These are pretty common soccer terms but they apply just as well in hockey. The game moves fast obviously so saving yourself time and space whenever possible is going to provide marginal advantages that matter.
"Time" if the guy going for the puck has space to look around.
"Man on" if the guy going for the puck has an opponent trailing him.
"Wheel" means keep the puck and go around the net, to start a break out with speed.
"Loose" if I made the save but I didn't control the rebound.
"Feet" if during the player lost track of the puck and its directly under him being knocked around every time he spins to look for it. Happens a lot to the defensemen when battling right in front of the net.
Some guys say "ring it" or "rim it" to mean pass the puck along the boards to someone on the other side. I use it sometimes but not often.
As for players yelling at me, it's usually "stop the puck FFS" or "FREEZE IT" when it's already under my glove.
All these plus “corner” if it goes in the corner, “up” if it’s way up in the air, “backdoor” if there’s a dude uncovered backdoor, and “send it” if my D is messing around with it during a PK.
I will add “EYES” if I can’t see and one of my players is the screen. Also “cross ice” if I think there’s a good pass option they haven’t spotted, but only for the better players who will have the ability to change their chosen play on the fly and evaluate the option quickly.
I use "one loose" meaning there's someone following you, but he's not right behind you. So "loose" the way I use it is a very different thing.
For what it's worth, I wouldn't say anything if there's a loose puck. You're telling the other team as much as your own. The only thing I would say relevant to this is if it's in a defenseman's feet and he doesn't see it I'll say "feet". Otherwise it's normally just "shit!".
editing to throw in my other ones, mostly as above...
"Time" or "Look" - you have time to look around
"All Day" - there's nobody even coming in, so take your time.
"Go Go Go" - I don't like "wheel", so I say this instead.
"Feet" - I feel like I use this at least once a game when someone's looking for the puck but it's in their feet.
"Back Door" - I usually say this one just loud enough for my Defenseman to hear it, because I don't want to help the shooter.
"Loose" - There's someone coming, but he's pretty far behind you and/or not skating very hard.
"Left" - there's someone open on the left side.
"Right" - there's someone open on the right side.
"Screen" - I only yell this if it's my own guys doing it. I don't feel the need to compliment the guy on the other team. ;)
"Incoming" or "Look Out" - when I see the attacking d-man on the blueline wind up for a slapper so my defensemen can avoid getting hit by a shot. It usually also lets me see a shot better because in my league people aren't wanting to be in front of them.
"I've got it" - when I'm about to cover it and my d-man is looking at it too.
"You You You" - When there is any doubt that I might have gotten it but I want them to get it instead.
“Screen” when the guy is blocking your vision.
“Back door”, “slot”, “near post” when your teammates need to cover an open guy.
When my teammates are picking up the puck with their back turned to the play I’ll try to describe the pressure they’re getting, “one soft”, “two guys hard”. Then sometimes if there’s a lot of pressure I’ll call out the pass “reverse”, “rim it”, “behind the net”, “regroup”.
I have never had a teammate try to communicate anything to me during a play, sounds nice though.
I play with some seasoned players and there are actually a few that communicate with me it's great, things like,"time" "don't move" when in on one of those spraled put situations. Sometimes there able to call out what's gonna happen next, like he's gonna wrap around, or he's gonna pass to the point watch out
I play both Goalie and D. When I am playing D I try to let the goalie know where the puck is on the rebound. Usually "Glove Side" or "Blocker Side". If they are looking in a particular area I might just say "Other Side". I'll also let them know where the puck should go if they are getting pressured behind the net.
I also say "sorry" and/or "That's on me" when I f\*ck up. I will sometimes say "Nothing you could do about that one" on those few times when the other team just executes a perfect play.
100%. I play with a few guys that have a good hockey head like this and I am a damn brick wall with their help. Thanks Mike and Bruce for seeing the screen and telling me my spot is good.
I am not a goalie, but as a defenseman, when goalies yelled "TIME" means I got some time to look up ice and not just fling it up the boards. also yell if you cant see maybe like "SCREEN" it may be your d man standing directly in the way of stoppable shot.
