits on the top part of the goal net, the mesh that is the roof of the net.

U

Uncork: A power shot

W

Wheels: A player able to skate fast

Y

Yawning Cage: A net that is wide open for the shot

Yard Sale: A player who loses a lot of equipment during the game, either by doing some action or getting hit.

Z

Zebra: A referee

Conclusion

So, this was a comprehensive list of slang used in hockey. Know them, and act as a hockey pro!