Assist: The last two players who touch the puck before the goal scorer are credited with assists. A point is awarded to both players and no distinction is made between the first and second assists.
Attacking Zone: The area between the opponent's blue-line and goal-line.
Backcheck: A responsibility of the forwards - to cover an opponent as the play returns to the defensive zone.
Backhand: A shot or pass in which the puck is propelled by the back of the stick blade. Backhands are usually weaker than other types of shots but its trajectory is hard for goaltenders to anticipate.
Blocked Shot: A shot that is stopped by a player on the defending team before it reaches the goaltender.
Blue-lines: Two blue-lines divide the rink into three zones: the defensive zone, the attacking zone and the neutral zone. Each blue-line is 12 inches wide and 52.5 feet from the goal-line.
Boarding: A minor or major boarding penalty assessed to a player who bodychecks an opponent with excessive force into the boards of hockey rink.
Boards: A fibreglass barrier, white in colour, that surrounds the rink. The boards measure not less than four feet in height and are topped by Plexiglass that protect spectators from flying pucks.
Body check: A tactic used by a player to physically remove an opponent from the puck or the play. The play is only legal if the player being checked has the puck or was the last person to touch it. The bodychecker may only use the hips or shoulders and must make the hit above the opponent's knees and below the neck.
Breakaway: One of the most exciting plays in hockey, a breakaway occurs when one player with the puck skates in alone against the opposing goaltender.
Breakout: A designed play that facilitates the movement of the puck out of the team's defensive zone.
Centre: The player responsible for leading the line's offence and taking faceoffs.
Changing on the fly: A system that occurs during a game, when players on the bench replace players on the ice while play is in progress. Changing on the fly allows the coach to put refreshed players on the ice before a stoppage in play.
Coincidental penalties: Infractions that occur when players from opposing teams are given penalties of equal duration, such as fighting majors. Teams don't play short-handed during coincidental penalties. The penalized player may leave the penalty box during the first stoppage of play after the penalty has expired.
Cutting down the angles: A goaltender's tactic to move out past the crease to reduce the scoring area that the shooter can see. If the goalie moves out too far, he or she becomes defenceless to a deke.
Crease: A semicircular area, painted light blue, in front of each net. An interference penalty may be called if a player makes contact with the goaltender inside the crease.
Cross-checking: A minor or major penalty can be assessed when a player hits an opponent with the shaft of the stick that is held between the player's hands.
Cycling the puck: A series of short passes deep in the offensive zone and corners used to maintain control of the puck. When one player is being checked by the opposition deep in the offensive zone, he or she will often pass the puck back along the boards to a waiting teammate.
Defence: A position primarily responsible for stopping the opposition from scoring. A team normally has two defencemen on the ice at any time.
Defensive Zone: The area between the defending team's blue-line and goal-line.
Deke: A fake or feint made by an attacking player to induce a defender or goalie to move the wrong way.
Delayed offside: A situation in which a player enters the attacking zone before the puck but the defensive team takes possession. The play is allowed to continue if the defensive team moves the puck out of the zone or if every offensive player caught inside the zone tracks back and makes skate contact with the offensive blue-line.
Delayed penalty: A situation when one player on a team commits a penalty, but the other has possession of the puck. The referee does not whistle down the play until the offending team regains control of the puck. The team about to go on a power play often pulls its goalie in favour of an extra skater until the play stops.
Dive: An attempt by a player to draw a penalty call against the opposing team by embellishing incidental contact. A flagrant dive may result in a two-minute penalty.
Elbowing: A minor or major penalty is assessed to a player who uses his or her elbow to hit an opponent, usually in the face or head.
Faceoff: After a stoppage in play, the game resumes when the puck is dropped between two opposing centres at one of the five circles or four blue-line spots on the ice.
Five hole: Slang for the space between the goalie's legs. One of the five main scoring areas of the net. The five hole is vulnerable when the goalie must move side to side.
Forwards: The centre, left wing and right wing positions on the team.
Forward line: A unit of players consisting of the centre, left wing and right wing.