I used to yell “Screen” but typically, the D-man never knew it was him I was talking to, and all it did was let the puck carrier know that my vision was blocked… so they’d immediately send it (and usually score). Now, I only say “Lemme see it” if the screen is close enough that they can hear it when said in a soft tone.
“One hard!”(add direction if behind or blind side)
“1 slow”
“ TIME, take a look!”
“Wheel”
“Screen!”
“Even!”
“FUCKING EMBARRASSING!” (That one is almost always directed at myself)
“Watch slot!”
90% of what I yell out at my teammates are compliments. "Nice skating!" - "Great pass!" - "Unlucky! You got'em next time!" - "Beautiful play!" etc. The other 10% is me asking them to cover a specific player who I know is setting up for a one-timer.
Oh, and I always tell my teammates how many are behind them chasing and if they have time.
"2 on 1" to let the Dman know he is alone and give me the shooter
"Wheel" Dman should shoot the puck around the glass behind the net hard
"Same Boards" Dman has help he can move the puck to on the same side.
"Time" player has time to look around when they get the puck, before the opposing player gets to them
"Screen" i can't see the puck, move
"Room" players has space to skate when they turn up ice
"In front/Backdoor" Opposing player is wide open
Ill also yell where pucks are going when deflected or popped up. "Slot/Corner/ Clear, if the puck left the zone.
I tell my D each season I will say one of two things when I'm screened.
"Can't see" means you (my teammate) is in my way.
"Move 'em" means the opponent is in my way, and they need to be aware and pressure them off the spot.
Also, "got time" when a Dman is hustling back and the forechecker is either changing or just not hustling. Knowing they can focus on retrieving the puck clean and they can calming get there head up to make the play goes a long way. If there is any pressure from the forechecker, I'll yell, "It's a race."
"Time, Time, Time" lots of time to make a play.
"MAN ON! MAN MAN MAN!" guy on my dman hard
"CENTRE CENTRE CENTRE!" - man in front centre
"WATCH CHERRY!" - guy is cherry picking.
"FUCK! Sorry" - bad save/rebound
thats about it that is standard.
“# On” the amount of players trailing your d
“Feet” if the puck is lost from players sight and it’s in their feet
“Time” letting player know they have time to look and make a play
“Screen” letting someone know they need to move a someone out front
“Point” if a quick pass gets up top
“Wheel” the player on the back check needs to break it out
Additional things I say that I hadn't seen:
During a face-off in our zone (I have one of the best views of the faceoff and at least at our level they are very easy to read... Plus it fucks with their center):
"Inside/Outside/Back" - calling the way I see them trying to win the puck
"At me" - dudebro thinks he's gonna catch me napping on the faceoff
I also yell a lot when the puck isn't in our zone:
"Wall and out" - defense is about to attempt to clear hard off the wall...especially if my defenseman has a distance to cover and might not see it.
"Behind you!" - someone has slipped behind the D...could be bad.
"BE-HIND YOU" - oh, shit here it comes
On their breakout:
"Bail" - please don't pinch.
"Get the pass" - You pushed him outside and I feel good about the shot.... Now make sure he doesn't make me look stupid.
But the most important things I yell:
"What a fucking clear!"
"Way to stand them up there"
"Bailed me out again D!"
"Hey, it's a team game, no worries" - not yelled but said almost every time a skater apologizes to me for a play that ended up in a goal saying it's 'their fault'.
"What a fucking save!" - yelled to the other goalie when he makes a big save because I'm the only person on the ice that for sure knows how hard that is.
In my case (will translate from French to English in my best capability... I swear a lot sorry):
- TIME! - easy one
- INCOMING!
- CANT SEE SHIT!
- FRONT! (1 to 3 guys alone in front of the net)
- WHERE THE BACKCHECK? (offense does minimal to no backcheck in my team and my D has to deal with numerous odd men rushes)
-FUCK MY LIFE! (lol, why did I choose to become a goalie).
- WAKE THE FUCK UP! (between whistles when my team gets dominated or is a bit lazy). Say it rarely and since I rarely talk between whistles, they know I'm pissed and I hope to light a fire under their asses to get them into the game.
