Equipment

91 terms

Protective gear, sticks, skates and goalie gear, plus how they are sized and cared for.

B

Backhand side: The back side of the stick blade, which curves away from the puck and is used for backhand passes and shots.
Base layer: Fitted, sweat-wicking clothing worn under the gear for comfort.
Blade curveRules vary: How much and where the stick blade bends, which changes how the puck comes off it on passes and shots. Rulebooks may limit how deep a curve can be.
Blade face: The front, forehand side of the stick blade: the curved side that cups the puck.
Blade pattern: A named mix of curve depth, curve location, face angle and lie sold by a stick maker, so players can find the same blade again.
Blocker: The padded board a goalie wears on the stick hand, used to steer shots away from the net.
Butt end: The top end of the stick shaft, where the top hand holds the stick.

C

Catch glove: The goalie's glove, shaped like a large baseball mitt, used to catch and hold shots.
Chest protector: Goalie upper-body padding that covers the chest, arms, shoulders and collarbones.
Choppy ice: Rough, chewed-up ice late in a session or period, full of ruts and snow.
Combo maskRules vary: A face cage with a clear shield over the eyes, mixing better vision with wire protection.
Composite stick: A stick made from carbon fiber and other modern materials, lighter and more consistent than wood.

D

Dry scrape: A resurfacing pass that shaves off the snow without laying down water, used when there is no time for a full flood.

E

Elbow pads: Padding with a hard cap that protects the elbows and forearms.
Eyelets: The metal-lined holes in the skate boot that the laces run through.

F

Face cageRules vary: A wire mask attached to the helmet that covers the whole face. Many youth and amateur rule sets require full face protection.
Flex: How much force it takes to bend a stick, shown as a number; a lower number bends more easily.
Flood: Resurfacing the ice by shaving it and laying down a thin layer of warm water that freezes smooth, usually between periods or ice sessions.
Fresh ice: Smooth, newly resurfaced ice that nobody has skated on yet.
Full face shieldRules vary: A clear plastic mask that covers the whole face, an alternative to a wire cage that is easier to see through.

G

Girdle: Fitted padded shorts worn under a separate pant shell, an alternative to traditional hockey pants.
Goalie cup: A larger, extra-protective cup or pelvic guard designed for goalies.
Goalie knee pads: Pads worn under the leg pads to protect the knees and inner legs when dropping into the butterfly.
Goalie mask: A helmet and cage combination built to take hard shots to the head, often custom painted.
Goalie pants: Hockey pants with extra padding on the thighs, hips and tailbone for goalies.
Goalie skates: Skates with a lower, flatter blade and a hard shell around the boot, built for side-to-side movement and blocking shots.
Goalie stick: A stick with a wide blade and a wider lower shaft called the paddle, used to block shots and play the puck.
Grip: The tacky coating or tape on the shaft that keeps the hands from slipping; sticks come with or without a grip finish.

H

Hard ice: Cold, firm ice that feels fast and lets the puck slide quickly.
Heat molding: Warming new skates in a special oven so the boot molds to the player's foot.
Heel: The back end of the stick blade, closest to the shaft.
Helmet: A hard protective shell for the head, usually worn with a cage, shield or visor that protects the face.
Helmet certificationRules vary: A safety label showing a helmet or face protector meets a recognized standard, such as a HECC sticker in the United States. Rulebooks may require certified gear, so check both the label and the rulebook.
Hockey bag: A large bag for carrying all of a player's gear; airing the gear out after each use keeps it from smelling and breaking down.
Hockey gloves: Padded gloves that protect the hands and wrists while letting players grip the stick.
Hockey pants: Padded shorts that protect the hips, thighs, tailbone and kidneys.
Hockey skates: Boots with steel blades built for hockey: protective around the foot and shaped for quick turns, stops and starts.
Hockey sled: The seat on two skate blades that sled hockey players sit in, moving and handling the puck with two short sticks.
Hockey socks: Long knit socks in team colors pulled over the shin guards.
Hockey stick: The stick players use to handle, pass and shoot the puck, made of a long shaft and a flat, curved blade.
Hollow: The shallow groove ground along the bottom of the blade that creates its two edges. A deeper hollow bites harder into the ice, and a shallower one glides faster.
Hosel: The short section where the shaft joins the blade.

I

Ice conditions: How the ice is playing, whether hard or soft, fast or slow, smooth or choppy, which affects skating and how the puck moves.
Ice resurfacer: The machine that shaves, washes and floods the ice to make it smooth again.
Ice surface: The frozen playing surface of a rink: thin layers of water frozen over a white painted base that carries the lines and logos.

J

Jersey: The team shirt worn over the pads, showing the team's colors, logo and the player's number.

