Hockey Glossary: Understanding NHL Terminology

Announcer: The people who call the game and describe what’s happening during a live NHL broadcast. It typically refers to the main broadcaster, but it can also be used for the color commentator or even the in-arena PA announcer.

Apple: An assist. No one really knows where the term came from, but it’s probably one of the most popular phrases among hockey announcers, so it’s an important term to know.

Attacking zone / offensive zone / o-zone: The area of the ice between the opponent’s blue line and the end boards behind their goal. If you’re a soccer fan, you can think of the o-zone as hockey’s final third.

Backcheck: The act of tracking back to stop an opponent’s attack after losing possession. Some of the most valuable NHL players are skilled attackers who can also backcheck efficiently to help their team in defence.

Bardown: A shot that hits the crossbar and bounces off down into the goal. Most hockey fans will tell you that these are some of the satisfying goals to see scored because of the “ping” sound of the puck hitting the bar.

Biscuit: The puck. If you’re watching a game with a particularly old-school announcer, you may hear them say that a player “put the biscuit in the basket” after they score a goal.

Bucket: A helmet, also called a lid. Other than the stick, it's by far the most important piece of gear for hockey players, so it’s no wonder they have a nickname for it.

Crease: The small blue-semi circle in front of the goal. It exists to create a buffer between goaltenders and other players to keep goalies safe. Offensive players are not allowed in the crease.

Dangle: Any skill move. Usually, it refers to a deke or fake-out that leaves a defender looking silly, but really any type of impressive skill move can be a dangler.

Defending zone / defensive zone / d-zone: The area of the ice between a team’s own blue line and the end boards behind their goal. In other words, your d-zone is the area around your goal.

Defenceman: The position responsible for defending. Every team typically has two defencemen on the ice at one time. They play behind the three forwards and in front of the goalie.

Empty Net: A situation when a team removes their goalie. This is usually done when one team desperately needs a goal. You rarely see an empty net outside of the final few minutes of a game. Most NHL games will not have an empty-net situation.

Face off: A restart in play where the puck is dropped between one player from each team. There are specific locations on the ice where face-offs occur. Location varies based on the situation.

Five-hole: The space between a goaltender’s legs and the ice. Most hockey players will tell you that the five-hole is their favourite place to score a goal because it’s the most difficult.

Forecheck: The act of applying defensive pressure in the offensive zone. Having good forecheckers is important because winning the puck in the o-zone is a great way to create good scoring chances.

Forwards: The position responsible for attacking. Most teams play with three forwards on the ice at a time. They play in front of the defencemen, but they often track back to help defend.

Gino: A goal. Players want to score ginos and they want to have more ginos than the other team. If you set up a gino, you’ve bagged an apple (a.k.a, an assist).

Goaltenders: The position directly responsible for stopping the puck from going in the net. Goaltenders are specialists and wear different gear than the rest of their teammates, such as face masks and catching gloves.

Icing: The act of shooting the puck from behind the center red line across the opponent’s goal line without anyone touching it. Icing is an infraction. The punishment for icing is a face off in the offending team's defensive zone.

Lines: A group of three forwards who play together as a unit. For example, the starting three are the first line, while their back-ups are the second line and so on.

Linesmen: The on-ice referees primarily responsible for monitoring icing calls, offsides, and other rules regarding the lines. Every NHL officiating crew has two linesmen.

Odd-Man Rush: A counter-attacking situation where the offensive team has more players in attack than the opposition has in defence. This can be two-on-one, three-on-two, or any other numerical advantage.

Odds: The numerical value representing the likelihood of a specific outcome in a game. Odds determine your potential payout, with negative numbers indicating the favorite and positive numbers the underdog. Monitoring the latest NHL playoff odds helps you identify which teams are currently favored to advance.

Offensive Roles: Forwards are typically referred to by their main area of the ice.

Left Wings: Forwards who play on the left side of the attack.

Right Wings: Forwards who play on the right side of the attack.

Centres: Forwards who play in the centre of the attack. Centres are typically the team’s most skilled player. All-time greats like Wayne Gretzky and Connor McDavid are centres.

Offside: An infraction that occurs when an attacking player crosses the blue line into the offensive zone before the puck does. If the puck leaves the o-zone and attacking players are inside, they must exit the zone (tag up) before the puck re-enters.

One-Timer: A shot taken immediately upon receiving a pass, without stopping to control or settle the puck before shooting. You can think of it as a one-touch shot on goal.

Penalty Kill: A situation where a team has fewer on the ice because of a teammate’s penalty. Teams are more vulnerable in penalty kill situations and usually more defensive. Penalty kill situations are the reverse of power plays.

Pipes: The vertical posts of the goal. You’ll often hear goaltenders referred to as the player between the pipes or sometimes even just “in the pipes.”

Playoffs: A high-stakes, best-of-seven elimination tournament held after the regular season, where 16 teams compete over four rounds to win the Stanley Cup.

Power Play: A situation where a team has one or more players than their opponents because of an opposition penalty. Power play situations are usually short-lived, so teams usually go more attacking to try to take advantage of the opportunity before it runs out.

Sauce / Saucer Pass: A type of pass where the puck is lifted briefly over an opponent's stick or body. They are called saucer passes because of the way the puck briefly rotates and looks like a flying saucer before coming back down to the ice.

Scorekeeper: An off-ice official responsible for keeping a record of the game. They record the score, goal-scorers, and other important stats for the official NHL recordbooks. Keeping accurate stats is pivotal for the game, since it can affect things like the Stanley Cup bracket.

Sin Bin: The penalty box, where players sit off the ice after committing a foul. For example, if you get in a fight, the referee will send you to the sin bin to cool off.

Snipe: Scoring a goal from a tight angle or through a tight area. For example, many goals scored in the five hole are sniped goals.

Timekeeper: An off-ice official responsible for managing the game clock, penalty times, and other time-related aspects of a game. Most NHL areas have a dedicated timekeeper’s box. This job is often overlooked, but can often matter massively during high-stakes games, like during the NHL playoffs.

Top 6: The six forward players on a team. In other words, the first and second-line forwards. Most of a team’s goals will likely be scored by their Top 6 forwards.

Twig: A hockey stick. Before the days of modern carbon fiber and fiberglass sticks, hockey sticks were made of wood, so players and fans affectionately called them twigs. Wooden sticks are no more, but the name remains.

Zamboni: A specialized vehicle used for resurfacing the ice between periods. Zambonis make sure that the ice is smooth and clean so that players don’t get hurt. They also happen to be really fun and are usually a big part of in-game entertainment between periods.

Most top-tier sportsbooks use these standard terms in their interfaces. If you're looking for a platform with a wide variety of these markets - including alternative puck lines and player props - check out our rankings of the best NHL betting sites in Canada.

If you’re still looking for more NHL information to elevate your fan status, head over to our NHL for beginners guide to master the essential terminology and rules of the game.