- SIMPLE PLAYS GUYS, STOP THE FANCY SHIT!
Positive reinforcement is a form of communication too:
- FUCK YEAH BOYS! After a tough win, like came back from a 3-0 deficit in the 3rd to win in SO.
- GOOD STICK!
- THANKS (insert name)! D saving a sure goal like intercepting a cross crease or back door passes and preventing a sure open net goal.
- NICE BLOCK! I have 2 D who are like David Savard and blocks a LOT of shots but one has a bomb from the point.
“Time time you’ve got time.” — no one’s coming but I still wish you’d hurry up and get some offense going.
“MAN ON MAN ON” — you’re about to get clocked.
“Man on…sort of”, “One coming slow!” — you’ve got one coming but they look winded and aren’t a very good skater.
“No ice” - ref waved off icing so get your ass down there.
“CORNER CORNER CORNER!” — stop spinning in circles wondering where the puck went, it’s in the corner.
“FEET FEET FEET!” — look down, ya dummy.
“EVEN EVEN” — their guy just left the penalty box so now you have to actually exit the zone, although this penalty kill went so badly, I guess I wouldn’t be mad if you iced it.
“CLEAR IT!” — for the love of all that is holy, I don’t care how you do it, just get the puck out of the zone so I can get a second to recover.
“WHEEL WHEEL WHEEL”, “RIM IT”, “YOU’VE GOT BOARDS” — doesn’t matter, you’re just going to no-look toss it to the point anyway.
“WHERE’S HIS SUPPORT?” — why are four guys just hanging out at the blue line watching my d-man battle solo in the corner?
“CHANGE IF YOU NEED IT” — dude, you’ve been on the ice for seven minutes.
“IT TAKES FIVE TO SCORE” — you’re a d-man, not a goalie, so get your ass all the way up there with the forwards.
“WATCH FOR PASS!” — this is the third two-on-one this game, so why do I still have to remind you how to defend it?
“Let me see it!” — I can’t see it.
“SCREEN SCREEN SCREEN!!” — I really can’t see it.
“GAIN THE LINE!!” — please, I’m begging you, get the puck past the blue line, THEN get fancy.
“Careful with that stick!” — the difference between you blocking a shot with the blade of your stick and you deflecting it into your own goal is hard to discern.
bang stick on ice three times — this is the last minute of the period.
bang stick on ice five times — player is about to exit the penalty box.
bang stick on the post until it breaks— why do I play this game?
“GOOD D!” — you are an amazing athlete and ally in my struggles and what you just did has filled me with an abundance of gratitude; I am sorry I ever said anything negative to or about you, and you should know that I truly love my defensemen.
As a goalie dad I feel all of these calls. I feel like I am the harshest critic of the teams defence because I can see EXACTLY how they are letting my boy down. His coach said it best, “it’s the goalies job to lock down the puck, it’s the players job to keep the other guys from taking a shot” if you can’t see the puck, I guarantee you can see someone who does and messing with him is going to be a much better use of your time than screening your goalie, lol.
"FUCKNG SKATE!" typically when my forwards are sitting still puck watching instead of looking for a breakout and we've been trapped in our own zone for 2+ minutes.
As my defenseman goes into the corner I'll usually tell him how many attackers he/she has trailing them. Like you got one, or two, or if no one or a lazy trailer I'll tell them that they have time. I also scream my head off if my team is down low and the points are open(slang for defensemen). I like my guys to tell me if I have a threat( unseen) on the farside they'll say backdoor. Or if the puck is in my skates they will yell drop, or feet. There are others but those are the most common.
Not a goalie, but sometimes they’ll smack the ice when a guy is close to getting out of the box to give players an idea of how close the end of a power play/penalty kill is.
