We’re at the point where hockey should just have it’s own language. Seriously, players might as well just be bilingual (if they’re not already). There’s an INSANE amount of words they’ve managed to make up just for the sport.
We guarantee that there are even some non-hockey fans who know some of the overused terms. For an example, ask someone who strictly only watches the NBA what flow is. Chances are they’ll know it’s referred to a players long, beautiful hair.
With that said, there are still some things that not everyone will be able to decode. Here are five phrases only hockey players will be able to understand.
Protect the house
The house is referred to as the area in front of your own net. Just like your own home, it has to be looked after. It’s the area where most goals are scored from. You can protect the house defensively in a number of ways like picking up a body or picking up sticks. Do anything you can to not let the other team score in the sweet spot.
Maintain a presence
In the other team’s zone, one player should always be ready in front of the net to create extra chances of scoring. Players can do this by looking for rebounds or being open for passes.
Jump into the play
Instead of staying back while the play moves forwards, one defenseman can join the three forwards to add an extra player to the attack. More bodies to score = more chances.
Close the gap
The gap is the amount of distance there is between a forward and a defenseman. If the gap is too big, the forward has more options to get past the defender. Closing the gap means to either stop the opposing player from coming further into your own zone or knocking them off the puck.
F1, F2, F3
Used to describe the F system in hockey. The F system is made up of three forwards: centre, left wing and right wing. The first forward into a zone is the F1, the next is the F2 and following is F3. Coaches use this terminology to create different plays on both ends.
Check out the BarDown Dictionary for more terms in the Hockey world!
