Hockey players have a way with words that the average person wouldn’t understand. If you’ve ever been to a hockey game or hung around hockey players, you may have heard some unusual vocabulary. Words like “apple” or “lettuce” (we promise they’re not all named after food), or simpler ones like “celly,” tend to be used frequently between players. Here’s a guide to help you understand what’s being said on and off the ice.
Courtesy of @carleyjohnstondrw via Instagram
Apple: an assist
Bandaid: a player that’s always hurt
Boots: a pair of skates
Bottle Rocket: when a goal breaks the goalie’s water bottle that sits on top of the net
Bucket: a helmet
Biscuit: a hockey puck
Celly: the celebration after a goal or win
Chiclets: teeth
Clapper: a slapshot
Chirp: trash talking
Duster: a player who rarely plays
(“collecting dust” on the bench)
Egg: a game that ends with a score of 0-0
Face Wash: a player sticking their glove in an opponent's face to get a rise out of them
Flamingo: when a player lifts one leg to block a shot or to make way for a puck to reach the net
Flow: long hair that can be seen from the outside of a helmet
Gino: a goal
Gongshow: an insane game with many goals, penalties or fights
Hat-trick: a player scoring three goals in one game
(Gordie Howe hat-trick: a goal, an assist and a fight by the same player, all in one game)
Wayne Gretzky holds the record for most hat-tricks in the NHL. Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe courtesy of Sports Illustrated.com
Hoser: a loser or the losing team
(the term has been used since before the invention of the Zamboni, when the losing team would hose down the ice after a game)
Kronwalled: a big hit by a defenseman
(made famous by NHL defenseman Niklas Kronwall)
Niklas Kronwall courtesy of The Detroit News.com
Lettuce: a player’s hair
Light the Lamp: scoring a goal
(imagine the red light that goes off after a goal)
Lip Lettuce: a mustache
Sieve: a goalie that continuously allows the other team to score
(think “full of holes”)
Sin-bin: the penalty box
Sweater: a hockey jersey
Yard Sale: when a player’s equipment goes flying off, landing all over the ice - usually after they get hit
Edited by Raegan Verhoff
Written by Bella-Rosa Fetelea
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