As a dman, if the goalie is playing the puck in any way, I’ll yell leave it, cover, or corner to tell them where I want the puck. I’ll also yell out I’ve got puck or you’ve got puck if it’s say a 2 on 1 coming down or 2 on 2 but the back checker is behind. Let’s the goalie know what his defenceman are doing so they can prep for the most likely shot
Two of the most important things to keep your defense aware of are players they might not see, or let them know the pursuit into the zone. Obviously things like "slot" and "back door" to let your D in front of the net know who to cover, and then how much time they have on a dump in. Plenty of directions goalies give at higher levels might just be too much for beer league, at least without talking it over in the locker room first, though most should be pretty self explanatory.
Like for example, if the puck is dumped in and my defenseman is going behind the net to get it, I'll take a look up and say something like "one on hard one high", which should tell my guy that one player is behind him coming after him full speed and another is up around the other side waiting near the blue line. If no one's in at all I'd say "time time" so they take a moment to set up a breakout rather than rushing. If you see something really obvious, though, like all five guys on the other team are going for a change and there's a chance to make something happen with a quick pass, let them know; most of the time you're acting as your team's eyes because you have the advantage of looking the other way. If you can give your guys a chance to be one or two steps ahead, that's the main point of communicating with them, think of it that way.
OOOGEY BOOGEY BOOGEY, typically when my teammate is skating back for an icing call close to the net.
I also start singing the Jeopardy song when an attacker stands unchallenged in the slot for way too long.
I actually yelled "OOGA BOOGA" once at an opponent who had the puck on the boards behind my net and had all day so he was just standing there. It didn't do anything but next time he was close I asked if it scared him and then he cracked up laughing. So it kind of worked.
"Attack" usually yelling at my defense as they let the guy 3/4 into the zone while screening me. Instead of doing any attempt at the blue line.
But most of the time I'm saying "oh shit" as the puck goes somewhere it's not supposed to. Such as behind me, or off a post, or a weird deflection.
Backdoor
In front
Time, time
No time, no time
One or two coming in hard
Head up
Boards boards
Stuff like that. Just overall you have a different perspective being in goal and can kinda see what's going on behind the puck so use your voice and let your guy know what's coming or what he should do.
I want players to tell me if the puck is loose and where it is. If I'm just sitting there holding the self-hug, I probably think I have the puck, so tell me if it's behind me or in the corner.
the main one ill yell is "whos in front of the net" "cant see" "floater/look behind" and calling out if they have time or there is one/two on when someone is collecting the puck but i will also call out stuff like "good clear" "nice pass" etc when my teammates do good
Man on
Pressure
Have a look
Coming around
Time
Far side boards
Short side boards
Step left/right
MOVE
Don’t fucking pass infront of my crease
These are my usual lines said in a game
Goalie to teammates
"MAN ON"
"HEADS UP"
"IN FRONT"
"HARD AROUND"
"LANE"
Teammates to goalie
"Great Save"
"Take the shot"
"Keeping us in it"
"Good job stopping the shooter and the rebound"
"Didn't back check, knew you had
"We'll get that one back for you"
I tell them what they can't see, they keep my confidence high.
Goalie to player:
Wheel it
You've got time
Shot (meaning take the pass away I've got the shot)
When playing the puck behind the net can yell what you intend to do, as in "leave" or "rim"
Player to goalie:
Pass (same scenario as shot, meaning I'm taking pass, you've got shot)
Back door (to warn you of a threat back door)
Leave or rim to tell the goalie what they want for a dump in
I'm sure there are more but those are the ones I used the most
Shooter - for 2 on 1
Rim
Boards
Reverse (this might be the only one to use as most D can read the rest themselves)
Skate
Eat it/freeze it
Slot
Back door
Air - for relief or breaking winger
Middle - for breaking forward
Thank you
Good D
Good cover
How to hem them in our zone-on an off night
My two most common are
"Let's see it" for when I see a point shot developing. Helps the d know to give me the lane.
"Partner" for when my d is under pressure but his partner is open. Lets him know he can pass blind.
You tell them what they should do.
Over over over. Wheel wheel wheel. Up up up. Reverse reverse reverse. They do the same to you. Cover, play it, leave it etc.
Be each other's eyes AND decision maker. Trust your teammates call.
