Curious hockey terms in your language

[Yozhik v tumane]

A couple of my favorite terms in hockey are ones quite common in Swedish that I don’t know whether they exist in other languages.

One is “Hawaiihockey”, and what does that mean? “Hawaiihockey” is when the game flows back and forth, neither team has control or structure over the game and are taking turns rushing and attacking with a constant sense of a goal being inevitable. Basically, it refers to a game that’s typically exciting and entertaining for fans to watch because anything can happen and someone is likely to score any second, but at the same time a coach’s nightmare since their team isn’t able to take control of the game — and anything can happen. I imagine that the term comes from the way the traditional Hawaiian song “Aloha’Oe” sounds, as well as a crude imagining of hula dancing, with back and forth flowing movements, so I’m not sure how well the term ought to fly nowadays, but it strikes me as a pretty unique term.

Another term I like, that’s probably quite easy to figure out but one that I don’t think I’ve seen used by English speakers, is “propagandahockey” or “hockeypropaganda”. It’s simply used to describe a team giving a dominant, beautiful display of hockey at its best. Historically, it applies I guess to how our national teams would routinely be decimated by the Red Army teams, where we often could not help but find ourselves marveling at the immense skill and eye catching team play on display once it’s clear we’re out of the game, while at the same time acknowledging/winking at the perceived threat of Soviet propaganda and how sports was used as a tool to impart the supremacy of the Soviet system during the Cold War.

Lastly, what is the Swedish word for a grinder?

The nice term is “grovjobbare”, literally “rough worker”, or someone who’s doing dirty work or heavy lifting without much finesse.

What’s another word for a grinder in Swedish?

“Brunkare”. The word “brunka” is a portmanteau of the words “bajsa” (to poop) and “runka” (to jerk off), and the literal meaning of the word “brunkare” is “someone who is jerking off while taking a dump”, which has the wider application of a person who’s combining two physically taxing activities at once, giving 110%, maximizing his output, getting the job done without it necessarily looking pretty: grinding away.

Alright, those were some words in Swedish. What are some hockey terms in your language that you find interesting, funny, creative or unique?

Click to read more...

 

[ViD]

The funniest hockey term in Russian must be the term used for “back hand” which literally translates as “non convenient hand”

 

[3074326]

The funniest hockey term in Russian must be the term used for “back hand” which literally translates as “non convenient hand”

I love this and I’m using it.

Also loved OP’s Hawaiihockey example.

 

[HabsQC]

In french (at least in Quebec), a commentator started using the word "harponner", which translates to "to harpoon" because there wasn't a good french way to say "poke check"

 

[ForumNamePending]

“Brunkare”. The word “brunka” is a portmanteau of the words “bajsa” (to poop) and “runka” (to jerk off), and the literal meaning of the word “brunkare” is “someone who is jerking off while taking a dump”, which has the wider application of a person who’s combining two physically taxing activities at once, giving 110%, maximizing his output, getting the job done without it necessarily looking pretty: grinding away.

So is this just used by fans or players and coaches when casually discussing the game amongst themselves, or has it actually become a "formal" term? Like would broadcasters and journalist use it when covering a game? I'm assuming the former, but really hoping it's the latter.

Fun OP.

 

[Albatros]

In German the English word 'Crack' is often used for professional hockey players. Face off in turn is called 'Bully' similar to old English. A wrap around is 'Bauerntrick', or farmer's trick.

 

[MadArcand]

"icing" is literally called "forbidden relief" in Slovak

Also face-off is called bully

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

So is this just used by fans or players and coaches when casually discussing the game amongst themselves, or has it actually become a "formal" term? Like would broadcasters and journalist use it when covering a game? I'm assuming the former, but really hoping it's the latter.

Fun OP.

I wouldn’t say it’s become a “formal” term, no, but it’s very common among fans, and you occasionally hear players themselves attribute the term to their game, or read sportswriters do so. I think many in tidied rooms so to speak, or public spaces might avoid the term because it’s vulgar, could be regarded as derogatory or rude, and perhaps especially if trying to explain it to someone who has other ideas of his qualities as a player, or who didn’t grow up with the term. When I googled the word, I found a couple of interesting examples of it being used. Peter Forsberg in an interview said that he thinks his eldest son will become a fourth liner, that he’s more of a hitter and a “brunkare”. I also read an article on an old Canucks - Kings playoff game in one of the two large evening newspapers where the writer remarked that the soft-spoken Alex Edler, previously more known for his offensive qualities as a passer and shooter, had made his mark on the game as a hard-hitting “brunkare” who among his four hits in the game had leveled Wayne Simmonds and crushed Ryan Smyth into the glass.

I also read an alternative explanation for the etymology of “brunkare”, that supposedly it’s derived from the word “Bronxare” as in “someone from [blue-collar/working class New York City neighborhood] the Bronx”, but that’s horsebrunk as far as I’m concerned.

 

[alko]

Jozef Golonka very often used a term "palicová technika".

Good or bad. Translating to english hockey terminology it is "Stick-handling".

At first hear (here in Slovakia) it doesnt make sens. "Palica" is something, you will find on the ground, when you walk in the woods.

But actually it is a very precise translation from "Stick". Stick -> Palica.

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

A couple more in Swedish.

“Macka” means sandwich but in hockey it’s referring to a nice pass. I guess because a sandwich is something nice you typically serve your kids, guests or friends? In my opinion, it has a very southern Stockholm ring to it, so it doesn’t feel that universal a term in Swedish.

“TV-puckshög”, literally ”TV puck pile”. Comes from a youth tournament called “TV-pucken” where 15 year olds from around the country have been selected to compete for their districts in a televised hockey tournament going back to 1959. The typical image of the eventual champions celebrating would be the players piling themselves on the kid who scored the game winning goal. You may see teams in all kinds of sports celebrating their victories in a “TV puck pile” nowadays, but the term has stuck.

