Here is some basic terminology and rules that any hockey fan should understand.
assist:
the pass or passes which immediately precede a successful scoring attempt; a maximum of two assists are credited for one goal.
backcheck:
an attempt by a player, on his way back to his defensive zone, to regain the puck from the opposition by checking or harassing an opponent who has the puck.
backhand shot:
a shot or pass made with the stick from the left side by a right-handed player or from the right side by a left-handed player.
boarding or board-checking:
a minor penalty which occurs when a player uses any method (body checking, elbowing or tripping) to throw an opponent violently into the boards; if an injury is caused, it becomes a major penalty.
body check:
when a hockey player bumps or slams into an opponent with either his hip or shoulder (the only legal moves) to block his progress or throw him off-balance; it is only allowed against an opponent in control of the puck or against the last player to control it.
butt-ending:
a major penalty which occurs when a player jabs an opponent with the shaft of his hockey stick.
charging:
a minor penalty which occurs when a player makes a deliberate move of more than two steps when body checking an opponent; if serious injury is caused or blood is drawn it becomes a major penalty.
check or checking:
any contact initiated by a defending player against an opponent to get the puck away from him or slow him down; there are two main types of checks: stick check and body check; these are only allowed against a player in control of the puck or against the last player to control it immediately after he gives it up; checking after too many steps or strides becomes charging.
cross-checking:
a minor penalty which occurs when a player holds his stick in both hands and drives the shaft into an opponent; a stick check where a player has both hands on the stick and no part of the stick on the ice; if serious injury is caused or blood is drawn it becomes a major penalty and a game misconduct.
deflection:
causing any pass or shot to stray from its intended course; a shot or pass that hits some object such as a stick or skate and goes into the net for a score or when a goalie hits the puck away.
delayed penalty:
a penalty against a team that has only 4 players on the ice, assessed only when one of its players gets out of the penalty box.
delay of game:
a minor penalty imposed on any player who purposely delays the game in any way, such as shooting or batting the puck outside the playing area or displacing the goalpost from its normal position.
double minor:
a type of minor penalty given for certain accidental infractions that result in an injury to another player or for certain deliberate attempts to injure an opponent that are unsuccessful; penalty time of 4 minutes is served, double the time of a normal minor penalty.
drop pass:
when a player simply leaves the puck behind for a teammate following him to pick up.
elbowing:
a minor penalty which occurs when a player strikes his opponent with an elbow to impede his progress.
Falling on the puck:
a minor penalty, which occurs when a player other than the goalie closes his hand on the puck, deliberately falls on the puck, or gathers the puck under his body while lying on the ice.
fighting:
a major penalty which occurs when two or more players drop their sticks and gloves and fight; if a referee deems one player to be the instigator, that player also receives a minor penalty and a misconduct penalty; the minor penalty for a less severe pushing and shoving match is called roughing.
flip shot:
a shot in which a player cups the puck in his stick, then flips it with his wrists up off the ice towards the goal; this sometimes makes the puck harder to block.
forecheck:
to check or harass an opponent who has the puck in his defensive zone and keep the opponents in their end of the rink while trying to regain control of the puck; usually done by the forwards.
forehand:
a shot or pass taken from the right side of a right-handed player or from the left side of a left-handed player.
hat trick:
three or more goals scored by a player in one game.
high-sticking:
a minor penalty which occurs when a player carries his stick above the normal height of his opponent�s shoulders and hits or menaces the opponent with it; if injury is caused it becomes a major penalty; if a referee determines that the raising of the stick was unintentional and no contact occurred, it is considered a team infraction, and a face-off is held in the offender's defensive zone.
holding:
a minor penalty which occurs when a player grabs and holds onto an opponent (or his stick) with his hands or arms to impede the opponent�s progress.
hook check:
a sweep of the stick low to the ice to take the puck from an opponent�s stick.
hooking:
a minor penalty which occurs when a player attempts to impede the progress of another player by hooking any part of the opponent�s body with the blade of his stick; an illegal use of one�s stick.
icing:
a violation which occurs when the team in possession of the puck shoots it from behind the red center line across the opponent�s goal line into the end of the rink (but not into the goal) and a member of the opposing team touches it first; results in a face-off in the offender�s defensive zone; a shorthanded team cannot be called for icing.
interference:
a penalty in hockey called when a player attempts to impede the motion of another player not in possession of the puck.
Kneeing:
a minor penalty which occurs when a player uses a knee to hit his opponent in the leg, thigh or lower body.
major penalty:
a type of individual penalty called for more serious infractions of the rules; of 5 minutes in duration whether or not the non-penalized team scores.
minor penalty:
a type of penalty lasting 2 minutes; if the non-penalized team scores a power play goal during this time, the penalty ends immediately.
offside:
a violation which occurs when both skates of an attacking player cross the opponent�s blue line before the puck is passed or carried into the attacking zone; also called when a player passes the puck from his defending zone to a teammate across the red center line (two-line pass); this is one of the most common calls made in a hockey game and results in a face-off.
penalty killer:
a player expert at backchecking and keeping or gaining control of a loose puck under difficult circumstances who is trained to break up a power play when his team is shorthanded.
penalty shot:
a free shot awarded a player who was illegally interfered with, preventing him from a clear scoring opportunity; the shot is taken with only the goalie guarding against it.
poke check:
a quick jab or thrust to the puck or opponent�s stick to knock the puck away from him.
power play:
an attack by a team at full strength against a team playing one man (or two men) shorthanded because of a penalty (or penalties) which resulted in a player on the opposing team receiving penalty-box time.
roughing:
a minor penalty which occurs when a fight between players is more of a pushing and shoving match; a less severe penalty than fighting.
slap shot:
a shot in which the player raises his stick in a backswing, with his strong hand held low on the shaft and his other hand on the end as a pivot. Then as the stick comes down toward the puck, the player leans into the stick to put all his power behind the shot and add velocity to the puck; achieves an extremely high speed (up to 120 miles per hour) but is less accurate than a wrist shot.
slashing:
a minor penalty which occurs when a player swings his stick hard at an opponent, whether or not contact is made; if injury is caused it becomes a major penalty and a game misconduct.
spearing:
a major penalty which occurs when a player illegally jabs, or even just attempts to jab, the point of his stick blade into another player�s body; one of the most serious infractions a player can commit; results in an automatic game misconduct.
stickhandling:
moving the puck along the ice with the stick blade.
sweep check:
a check made by a player with one hand on the stick, and one knee so low it is practically on the ice, with the shaft and blade of the stick flat on the ice to take the puck away from an opponent.
third-man-in rule:
the third man in a fight gets a game misconduct penalty and is out of the game for its duration; created to discourage players from jumping into a fight, even if they are only trying to break it up.
tripping:
a minor penalty which occurs when a player places his stick or a part of his body under or around the feet or legs of an opponent causing him to lose his balance; will also be called if a player kicks an opponent�s skates out from under him, or uses a knee or leg to cause his opponent to fall.
wrist shot:
a shot made using a strong flicking of the wrist and forearm muscles, with the stick blade kept on the ice; it is slower but more accurate than a slap shot.
