16 Must-Know Hockey Slang Terms for Every Fan

Among North America’s professional sports leagues, hockey’s Stanley Cup stands as the oldest championship trophy. Dating back to 1892, it was initiated by Canada’s Governor General, Lord Stanley of Preston, who commissioned a “challenge cup to be awarded annually to the top hockey team.” While the cup’s design has mostly stayed the same (sort of), the language used to describe the sport has evolved significantly.

Lewis Poteet, the author of Hockey Talk, once noted, “The unique vocabulary of hockey is vibrant and fascinating. It reflects the game’s elegance, intensity, excitement, and rich history.” Here are 16 of these unique terms to help you navigate the playoff season.  

1. Bar-down

While bar-down may not be metaphorically complex, it excels in clear description. It refers to a goal where the puck hits the crossbar and bounces down into the net. In sports journalism, the term gains poetic flair through alliteration, with phrases like "bar-down beauties," "bar-down blasts," and even "blistering, bar-down bombs" thanks to the equally alliterative Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks.

2. Chirping

Referred to as trash-talking or smack talk in other sports, chirping is the verbal skill of disrupting your opponent’s focus with a sharp joke, witty remark, or clever jab. (Sometimes, it’s simply a profanity-filled insult.) At its finest, chirping not only annoys but also amuses. Here’s an example of a chirp directed at a goalie (colloquially called a tendy): “Coupons save more than you do.”

3. Deke

“When you break through the defense and face only the goalie, don’t panic—use your head,” New York Rangers veteran Paul Thompson told Dink Carroll, the memorably named sports columnist, in 1941. “First, check for an opening. If none exists, fake the goalie out of position. We call this ‘making a deke.’”

This marks one of the earliest printed uses of deke, describing a maneuver to trick an opponent and skate past them. Derived from “decoy,” the term was occasionally used in the 1950s to refer to hunting decoys (thanks to Ernest Hemingway) before gaining broader popularity starting in the 1960s.

4. Ferda

A newer entry into hockey slang is ferda, a shortened form of “for the.” While no specific word follows, boys, girls, or team is often implied. As explained in an article from the University of Saskatchewan, ferda describes a team-first attitude or a selfless play that helps the group, often used as praise: “That was ferda!”

5. Five-hole

In 2017, five-hole reached a lexicographical milestone, akin to being drafted into the NHL, when it was added to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. The entry defines it as “the gap between a goaltender’s legs.”

The dictionary attributes the term’s origin to legendary goalie Jacques Plante, who assigned numbers to the areas players target to score. The four corners of the net are labeled one through four, while the space between the legs is the five-hole. Plante also revolutionized the game by introducing the plastic face mask, which quickly became standard across the league.

Initially, Plante only wore the mask during practice. However, after taking a puck to the face on November 1, 1959, and needing stitches, he decided to wear it in a game. Though not the first masked goalie, his design became an enduring symbol of hockey.

6. Flow

This term refers to the long hair that streams out from beneath a player’s helmet. It’s so ingrained in hockey culture that Minnesota State High School even has an "All Hockey Hair Team" to honor players with exceptional flow.

7. Geno or Gino

A geno or gino refers to a goal. The term has been in use since at least 2008, though it remained niche enough by 2017 that journalist Joe Boyle felt the need to explain it. “When our local teams take the ice, expect some big genos (goals, for those unfamiliar),” he noted. 

8. Grocery Stick

One of the earliest mentions of grocery stick in sports media comes from a 2008 interview with Pittsburgh Penguins executive Brian Burke, often dubbed the “gruffest man in hockey.” His explanation remains the most vivid: “There’s a seat on the bench between the forwards and defensemen we call the grocery stick. Think of the divider at the checkout—celery on one side, carrots on the other. You’re the forward who won’t play, sitting next to the defenseman who’s even less likely to see action.” In simpler terms, it’s the player who sits between offensive and defensive players to separate them.

9. Hoser

A common theory suggests this term for a rustic Canadian originated on the hockey rink, where the losing team had to hose down the ice to resurface it. As Mytour noted in 2013, though, this is just one of several possible origins.

The term gained popularity through SCTV sketches starting in 1980. In 1981, co-creator Rick Moranis described hoser as “what you call your brother when your parents won’t let you swear,” making it a perfect chirp for Peewee hockey.

10. Peanut Butter

Former Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville helped bring the phrase “peanut butter!” into the spotlight, using it to describe a goal scored in the top part of the net in a 2015 TV documentary. This term for the upper net had been in use since at least 1995, when hockey writer Robin Brownlee called it “where mom keeps the peanut butter” in an Edmonton Journal column. 

11. Pigeon

A pigeon refers to a player lacking in skill. The term gained traction in 2013 thanks to Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers, who was heard using it to chirp opponents, even mimicking pigeon sounds. Giroux later revealed he learned the term from teammate Scott Hartnell.

12. Pulling a Zamboni

Falling on the ice and sweeping it like the ice-resurfacing machine (named after inventor Frank Zamboni) is known as pulling a Zamboni, a phrase that has appeared in print since at least 1991.

13. Slew-footing

The verb to slew, meaning to rotate something on its axis (like a telescope), dates back to the 18th century, while slew-foot has described clumsy or turned-out feet since the 19th century. In hockey, the term evolved to mean tripping a player by kicking their feet out from behind with your skates. 

14. Sin Bin

Sin bin is a playful term for the penalty box, where players serve time after committing fouls (such as slew-footing). The phrase has been in use since at least 1932, when both teams shared a single “sin bin.” After a 1963 fight between Bob Pulford and Terry Harper in the penalty box, Maple Leaf Gardens president Stafford Smythe proposed adding a divider to separate opposing players, acknowledging the absurdity of the setup.

“We expect players who’ve been trying to take each other out to sit together peacefully,” he told the Canadian Press. “It’s surprising there aren’t more brawls in the penalty box.”

15. Spitting Chiclets

Losing teeth—a common occurrence for many hockey players—has been called spitting Chiclets since at least the 1980s. 

16. Tarps Off

Despite being a winter sport played on ice, going shirtless—or having your tarp off—is a key element of hockey culture for both players and fans. The phrase “Tarps off for the boys!” is a rallying cry symbolizing unity or triumph. Whether it’s shirtless fans cheering in the stands or players celebrating in the locker room, this tradition is hard to miss. Keep it in mind as you watch the playoffs this season. Ferda!