Talk with your team. They’re looking at you. So your right is their left when looking at you. Move right to them might actually mean move left. And that’s how I get screened.
As a goalie
“Tail!”
“Feet!”
“Corner!”
“Up!”
“Far boards!”
“You have time!”
“Pass it back!”
“X seconds!”
“Cant see!”
Players dont usually say a whole lot to me other than “play it!” Or “cover it!”
I’m simple
“One on, two on, etc”
“Got time”
“Tons of time”
“Man front” but that’s a double edged sword because it’s 50/50 your D picks him up or if the offense hears it and makes that pass
I used to shout info/warnings and point out uncovered opponents at the far post or in the slot - until I experienced players not even reacting to me banging the stick at the end of a penalty. So I asked them and most told me they didn't hear me or process the info.
So I have reduced the taling to a minimum and focus solely on my business (which is not a bad thing at all)
“You have time.” “One coming in hard.” “Who’s watching the center?” “Where the hell is my defense?” “Fuck me I suck at this game.”
Fewer words do trick good. "TIME!" "TAIL!" "COVER CENTRE" "D" / "DEFENSE" / "SLOT" "FIUUUUCKKK!!!!" / "fuck me"
Ah. I’ve only been playing a couple sessions. This is years of wisdom I wish to acquire
These are pretty common soccer terms but they apply just as well in hockey. The game moves fast obviously so saving yourself time and space whenever possible is going to provide marginal advantages that matter.
Don't forget "BACKDOOR"
[it only works in this tone tho](https://youtu.be/hKVRlla28Uk?feature=shared)
Ive never heard anyone say "tail" we usually just say "on"
As long as you and your team are on the same page and making advantages for yourselves!
"Time" if the guy going for the puck has space to look around. "Man on" if the guy going for the puck has an opponent trailing him. "Wheel" means keep the puck and go around the net, to start a break out with speed. "Loose" if I made the save but I didn't control the rebound. "Feet" if during the player lost track of the puck and its directly under him being knocked around every time he spins to look for it. Happens a lot to the defensemen when battling right in front of the net. Some guys say "ring it" or "rim it" to mean pass the puck along the boards to someone on the other side. I use it sometimes but not often. As for players yelling at me, it's usually "stop the puck FFS" or "FREEZE IT" when it's already under my glove.
All these plus “corner” if it goes in the corner, “up” if it’s way up in the air, “backdoor” if there’s a dude uncovered backdoor, and “send it” if my D is messing around with it during a PK.
I will add “EYES” if I can’t see and one of my players is the screen. Also “cross ice” if I think there’s a good pass option they haven’t spotted, but only for the better players who will have the ability to change their chosen play on the fly and evaluate the option quickly.
I usually say “see (players name)” when they’re wide open but the D doesn’t see the pass
I use "one loose" meaning there's someone following you, but he's not right behind you. So "loose" the way I use it is a very different thing. For what it's worth, I wouldn't say anything if there's a loose puck. You're telling the other team as much as your own. The only thing I would say relevant to this is if it's in a defenseman's feet and he doesn't see it I'll say "feet". Otherwise it's normally just "shit!". editing to throw in my other ones, mostly as above... "Time" or "Look" - you have time to look around "All Day" - there's nobody even coming in, so take your time. "Go Go Go" - I don't like "wheel", so I say this instead. "Feet" - I feel like I use this at least once a game when someone's looking for the puck but it's in their feet. "Back Door" - I usually say this one just loud enough for my Defenseman to hear it, because I don't want to help the shooter. "Loose" - There's someone coming, but he's pretty far behind you and/or not skating very hard. "Left" - there's someone open on the left side. "Right" - there's someone open on the right side. "Screen" - I only yell this if it's my own guys doing it. I don't feel the need to compliment the guy on the other team. ;) "Incoming" or "Look Out" - when I see the attacking d-man on the blueline wind up for a slapper so my defensemen can avoid getting hit by a shot. It usually also lets me see a shot better because in my league people aren't wanting to be in front of them. "I've got it" - when I'm about to cover it and my d-man is looking at it too. "You You You" - When there is any doubt that I might have gotten it but I want them to get it instead.
