RINK LAYOUT
FACEOFF CIRCLES
There are five circles on the ice. The dot in the middle is where faceoffs take place. This is where the referee drops the puck for two players to fight for possession. All other players on the ice during this time must remain outside the circle. The other four circles are also used for faceoffs.

CENTER RED LINE
This line cuts the rink in half. One of its main purposes is for the icing rule (see icing).

BLUE LINES
The two blue lines on the surface distinguish the attacking/defending zones for each team.

NEUTRAL ZONE
This is the area in the middle of the rink, between the two blue lines.

GOAL LINE
Red line that goes through the goal mouth all the way to the boards.

TRAPEZOID
Area behind the net is sectioned off and is the only area behind the goal line where goalies are allowed to play the puck.

CREASE
Blue, half-circle area in front of the net reserved for the goalie. Players on the attacking team are generally not allowed in the crease.

TERMS
ASSIST
Given to the player(s) who passes to a teammate, resulting in a goal.

BACKCHECK
When forwards transition from offense to defense by skating back into their defensive end.

BREAKAWAY
When the puck carrier is headed to the net one-on-one against the goalie.

BREAKOUT
When a team in its defending zone regains control of the puck and moves it outside the near blue line.

CHECK
When a player hits another player who has the puck either along the boards or anywhere else on the ice.

FIVE-HOLE
The opening between the legs of the goalkeeper. If a player shoots and scores through the goalie’s pads, he scored five-hole.

FORECHECK
Opposite of backcheck. This is the act of pressuring the defending team so that it cannot break out.

FREEZING THE PUCK
A goalie freezes the puck when he covers it with his equipment or in his glove. Play is stopped, and a faceoff is set up.

GOAL
When the red light behind the net is flashing a goal has occurred, meaning the puck has gone completely over the goal line and a team has scored.

GOAL JUDGE
He’s that guy sitting in a glass box outside of the rink but right behind the net. It’s his job to hit a button when a goal is scored, which turns on the red light.

HAT TRICK
When one player scores three goals during the game. Throw your hat (if you’re wearing one) on the ice.

LINE CHANGE
When players replace one another by heading to the bench as teammates take their place on the ice.

LINESMAN/REFEREE
Linesmen are the officials who are not wearing yellow armbands. Their job is to call offsides, icing and drop the puck for faceoffs. Only the referees with the yellow armbands may call penalties, rule if a goal is scored and drop the puck for a center-ice faceoff at the start of the period or after a goal is scored.

ONE-TIMER
The act of a player shooting the puck when receiving a pass without stopping it first.

POWER PLAYS/PENALTY KILLS
A team is on the power play when they get the opportunity to skate 5-on-4 after the opposing team takes a penalty. If the team on the power play scores while the player is serving the penalty, the player is then allowed to leave the penalty box. The team that has the player serving the penalty is on the penalty kill. The icing rule is not in effect for that team.

PULLING THE GOALIE
If a team is losing late in the game, or if the opposing team has been called for a delayed penalty, the team may remove its goalie to play an extra skater.

ZAMBONI
The machine that resurfaces the ice between periods.

RULES
PENALTIES
Penalties come in all shapes and sizes — and, of course, minutes.

A minor penalty is two minutes, a double- minor is four minutes, a fighting major is five minutes, and a misconduct penalty is 10 minutes.

Double-minor penalties are called when a player is injured on the play or bleeding.

Coincidental penalties come when two players on opposing teams are penalized on the same play. The players must serve the penalties in the penalty box but both teams continue to skate 5 on 5.

When a penalty is called, the ref will raise his hand and will allow play to continue until the team who the penalty is called on has taken possession of the puck or there is another reason for the play to be called dead (offsides, icing, puck out of play). Penalties result in power plays/penalty kills.

ICING
If an attacking player shoots the puck from anywhere behind the center red line, into the attacking zone without it touching another player, and past the goal line, the play is ruled icing and whistled immediately. The puck is then brought to the opposite end of the ice for a faceoff. The team that is called for icing is also not allowed to change its players. If a team is on the penalty kill, the icing rule is no longer in effect until the penalty kill is over.

OFFSIDES
This is the most confusing aspect of hockey for the average fan because offsides can happen so quickly that the viewer isn’t quite sure why the ref is blowing his whistle. The blue lines are used when a team is moving on offense and trying to get into the opponent’s zone.

For this rule, the puck (at all times) must go over the blue line before any player on offense, including the puck carrier. Therefore, a player may not pass the puck to a teammate while he is behind the blue line to a player who is ahead of the blue line.

Also, the puck carrier may not shoot the puck into the offensive zone if a teammate is already beyond the blue line. This is called delayed offsides and the ref will not blow his whistle, but the player who is already in the zone must skate outside the blue line, toward center ice, and may then go back into the offensive zone.

Each time an offside is called, the faceoff comes to one of the two dots just beyond the blue line.

— Lindsay Czarnecki