Although it’s not October just yet, hockey season has already started up. Whether you are trying to learn more about hockey to impress some hottie or are interested in learning about a new sport, this article is sure to give you an insight into the most basic vocabulary possible.
Goal:
Well if you don’t know this one, Good Luck Charlie. A goal is when the puck goes over the goal line in front of the net resulting in the scoring team to increase their score by one point. Goals can be challenged by the opposing team if they believe the puck might not have actually passed the goal line or a different penalty occurred.
Assist:
The person who helped a player score the goal. This person assists the scorer by shooting, passing, or deflecting the puck to the person who is set up to score.
Hat Trick:
A hat trick occurs when one player scores three goals in one game. Pretty straight forward…
Overtime:
If the two teams are tied at the end of regulation, they go into a sudden death overtime where the first team to score becomes the winner.
Faceoff:
Whether it is at the beginning of a period or after a stoppage of play, the two teams line up facing each other with two people in the center in attempt to gain possession of the puck after an official drops it between the two players.
Neutral Zone:
The area of ice between the blue lines that does not belong to either team.
Red Line:
The line going down the middle of the ice.
Blue Line:
Blue lines running down each side of the ice that separate the attacking/defending zones from the neutral zone.
Major Penalty:
A misconduct by a player, that results in the removal of them from the game, and their team down one player, for a total of five minutes. In some cases, players can be ejected from the game all together and someone else has to sit in the penalty box in their place. Examples of major penalties include: biting, kicking, and spearing.
Minor Penalty:
A misconduct by a player, that results in the removal of them from the game, and their team down one player, for a total of two minutes. Examples of minor penalties include: boarding, charging, cross checking, high sticking, hooking, roughing, and slashing.
Penalty Box:
The place where a player is contained while serving their allotted penalty time.
Bender:
Being more of a “slang” hockey term, a bender is someone who tends to bend their ankles a lot when skating. It’s typically used as an insult to someone’s skating/playing abilities.