Anterior cruciate ligament. A knee ligament often injured in a variety of sports. This injury often results in surgery and several months of rehabilitation.

Albert

A low caliber player. To be called Albert would be an insult. The name was popularized by a Canadian TV commercial where Albert was the poor player who was selected last during the team pick up, but later became one of the better professional players.

Allan Cup

A trophy awarded annually to the top Senior hockey team in Canada

All the way

A face off that takes place in the defensive zone after when an offside occurred by the offensive team. The face off is said to be brought back, "all the way." See intentional offside, offside

All Star

A player who has become one of the best players.

All Star Team

A team composed of all star players, In the NHL there is a first and second all star team selected. This is a figurehead team that does not play against one another. There is an all star team selection process for the teams who play against one another. There have been several team names in the past. The current format is the World Team and the North American Team.

Altercation

A fight or pushing match. See Brouhaha

Alternate Captain

Often referred to as the "assistant" captain. This player wears an "A" on his sweater and acts on behalf of the captain in discussions with the referee and linesmen.

Amateur

A player who has not reached the rank of professional. The theory behind being an amateur is that you do not receive compensation of any kind, whereas a professional is paid for his services. In the Olympics players are supposed to be amateurs in order to compete.

A Side

The number of skaters allowed on the ice for both teams at a particular time of the game. "The teams played 4 a side for the first two minutes."

Assist

Credit for an assist is given to a player who passes the puck to one of his teammates who then scores. There are a maximum of tow assists given per goal scored. An assist is tallied as one point in the players scoring totals.

Assistant Captain

See Alternate Captain

Assistant Coach

Any coach who helps the head coach. One or more people can fill the role of assistant coach and they can take on various roles as determined by the organization. An assistant coach may help the coach by looking after portions of practice and work with specific parts of the team such as the defense or the goalies. Some may even work "upstairs" relaying information down to the bench.

Attacking Zone

The area of the ice surface inside the opponents blue line.

Avco Cup

The championship trophy of the now defunct World Hockey Association. The cup was named after Avco Finance who sponsored the award.