 

[HungryFrank]

I may be wrong, but I believe in Croatian language wrap around is called "Varaždinec"
Named after a train from capital Zagreb to the city Varaždin, infamous for its slowness.

 

[MadArcand]

Oh yeah, and "deke" is called a "blafak", pronounce "bluff-f***". Obvious origins. "Five hole" is called jaslicky, meaning "nursery", I suppose implying that only a preschooler would allow a goal through there.

 

[Mathieukferland]

Few from Quebec

Sert une tasse de café- means serving someone cup of coffee, which refers to when someone dangles the s*** out of someone

Sort ses mains du dimanche- another one related to dangling, this means “bring out your Sunday hands” when dangling another player

Combat pour homme- translated as “a fight for men”, this refers to a very intense fight


And lastly my favourite

Sert une correction- a recent example from last weeks fight between Kassian and Xhekaj:

L'attaquant des Coyotes de l'Arizona Zack Kassian voulait sûrement changer le rythme du match lorsqu'il a décidé de jeter les gants face au défenseur des Canadiens de Montréal Arber Xhekaj.

Le problème? L'ancien du CH s'est fait servir une correction par le jeune arrière du Tricolore.


“Sert une correction” refers to a team or a player brutalizing the opponent in a fight or game

 

[ES]

In Finland, wrap-around goal is referred as "vanhanaikainen", literally old-fashioned.

 

[Jukurit]

What's "suicide pass" called in other languages? In Finnish they call it "kaveripassi" or "friend pass", which I find pretty funny.

 

[Jukurit]

Sert une tasse de café- means serving someone cup of coffee, which refers to when someone dangles the s*** out of someone

Heard the same thing in Finnish, but it's "taking someone out for coffee".

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

I may be wrong, but I believe in Croatian language wrap around is called "Varaždinec"
Named after a train from capital Zagreb to the city Varaždin, infamous for its slowness.

In Finland, wrap-around goal is referred as "vanhanaikainen", literally old-fashioned.

The Swedish term for a wrap-around is “att gå köksvägen”, to walk through the kitchen, so like implying getting to the other side of one room through another one. Maybe we should start calling it “gå kontorsvägen”, walking through the office, since a lovely term sometimes used that we’ve imported from North America is calling the space behind the opposing net “kontoret”, the office, as in “Gretzky’s office”.

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

What's "suicide pass" called in other languages? In Finnish they call it "kaveripassi" or "friend pass", which I find pretty funny.

You mean passing an opponent?

There’s a Swedish word that I think can be seen as derogatory, which goes “indianare”, which takes the word Indian as in Native American and adds the -are to give it the meaning “Indian-style” or “in the manner of an Indian”, which makes no sense at all.

Allegedly, it comes from a spooner by an old hockey player, who meant to say “in-i-banare”, roughly “into-the-laner” and referring to a bad pass into the lane of an opposing player, but he accidentally said “indianare” which became popularized as a term for a bad pass.

We also have the word “kompispassning”, which I guess is the same as in Finnish, it means “buddy pass” or “friendly pass”, reaps with irony, and we tend to use it to refer to a pass that’s just tough to receive, control or do something with, maybe too long so he’ll scramble to reach it, or passing a teammate who’s cornered and gets crushed immediately, or something like that.

 

[Jukurit]

You mean passing an opponent?

There’s a Swedish word that I think can be seen as derogatory, which goes “indianare”, which takes the word Indian as in Native American and adds the -are to give it the meaning “Indian-style” or “in the manner of an Indian”, which makes no sense at all.

Allegedly, it comes from a spooner by an old hockey player, who meant to say “in-i-banare”, roughly “into-the-laner” and referring to a bad pass into the lane of an opposing player, but he accidentally said “indianare” which became popularized as a term for a bad pass.

We also have the word “kompispassning”, which I guess is the same as in Finnish, it means “buddy pass” or “friendly pass”, reaps with irony, and we tend to use it to refer to a pass that’s just tough to receive, control or do something with, maybe too long so he’ll scramble to reach it, or passing a teammate who’s cornered and gets crushed immediately, or something like that.

I meant very bad pass to teammate that puts them in a bad position (getting hit etc.). So the latter, "kompispassning". In English seems like it's often called "suicide pass", which I just think sounds a bit "dark". "Friend pass" or "buddy pass" sounds more fun. I like irony.

Video example:

(Age restricted, because it has "suicide" in the title, I think)

 

[Elvs]

What's "suicide pass" called in other languages? In Finnish they call it "kaveripassi" or "friend pass", which I find pretty funny.

There's "sjukhuspassning" which translates to "hospital pass".

 

[kudla]

offside in slovak = ofsajd

or there is another word for it?

 

[Elvs]

Another good Swedish word used to describe grinders or any hard working player (or any person working hard in society for that matter), is "slitvarg".

This literally translates to "toil/pull wolf" which I can only assume stems from "sled hound".

 

[MadArcand]

offside in slovak = ofsajd

or there is another word for it?

Wouldn't the official term be "postavenie mimo hry" a.k.a. "standing outside the game"?

 

[vlady]

in Slovak we incorrectly use the English term "power play" for the situation when a team pulls a goalie for extra attacker. And the actual power play is called "presilovka" which could be translated as "over-strength".

We use the term "vinkel" for top corner of the goal (from the german Winkel).

We use the word "betóny" for goalie's pads, which translates as "concretes" as in concrete the building material.

 

[alko]

Teplomer - aka thermometer.

A goal that goes under the goalies armpit (did i write it correct?).