Last minute to play in the game/period

An announcement that is made over the PA system to indicate there is one minute left to play. Teams who are one goal behind sometimes will use this announcement to signal their goalie to come out of the net in favour of an extra skater.

Leave the puck

A move by a player where it looks like he has possession of the puck but he has intentionally left it behind for a team mate. See drop pass, cycling the puck.

Left wing lock

A defensive system where the offensive left wing will hang back at the blue line rather than rushing in, trying to prevent the defensive team from bringing the puck out. See hanging back, right wing lock.

Lie (of a stick)

The angle that is created between the shaft and the blade. The lie is determined by a players height and the manner in which he likes to stick handle. A lower lie, usually 5 will bring the sick closer to the body, where a 6 will increase the distance from the body.

Line change

The substitution of players. It can refer to a change of either the forward or defensive lines. See also, Change on the fly

Lineman

One of two on ice officials, subordinate to the referee, who call offsides, icings, some infractions and conduct most of the face offs. See referee.

Lineup (starting)

The six players who will be the first ones on the ice for each team.

Lineup (list)

The list of players who are dressed and eligible to play in the game.

Loafing

A term used in the early days of hockey referring to a player who had possession of the puck and skated around the ice with it with no intention of creating a scoring chance. See killing a penalty, ragging the puck.

Looking for blood

A team or player seeking revenge against another team or player for a previous hit or infraction committed against him or his team.

Loose puck

A puck that is in open ice and neither team has possession of it.

Lowering the boom

Delivering a clean but solid check to an opponent by lower one's shoulder.

Lunch pail player

A player who's skill level is not very high, but always plays with determination. See also grinder, mucker.

Made/make the call

A decision made by one of the officials.

Major Penalty

A five minute penalty, usually given for fighting or high sticking. See also Match Penalty.

Man advantage

The situation where a team has more skaters on the ice than the other team due to penalties. The maximum number a team can have as an advantage is two.

Mapleos

Nickname for the Toronto Maple Leafs used in the 1940's and 1950's.

Marked man

A player who has upset an individual opponent or team who will eventually be checked or dealt with by the opponent(s).

Marker

Goal

Match Penalty

A 5 minute penalty assessed when a player deliberately tries to injure another player. The player is ejected from the game, and his team must play shorthanded.

Matching Lines

An attempt by one or both coaches to put a particular line on against an opposing line. Usually a checking line will go up against a scoring line.

Melee

A large brawl or shoving match. See also brouhaha, altercation, drop the gloves, fisticuffs.

Memorial Cup

The trophy awarded to the top team in Junior Hockey. See Junior hockey

Midget Hockey

Level of Canadian hockey played by 16-17 year olds. The next step is Junior.

Minor penalty

A two minute penalty assessed for a variety of reasons such as; tripping, hooking, delay of game, interference, holding, crosschecking and boarding.

Minors

Professional leagues that use lesser caliber players than the NHL. These are the leagues where the NHL gets some of their players. The two top minor leagues are the American Hockey League (AHL) and the International Hockey League (IHL).

Minutes played

The number of minutes played by a goal tender in a single game or over a season. This statistic is kept by the league and forms part of the goalies career stats. A goalie must play more than 30 seconds of a minute to be credited with a full minute of play. If a goalie is pulled from the game, he is still given credit for the time he was on the bench. If a goal is scored while a goalie is on the bench it is not credited against him.

Misconduct

A 10-minute penalty usually assessed against a player, coach or trainer for directing disparaging remarks and/or gestures towards the officials.

"Move it"

What the referee says to players when they have the puck trapped along the boards and he wants the play to continue. If the players do not move the puck he will whistle the play dead and face the teams off.

Mucker

A player who plays with determination. See also lunch pail player, grinder.

Netcam

The camera which is located inside the net. This gives the TV audience another perspective of the action when it is close into the goal. It will also assist the video goal judges when they are called upon to review a questionable goal.

Netminder

A goalie

Neutral zone

The area of the ice in between the two blue lines. See defensive zone, offensive zone.

Neutral zone trap

A defensive strategy which is designed to prevent the attacking player from entering his offensive zone a full speed. The strategy is to direct the puck carrier towards the boards thus taking away his options for movement and passing.

Nobody

A player with little skill.

Off-ice official

One of the many officials not on the ice, but still a game official such as the goal judges, time keepers and video review judges.

Official scorer

The off ice official who keeps track of the penalties, goals, assists, and goalie substitutions.

Offside (blueline)

A player is offside when he enters the attacking zone before the puck. The face off will occur at one of the two face off spots just outside the attacking zone. See also intentional offside.

Offside (two line pass)

If a pass crosses two major lines (blue, center) before it is accepted, that is also offside. The face off will be brought back to where the pass originated.

Off wing

A winger who is skating down the wing opposite his normal one, ie: a left winger skating down the right wing.

On the tape

A pass that is delivered to another player right on the blade of the stick, which is usually wrapped with tape.

One-on-one

A situation where the puck carrier is skating in on the goalie with only one player between him (the puck carrier) and the goalie.

One-timer

A shot that is delivered by a player taking a pass without stopping the puck first. Brett Hull is one of the most dangerous players in this type of situation.

Out of town scoreboard

The smaller scoreboards located around the rink indicating the scores of the other games going on that night.

Over skating the puck

Skating past the puck without gaining possession.

Overtime (sudden death)

If regulation play finishes and both teams are tied a game will go into overtime. During the regular season the two teams will play a 5 minute period with just a 2 minute rest. If no one scores, the game will remain tied and each team will receive one point in the standings. In playoff hockey, overtime periods are 20 minutes long and the game will be played until one team scores. Intermissions in playoff hockey are the same as during the regular season. See intermission, sudden death.