K

Kick point: The spot along the shaft where the stick bends most during a shot. A low kick point suits quick releases, and a mid kick point suits harder, loaded shots.
Knob: A wrap of tape built up at the butt end so the stick is easier to grip and to pick up off the ice.

L

Lace bite: Soreness on the front of the ankle from the pressure of the laces and tongue, often eased with padding or different lacing.
Leg pads: The large pads covering a goalie's legs from the foot to above the knee, used to block shots and seal the ice in the butterfly.
Lie: The angle between the shaft and the blade. The right lie lets the whole blade sit flat on the ice in your normal skating stance.

M

MouthguardRules vary: A soft guard worn over the teeth that protects the mouth and jaw. Many rule sets require one at some levels.

N

Neck guardRules vary: A collar of cut-resistant material that protects the neck from skate blades. Requirements vary by rule set and age.

P

Paddle: The wide lower part of a goalie stick's shaft, just above the blade, used to cover the ice and stop low shots.
Pelvic protector: A protective guard for the pelvic area designed for girls and women, usually built into compression shorts.
Practice jersey: A loose, often reversible shirt worn over the pads in practice, sometimes color-coded by group.
Protective cup: A hard cup, usually held in compression shorts, that protects the groin.

R

Radius: How curved the blade is from toe to heel, as part of its profile: a smaller radius turns more easily and a larger one is steadier in a straight line. It is not the same as the radius of hollow.
Runner: The replaceable steel strip held in the holder, the part of the skate that actually touches the ice.
Ruts: Grooves and gouges cut into the ice by skates, which make the puck bounce.

S

Shaft: The long handle of a hockey stick, which the player holds with both hands.
Shaft geometry: The shape of the shaft, such as square or rounded corners and flat or concave sides, which changes how the stick feels in the hands.
Shin guards: Hard-shelled pads that protect the knees and shins, worn under the hockey socks.
Shoulder pads: Padding that covers the shoulders, chest, upper back and upper arms.
Skate blade: The metal part of the skate that glides on the ice; on most hockey skates it is a steel runner held in a plastic holder.
Skate boot: The stiff upper part of the skate that holds and supports the foot and ankle.
Skate edge: One of the two sharp corners along a skate blade, inside and outside, that grip the ice for strides, turns and stops.
Skate fit: How well a skate matches the foot's length and width; a good fit is snug, with the toes lightly touching the front and the heel locked in place.
Skate guards: Hard covers you put on skate blades when walking off the ice, to protect the edges.
Skate holder: The plastic piece under the boot that holds the steel runner.
Skate laces: Strong laces that tighten the skate; many players lace snug over the foot and a little looser at the top so the ankle can bend.
Skate profile: The shape of the blade from toe to heel, including how curved it is and where the balance point sits.
Skate sharpening: Grinding the skate blade to restore sharp edges and set the hollow, usually needed after several hours on the ice.
Skate tongue: The padded flap under the laces that protects the front of the ankle from lace pressure.
Sled hockey sticks: The two short sticks used in sled hockey, each with a blade at one end for handling the puck and metal picks at the other for pushing across the ice.
Snow: Loose ice shavings from skating and stops that slow the puck and pile up along the boards and in the crease.
Soakers: Soft cloth covers that absorb moisture and keep skate blades from rusting in the bag.
Sock tape: Clear or colored tape wrapped around the socks and shin guards to hold them in place.
Soft ice: Warmer ice that feels slow, gets chewed up quickly and makes the puck bounce and roll.
Stick blade: The flat, curved bottom part of the stick that touches the puck.
Stick lengthRules vary: How long the stick is; a common starting point is that, standing in skates, the stick reaches about the chin. Rulebooks may set a maximum length.
Stick size: The size class of a stick, such as youth, junior, intermediate or senior, which sets its length, shaft thickness and flex range.
Stick tape: Cloth tape wrapped on the blade for puck feel and protection, and on the butt end for grip.
Stick wax: Wax rubbed on a taped blade to keep out water and snow and help the tape last.
Stick weight: How heavy the stick is; lighter sticks feel quicker in the hands, while a little more weight can mean more durability.

T

Throat protector: A guard that hangs from the bottom of the goalie mask, or a collar worn under the gear, to protect the throat.
Toe: The tip of the stick blade, farthest from the shaft, used for toe drags and quick pulls.
Toe cap: The hard front of the skate boot that protects the toes from pucks and sticks.
Two-piece stick: A stick with a separate shaft and a replaceable blade that plugs into it.

V

VisorRules vary: A clear half shield that covers the eyes and upper face, worn at levels where full face protection is not required.

W

Wood stick: A traditional stick made of wood, heavier and less springy than composite but inexpensive and tough.

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