The purpose of this article is to provide a glossary of terms used most in hockey. This will help you be knowledgeable when you or someone else is speaking about youth hockey.

Aerobic – This is exercise where energy is supplied by oxygen. Vigorous exercise with continually high pulse rate.

Anaerobic – This is exercise where oxygen is not the energy source, short bursts of vigorous exercise.

Assist – A player receives this credit if they are the last player to handle the puck prior to a goal being scored by another player.

Assistant Coach – A valuable member of the coaching staff. An assistant coach is assigned specific duties by the head coach for practices and games.

Back Check – This is when a forward skates back quickly to their defense zone to prevent an opponent from scoring.

Blocker – A goaltenders glove worn on the hand that holds the stick.

Body Check – A player uses their body against an opponent. The only legal form of body checking is done only with the hips and shoulder above the opponents knees and below their neck.

Breakaway – Occurs when a player skates towards the net with the puck having no opponents but the goaltender in front of beside of the player.

Changing on the fly – Players from the bench replaces players on the ice while play is in action.

Concussion – Jarring of the brain resulting in dysfunction. A concussion can have three types of grades: mild, moderate or severe.

Crease – A semi-circular area colored in blue in front of the goal.

Dehydration – Loss of body water that results in harmful affects to the body.

Dislocation – Complete displacement of a joint.

Empty Net Goal – A goal scored on the opponent that has pulled its goaltender to gain an extra player.

Face – Off – A referee drops the puck between the hockey sticks of two opposing players to begin play.

Flat Pass – A pass where the puck remains on the ice.

Flexibility – The ability of the muscle to relax and yield to stretch forces.

Flip Pass – The puck is lifted so that it goes over an opponent or his stick to complete a pass.

Freezing the Puck – When a youth hockey player holds the puck against the boards with his stick or skates or when a goaltender holds the puck in his catcher or traps it on the ice to prevent the opponent from taking possession.

Game Played – A hockey player gets this credit for playing in a game if he has playtime or serves any penalty.

Game Tying Goal – A final goal that ties a game.

Game Winning Goal – The goal that is scored to win the game. Particularly this may not be the last goal scored, just the goal that won the game.

Goal – A goal is given to the last hockey player to touch the puck before it enters the net.

Goals against Average – This is the process of multiplying goals allowed by 60 and divide by minutes played.

Goaltenders win/loss/tie – A win, tie, or loss is given to the goaltender on the ice when the game winning or tying goal is scored.

Head Coach – The leader of the coaching staff, makes decisions affecting the team.

Linesman – An on-ice official who is responsible for calling offside and icings.

 Youth Hockey – Hockey for players ages four to eighteen.

Off-Ice Officials – Are people who officiate off the ice, official scorer, game timekeeper, penalty timekeeper, and goal judges.

Off- Side – When a player from the team in possession of the puck crosses their opponents blue line before the puck.

On-Ice Officials – Are those who officiate on the ice, linesman, and referee.

Penalty – An infraction of the rules by a player or coaching staff.

Penalty Killing – This occurs when the team who is shorthanded because of a penalty tries to prevent the opposing team from scoring.

Player Roster – A record of information about the players on the team.

Plus Minus – A plus is received when a youth hockey player is on the ice when his team scores goal. A minus is received when a player is on the ice when the opposing team scores a goal.

Power Play Goal – A goal scored by any team while the opposing team is shorthanded due to a penalty.

Referee – An on-ice official who is the supervisor of the game, calls penalties, determines if actual goals were scored, and handles face-offs at center ice.

Save – A shot that is blocked by the goaltender that otherwise would have gone into the net.

Shooting Percentage – Divide the number of goals scored by the number of shots taken.

Shorthanded – When a team has less players on the ice than the opposing team due to penalties.

Shorthanded goal – when a goal is scored by a team who is shorthanded due to a penalty.

Shot on goal – This is when a hockey player shoots the puck when the intention of scoring.

Shutout – When a goaltender has successfully blocked all incoming shots on goal, thus not allowing any goals to be scored by the opponent.

Skills – A physical ability to skate, stickhandles, shoot, and pass.

Slot – An area of the ice in the middle between the face-off circles.

Trapper – The goaltenders catching glove.

Tryout – the process of players competing against other players in order to obtain a position on the team.

While there are many different terms used in youth hockey, these are just a few of the most common used terms.

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