Hockey Slang: 100+ Words & Phrases (With Definitions)

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Talk hockey like a pro with this definitive guide

Co-authored by Jennifer Mueller, JD

Last Updated: April 13, 2025 Fact Checked

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The Rink

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Uniforms & Gear

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Players & Officials

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Gameplay

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Shots & Goals

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Fights & Penalties

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Video

Like any sport, fans and players have developed a lot of slang and lingo around ice hockey. If you've never been to a hockey game before, it might seem like the people around you are speaking in a different language. A solid understanding of the lingo can help you enjoy the game more, which is why we've created this list of popular hockey slang and terminology. Keep reading and you'll be able to tell a dangle from a deke in no time.

Top Hockey Slang

The hockey arena is the barn. A close, high-scoring game is a barn burner.
A hockey puck is a biscuit and the net is the basket. A goal is a biscuit in the basket.
A hockey jersey is a sweater and the helmet is a bucket.
A beaut of a shot might lead to a celly after a goal is scored.
A bench-clearing brawl, or a donnybrook, might result in a yard sale of gear tossed on the ice.

Section 1 of 6:

Hockey Slang About the Playing Arena

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1
Barn The entire arena where you play ice hockey.
- Related: A very close, high-scoring game is a barn burner.
- Context: Might be a holdover from when "indoor" hockey rinks were built in literal barns.^{[1]
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Flood When the Zamboni has just finished resurfacing the ice after a game, there's usually a lot of water left on the surface. The players have to wait through the flood until the water on the ice dries up so they can play.

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3
Hashmarks These lines intersect the 2 big circles in front of both nets and mark where players line up for face-offs.
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House The area in front of the net
The goal posts
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The 6x4 The goal
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Slot The area in between the two circles right in front of the net. Most goals are scored from the slot.
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Top shelf The area of the net just below the crossbar
- Related: People talking about a top shelf goal might say "Where does mama keep the cookies?" (The answer is "the top shelf").
The top 2 corners of the goal

Section 2 of 6:

Hockey Slang for Uniforms and Gear

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The goal, but more specifically, the net
2
Breezers This slang term for hockey pants is primarily used in Minnesota and Wisconsin.^{[2]
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Biscuit Hockey puck. Other slang terms for puck include rubber and frozen rubber.
- Related: If the puck hits the back of the net on a goal, that's a biscuit in the basket
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Bucket/brain bucket Helmet
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Cage A full wire visor, typically worn to avoid getting teeth knocked out
- Context: Youth players are typically required to wear a cage of some sort as part of their protective gear. While cages aren't generally required for adults, some do wear them.^{[3]
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Fishbowl A full transparent visor with a transparent cage underneath, typically worn to protect your face or avoid getting teeth knocked out.
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Lumber Hockey stick
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Pillows The large pads goalies wear on their legs
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Sweater A hockey jersey
- Context: Historically, ice hockey was played outdoors. Players actually played in very warm wool sweaters so they wouldn't freeze during the game.^{[4]
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Section 3 of 6:

Hockey Lingo Related to Players and Officials

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A player who is smooth and charismatic both on and off the ice.
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Bender A player who is relatively new and hasn't yet developed good ankle strength, causing their ankles to bend outward when they're on the ice. More often used by players to insult other players.^{[5]
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- Related: A newbie might also be referred to as an ankle burner for the way their ankles bend when they skate
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Chiclets Teeth
- Context: Hockey is a rough, full-contact sport, and pucks and sticks are hard. Hockey players tend to lose teeth playing, and broken teeth tend to look like Chiclets chewing gum when you see them laying on the ice.^{[6]
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Chippy When players get irritated and are snapping at one another. Can also be used to describe a game that's full of cheap shots that the refs aren't calling.^{[7]
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To trash-talk. There are many common chirps in hockey, typically related to the player's slowness or inability to play.
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Duster/dusty A player who doesn't play very often; a bench-warmer
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Flamingo A player who lifts a leg rather than attempting to block a shot that comes by them.
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Flow Long, luxuriant hair that flows out of the back and sides of a player's helmet.
- Related: Hair that's a little long but not quite long enough to qualify as flow is known as lettuce. If it's even shorter than that, it's considered salad.
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Goon A player who has little purpose on the ice other than stirring up trouble. A goon frequently starts fights and delivers illegal hits.
A player who has great work ethic and is a good checker. They're a strong defensive player but likely haven't scored many goals.
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Grocery stick A player who is so bad they sit on the bench for basically the entire game, separating the offense from the defense the way the stick on the grocery store conveyor belt separates the groceries of different shoppers.
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Hoser Now, ice rinks use Zambonis to resurface the ice after a game. But pre-Zamboni, the losing team had to do it—hence hoser, an insult that essentially means loser.
- Context: This origin is unsubstantiated, with other origin stories also proposed. However, the word is indisputably Canadian.^{[8]
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Lip sweater A moustache
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Mucker A mucker is sort of a combination between a goon and a grinder. They work hard and they fight hard.
A less-experienced player who hangs around near the goal and waits for teammates to feed them a pass that they can easily convert into a goal.
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Playmaker A player who has excellent puck handling and passing ability but doesn't score very often.
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Plumber A hard-working player who checks a lot and opens up the ice for plays, even if they're not really at the heart of the action.
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Puck bunny A young woman who is interested in dating a hockey player, but typically doesn't have any extensive knowledge or understanding of the game.
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Pylon A player who is a slow skater and is easy to maneuver around.
A person who either works at the rink or just loves being there and is hanging out there all the time.
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Rocket A physically attractive person in the stands at a game.
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Soft hands A player that makes smooth, slick moves with their hands and stick and can easily confuse other players.
- Synonyms: silky mitts, saucy paws
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The Show Refers to professional ice hockey—primarily the NHL, but really any professional ice hockey league.
- Related: Hockey fans might also refer to the NHL as Chel.
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Stripes Referees or linesmen
- Synonyms: liney, zebras
A player who happens to be a particularly fast skater

Section 4 of 6:

Ice Hockey Gameplay Slang

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An assist, when one player passes to another who's in position to score.
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Alley-oop A high pass lofted to a faraway player or a faraway position on the ice that a player is streaking toward.
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Cherry picking When a player stays back rather than defending and waits for a pass so they can make a breakaway.
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Coughing up the puck When a player loses possession.
When a player carries the puck from one end of the ice all the way to the other.
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Dangle When a player keeps the puck on their stick and smoothly takes the puck through numerous opponents.
- Context: Likely just stretching the definition of the existing word, it implies that this smooth, skilled player is holding the puck out on their stick as bait to induce the opposing players to come after them.^{[9]
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Deke A move players make with their head or body that fakes their opponent out of position.
- Context: When interviewed in 1960 about his fake-out skills, NHLer Dickie Moore stated that he called them dekes, which was short for decoys.^{[10]
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Dirty A really good deke or move around another player that shows some finesse and skill is described as dirty.
- Related: Along the same theme, a good play might also be described as filthy.
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Draw A face-off between two players
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Dump and chase A style of play where the team shoots the puck all the way to the other end of the ice, then chases after it to try to score.
- Related: The player who shoots the puck this way without icing it might say they were taking a dump.
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Fan When a player misses a pass or a shot.
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Freezing the puck When a player holds the puck against the boards or a goalie keeps the puck to force a stoppage of play.
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Grenade A bad pass that causes the puck to flip and roll rather than gliding smoothly across the ice.
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Gong show A game that's out of control and unpredictable, usually with a lot of big hits or fights or some controversial calls. Often also features a really lopsided score.
When a player is making a lot of fancy moves and showing off, usually around a less-skilled player they're trying to intimidate.
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Kronwalled When a defensive player comes out with a huge hit against an opposing player.
- Context: The move is named for NHL player Niklas Kronwall and his legendary, massive checks.
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Man on Players use this phrase to tell a teammate when there's an opponent closing in on them. If there's more than one, they might say two on instead.
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One timer When a player shoots the puck directly off the pass, timing his swing to redirect the puck as it comes towards them rather than stopping it first.
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Phantom assist/ghost assist When a player is credited with an assist that they didn't earn. Usually, they weren't even on the ice.
A sloppy pass down open ice that an opposing player easily intercepts.
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Ride the pine A player who doesn't see a lot of action is said to be riding the pine.
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Sauce A pass that flies parallel to and over the ice, usually over an opponent's stick.
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Snipe A shot that flies straight past the goalie to score a goal, usually without the goalie even touching it or attempting to save it.
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Stoned When a player makes a great shot and the goalie saves it, you might say that the goalie stoned the shot.
Players use this phrase to let a teammate with the puck know that there aren't any opposing team members nearby and they should look for a chance to make a play.
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Tape to tape A pass that goes easily from one player's stick to another player's stick with no intervention.
- Related: If there are multiple tape-to-tape passes in a row, you might refer to it as tic-tac-toe, as in, "Beautiful pass! There's a lot of tic-tac-toe going on out there."
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Traffic A situation where there are a lot of players in front of the net.
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Track meet A game where players race up and down the ice at top speed repeatedly because the puck changes hands so frequently.
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Warm up the bus When one team is significantly ahead of the other and the outcome of the game is virtually decided, fans will chant to warm up the bus for the trip home.
Players use this phrase to tell a teammate to skate with the puck, rather than trying to pass it.

