Hockey 101: Hockey Slang

Hockey stick and pucks
(Photo: Tima Miroshnichenko) Pexels

“He fired a wrister from the point and went bar down, got an apple in that game too.” Huh? Hockey slang can be confusing, but with a little studying, you’ll be talking like a star forward in no time.

Apple: An assist on a goal. Ryan Strome notched yet another apple on Frank Vatrano’s goal last night.

Barn burner: A fast-paced, high-scoring, exciting game. I can’t believe that game ended 8-7! What a barn burner!

Bar down/bardownski: When a puck hits the top bar of the net and then falls in. The puck went bar down against one of the best goalies in the league.

Biscuit: The hockey puck. He shot the biscuit, but it went just wide of the net.

Bucket: A hockey helmet. The Kings’ chrome buckets were a unique choice that is not done by many other teams.

Clapper: A powerful slap shot that often makes a clapping sound against the stick. What a clapper from McDavid!

Celly: A celebration after scoring a goal. Evgeny Kuznetsov was known for flapping his arms like a bird during his celly.

Evgeny Kuznetsov celly
Evgeny Kuznetsov hitting his famous bird celly. (Photo: Inside the Rink)

Chiclets: Another word for teeth. Got a couple of chiclets knocked out, huh, Brent Burns?

Chirp: To make fun of or taunt another player. The chirp from Brandon Montour in the penalty box sure fired up his opponent.

Dangle: When the player skillfully moves the puck around another player to score. Trevor Zegras scores after a showy dangle.

Deke: Short for decoy, when a player fakes out their opponent to score. Lexie Adzija with a tricky deke!

Drop the gloves: To fight–players literally take off their gloves to engage in a tilt. They drop the gloves and it looks like Jacob Trouba will come out on top.

Duster: A player who does not get a lot of play time and “collects dust” on the bench. No one wants to be the duster of the team.

Five hole: The spot between the goalie’s legs. That puck went five hole and the Flyers have cut the lead to one.

A visual diagram of the five hole.
The five hole is between the goalie’s legs. (Image: Dear Sports Fan)

Flow/lettuce: Good hair, often seen flowing out of the back of a helmet. Mika Zibanejad’s flow is unmatched.

Getting chippy: When players start to fight on the ice. It’s getting chippy after that hit on Minnesota’s goalie.

Goon: A player whose primary role is to engage in fights and be a physical presence on the ice. He didn’t score much, but he was a goon and intimidated other teams.

Gordie Howe Hat Trick: When a player scores a goal, notches an assist, and engages in a fight in the same game. Tom Wilson registered a Gordie Howe Hat Trick last night.

Hatty: Short for a hat trick, three goals in one game. She got her first career hatty on Saturday against Montreal.

Light the lamp: To score. Can the Toronto Sceptres light the lamp enough tonight to make it to the playoffs?

One-timer: When a player instantly shoots the puck off a pass from their teammate, making no attempt to control it first. Alex Ovechkin is notorious for shooting a one-timer from the same spot.

Pipes: The posts of the net. Marc-Andre Fleury is between the pipes tonight.

Shorty: A shorthanded goal, scored when the team is down a man due to a penalty. She scored an impressive shorty, which turned out to be the game-winning goal.

Sin bin: The penalty box. A slashing penalty lands her in the sin bin for two minutes.

Maine Mariners' Cam Askew and Reading Royals' Ryan Devine Heading to the Penalty Box
Photo: Miasara McLaughlin | Inside The Rink

Snipe: A powerful shot that finds the net from a long distance. What a snipe from Marie-Philip Poulin!

Tarp/sweater: Other terms for hockey jerseys. The Reverse Retro sweaters were so beautifully designed.

The point: The spot along the blue lines near the boards, a difficult but impressive spot to score from. He fires a wrister from the point and scores!

Tic tac toe: When a puck is passed from one player to another, and finally to the goal scorer. They went tic-tac-toe in the final seconds and the Canadiens take out the Panthers.

Tilt: A fight between two players. Matt Rempe and Ryan Reeves engaged in a tilt in last night’s matchup.

Top shelf (where momma hides the cookies): When a player scores in the upper part of the net. That puck went top shelf and the Tampa Bay Lightning have the lead.

Twig: A hockey stick. A twig may be the most essential part of a hockey player’s gear.

Wrister: A shot where the arms/wrist generate all of the power. She fires a wrister into the back of the net and scores!

ITR 30: Down The Stretch Inside The Rink

Join Conrad and Chris as they discuss the NHL General Managers Meetings, Connor Bedard's antics, Mikko Rantanen returning to Colorado, Gabriel Landeskog resumes skating with the team, Ovechkin's Gr8 Chase, and NHL Playoff updates.
  1. ITR 30: Down The Stretch
  2. ITR 29: Trade Deadline Review
  3. ITR 28: Deadline Week
  4. ITR 27: Trade Season Begins
  5. ITR 26: 2 Nations Fighting

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