Freezing the puck: A tactic in which a player uses his or her skates to hold the puck against the boards, or a goaltender covers his or her glove to cover the puck and get a stoppage in play.
Goal: A goal is scored when a puck completely crosses the goal-line into the net. A goal may not be intentionally directed into the net with anything other than the stick.
Goal-line: The red-line at either end of the ice. Each goal-line is situated 13 feet from the end boards and helps in determining icing calls and whether a goal has been scored.
Goalie: The player who guards the net and prevents the opposition from scoring.
Goals against average (GAA): GAA is expressed as the average number of goals allowed per game (60 minutes). It is calculated by dividing total goals against minutes played and multiplying the number by 60.
Hash marks: Two-foot lines extending from the four faceoff circles that help wingers determine their position on the ice during a face-off.
Hat trick: Three goals scored by one player in a single game.
High sticking: A minor or major penalty assessed to a player who strikes an opponent above the waist with his stick.
Hooking: A minor penalty assessed to a player who impedes an opposition's forward progress with the blade or shaft of the stick.
Icing: If any player shoots the puck from his or her own half of the ice beyond the opponent's goal-line, icing will be whistled down and a face-off will take place at the offending team's end. The rule does not apply if the team shooting the puck is killing a penalty.
Interference: A minor penalty given to a player who intentionally makes body contact and impedes the progress of an opponent who doesn't have the puck.
Linesman: One of two on-ice officials responsible for calling off-sides, icing, dropping the puck during face-offs and breaking up fights.
Major penalty: A five-minute infraction given to players for serious penalties such as spearing, kneeing, fighting and checking from behind.
Match penalty: A five-minute penalty plus ejection from the game assessed to players who deliberately injure an opponent. In international hockey only one referee calls penalty infractions.
Minor penalty: A two-minute penalty assessed for less serious infractions such as tripping or hooking. In international hockey only one referee calls penalty infractions.
Misconduct: A 10-minute penalty assessed to a player who verbally abuses an official or commits another foul unrelated to the play. The offending player's team does not play shorthanded during the penalty.
Net: One of two goal frames that measure four feet high and six feet wide, covered in mesh netting.
Neutral zone: The area between the two blue-lines. On an Olympic ice surface, this area is 30 metres by 90m.
Offside: The game's most commonly called infraction, an offside is called when an attacking player enters the offensive zone ahead of the puck. The position of the player's skates, if both of them are across the blue-line, determines the offside. After the play is whistled down, a face-off occurs at the place where the infraction took place. ALSO SEE two-line pass.
Overtime: A sudden-death 10-minute period of overtime played if a game is not decided after three periods in a game that requires a resolution.
Penalty shot: One of the most exciting plays in hockey, a penalty shot is awarded to a player when he or she has been deprived of a scoring opportunity -- usually when hooked or tripped from behind on a breakaway. The player takes the puck at centre ice and goes in alone on the goalie
Power play: A situation during the game when one team has more players on the ice than the opposition due to one or more penalties committed by the opposition. Teams enjoy power play situations because it gives them a good opportunity to score.
Red-line: A striped, 12-inch wide red-line divides the rink into two zones. ALSO SEE two-line pass.
Save percentage: A measure of a goaltender's consistency, save percentage is the ratio of the number of shots saved to the number of shots taken rounded to three decimal places. A save percentage above .920 is considered excellent.
Shootout: If a game remains tied after three periods and a ten-minute overtime in a game requiring resolution at the Olympics, the game will proceed to a shootout. Each team takes five penalty shots on the opposition's goaltender. The team with the most goals wins. If it remains tied after five shots, the shootout heads into sudden death, with each team trading penalty shot chances until one scores when the other does not.
Slapshot: The hardest shots in hockey, in which the player draws his stick back above the waist before slapping the puck. Slapshots can travel more than 100 miles per hour.
Slashing: An minor or major infraction in which a player hits an opponent with a chopping motion using the shaft or blade of his or her stick.
Slewfooting: A dangerous foul in which a player uses his or her legs to trip an opposing player from behind.
Spearing: A major penalty is usually called when a player strikes an opponent with the tip of the stick blade.