Section 5 of 6:

Ice Hockey Slang for Shots and Goals

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A shot that ricochets down off the crossbar and into the net with a loud clang that reverberates throughout the arena.
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Beaut A shot that's perfectly placed, timed, and executed to score a goal.
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Bottle rocket A shot that knocks off the goalie's water bottle (which is usually sitting on top of the net).
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Celly Celebration after scoring a goal
A loud and decisive slap shot
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Dinger A shot that goes off the post, making a loud ding that reverberates throughout the arena.
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Egg A game that ends tied at 0-0
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For the boys/for the girls When a player says that they scored a goal not for their own glory but for their teammates.
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Five hole A shot between the goalie's legs that scores a goal.
- Related: A player aiming for the 5-hole could say that they were trying to tuck it in.
- Context: Goalies often defend from the butterfly stance, where they put their knees together and their feet out. This creates 4 possible zones for players to score. The zone between their feet when they're in this stance is the five hole.^{[11]
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A goal scored after the puck ricocheted out of the goal. The act of scoring a garbage goal can also be referred to as picking up the trash.
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Getting lit up A goalie who lets in a lot of goals is getting lit up. It refers to the light on the top of the goal that lights up whenever a goal is scored.
- Related: The player who scores a goal is lighting the lamp. You might also say a goalie who gets lit up a lot is sunburned.
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Gino A goal
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Gordie Howe hat trick When a player scores a goal, gets an assist, and gets into a fight in the same game.
- Context: The achievement is named after hall-of-famer Gordie Howe, a remarkable hockey player who spent 32 years playing for the NHL. And yet, he wasn't the first player to do this (he only managed the feat twice in his career).^{[12]
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Hatty A hat trick, when a single player scores 3 goals in a game. You can also have a natural hat trick, where that player scores those 3 goals consecutively without any other goals in between.
- Context: Hockey is typically a really low-scoring game, so scoring 3 goals in one game is a big deal. The phrase hat trick was borrowed from cricket, where scoring 3 times in a row is also very rare. When a player scores a hat trick, fans throw their hats onto the ice.^{[13]
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A weak shot that glides across the ice, seemingly in slow motion. A muffin is usually easily batted away by the goalie, although occasionally they score.
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Screened shot This happens when there are players between the goalie and the shooter that are blocking the goalie's view of the shooter.
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Sieve A goalie who gets scored on a lot.
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Standing on their head If a goalie is getting hammered and they're making a save after humongous save, they're standing on their head.
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Swimming When a goalie is laying face down on the ice, flailing their arms and legs in an attempt to find the puck or make a save.
The goalie or goalkeeper.
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Test the goalie Taking shots on goal regularly and consistently.
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Threading the needle When a player dangles multiple opposing players to make a shot on the goal.
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Windmill When a goalie makes a save while moving all of their arms and legs, kind of like a windmill.
When you take the puck around the back of the goal from one side to the other and then score.

Section 6 of 6:

Hockey Slang Related to Fights and Penalties

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1
Donnybrook Technically, a fight that involves more than 2 people. In practice, it's often a bench-clearing free-for-all.
- Context: The Donnybrook Fair, which was held in County Dublin until 1855, had a reputation for being the scene of much drunken brawling and carousing.^{[14]
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Face wash When one player puts the palm of their dirty, sweaty glove in another player's face and rubs it around a bit—usually after a check to try to stir up some trouble or start a fight.
- Context: Hockey players typically don't wash their gloves ever, so they can get pretty rank. This is not something you want in your face.^{[15]
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Sin bin The box off the ice where players sit during their penalties; the penalty box
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Snarl The stage just before a fight, when players are facing off and probably trash-talking each other.
When a player gets punched in the face by another player, typically when they have no means of defending themselves, such as when they're already down.
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Suey Short for suicide pass, describes a situation where a pass results in the receiving player getting a hard check from an opposing player immediately.
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Tilly A fight, typically only involving 2 players.
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Turtle When a player curls up on the ice and covers themselves because someone is trying to start a fight with them and they don't want to fight.
When a player is hit so hard that they lose all of their equipment, or when several players lose all of their equipment during a fight.