The Ins and Outs

You’ll hear me use that term a lot in this blog, the ins and outs of the game. In Lehman’s Terms, the ins and outs, like the ins and outs of most things in this world, are the rules, basics, and general guidelines to the game. To assist the new students to the sport of hockey, this post will be dedicated to some of the most commonly used terms that people with a hockey background and hockey experience know and use. With this list, you can rest easy, knowing that you understand what everyone is saying at the water cooler, or just chatting with friends about last night’s outrageous game. Feel free to look back to this post any time you get confused. The list will be continuous, and will be added to as new things present themselves in our posts.

• The Basics

• Stick

• A long piece of wood and carbon fiber, with a thin handle and a flat curved head used to pass and shoot the puck, but also used to block shots or try and retake the puck from an opponent

• Puck

• A small, rubber saucer that is passed around the rink and its used to score goal.

• Skater

• Anyone on the ice that is not a referee and is wearing skates

• Goalie

• Or Goaltender, the skater that is the last line of defense against the opponent trying to score. Goalies make saves: anytime they stop a shot from going in the net. The goaltender wears and uses various equipment not allowed to other non-goalie skaters

• Mask

• Stick

• A shorter, heavier stick then one used by normal skaters, used for trying to regain the puck at close range, as well as make save

• Pads

• Large cushion pads that are work around the legs, allowing the goalie to stop puck with his or her legs

• Blocker

• A smaller cushion pad, work around the stick hand, that is used to protect the stick hand wrist and make saves

• Glove

• A catching glove used to snare pucks out of the air

• Net

• The area the goalie protects. There are two nets on the ice, one for each team.

• Defenseman

• A position in hockey. There are two defenseman on the ice for each team at a time. They protect the goalie and defend against the other skater’s attempts to score.

• Forwards

• A position in hockey. There are three forwards on the ice for each team at a time. The forwards job is store score goals. They are the main scoring force of a team. The forwards are broken into two types:

• Centers

• Center are usually passers, are specialists at face offs

• Wingers

• Winger receive passes and are usually the top scorers for teams

• Goals

• Anytime a team puts a puck in the opponents net, it is considered a goal, as long as it was put there per the rules

• Periods

• There are three periods in hockey, instead of halves or quarters. Periods are 20 minutes long

• Zones

• There are three zones in hockey. The neutral zone, also known as center ice, the offensive zone where a team tries to score, and a defensive zone, where a team tries to defend.

• Face-Off

• At the beginning of periods, at stoppages, and after goals, there is a face-off. The team’s centers go face to face in the middle of the ice or in eight other places on the ice, either in the offensive and defensive zones, or on neutral ice. A referee drops the puck between the two centers, and they try to gain possession for their team.

• Forecheck

• A team’s offensive strategy or how they attack their opponent’s offensive zone. Teams can have more aggressive forechecks, where they attempt to shoot as much as possible, or more conservative forechecks, where they wait for the right time or pass to shoot.

• Backcheck

• A team’s defensive strategy or how they defend their own defensive zone. Some teams are aggressive and attempt to take the puck back from their opponents quickly, while other’s opt to sit back and wait for their opponent to make a mistake or have their goalie makes saves and block shots.