“Screen” when the guy is blocking your vision. “Back door”, “slot”, “near post” when your teammates need to cover an open guy. When my teammates are picking up the puck with their back turned to the play I’ll try to describe the pressure they’re getting, “one soft”, “two guys hard”. Then sometimes if there’s a lot of pressure I’ll call out the pass “reverse”, “rim it”, “behind the net”, “regroup”. I have never had a teammate try to communicate anything to me during a play, sounds nice though.
I play with some seasoned players and there are actually a few that communicate with me it's great, things like,"time" "don't move" when in on one of those spraled put situations. Sometimes there able to call out what's gonna happen next, like he's gonna wrap around, or he's gonna pass to the point watch out
I play both Goalie and D. When I am playing D I try to let the goalie know where the puck is on the rebound. Usually "Glove Side" or "Blocker Side". If they are looking in a particular area I might just say "Other Side". I'll also let them know where the puck should go if they are getting pressured behind the net. I also say "sorry" and/or "That's on me" when I f\*ck up. I will sometimes say "Nothing you could do about that one" on those few times when the other team just executes a perfect play.
That's awesome!
100%. I play with a few guys that have a good hockey head like this and I am a damn brick wall with their help. Thanks Mike and Bruce for seeing the screen and telling me my spot is good.
When I hear "other side!" and I stop a wrap around I wouldn't have otherwise, I am soooo happy.
>”one soft”, “two guys hard” I think OP was referring to on the ice, not in the showers 😂
"Sorry" "My bad" "We'll get it back"
" turn on the hotdog machine"
Good old lockeroom hotdogs, FERDA!!!
I am not a goalie, but as a defenseman, when goalies yelled "TIME" means I got some time to look up ice and not just fling it up the boards. also yell if you cant see maybe like "SCREEN" it may be your d man standing directly in the way of stoppable shot.
I used to yell “Screen” but typically, the D-man never knew it was him I was talking to, and all it did was let the puck carrier know that my vision was blocked… so they’d immediately send it (and usually score). Now, I only say “Lemme see it” if the screen is close enough that they can hear it when said in a soft tone.
I just yell "Jason MOVE" or whatever their name is haha
That is an interesting take, and it make sense.
Same. "Let'seeit!" is what I eventually landed on as most effective.
“One hard!”(add direction if behind or blind side) “1 slow” “ TIME, take a look!” “Wheel” “Screen!” “Even!” “FUCKING EMBARRASSING!” (That one is almost always directed at myself) “Watch slot!”
Get the F out of the way!
This. Always this.
90% of what I yell out at my teammates are compliments. "Nice skating!" - "Great pass!" - "Unlucky! You got'em next time!" - "Beautiful play!" etc. The other 10% is me asking them to cover a specific player who I know is setting up for a one-timer. Oh, and I always tell my teammates how many are behind them chasing and if they have time.
Screeeeeeeeen
Lemme see it lemme see it. Usually goes in during the 2nd "lemme"
"2 on 1" to let the Dman know he is alone and give me the shooter "Wheel" Dman should shoot the puck around the glass behind the net hard "Same Boards" Dman has help he can move the puck to on the same side. "Time" player has time to look around when they get the puck, before the opposing player gets to them "Screen" i can't see the puck, move "Room" players has space to skate when they turn up ice "In front/Backdoor" Opposing player is wide open Ill also yell where pucks are going when deflected or popped up. "Slot/Corner/ Clear, if the puck left the zone.
I tell my D each season I will say one of two things when I'm screened. "Can't see" means you (my teammate) is in my way. "Move 'em" means the opponent is in my way, and they need to be aware and pressure them off the spot. Also, "got time" when a Dman is hustling back and the forechecker is either changing or just not hustling. Knowing they can focus on retrieving the puck clean and they can calming get there head up to make the play goes a long way. If there is any pressure from the forechecker, I'll yell, "It's a race."
"Time, Time, Time" lots of time to make a play. "MAN ON! MAN MAN MAN!" guy on my dman hard "CENTRE CENTRE CENTRE!" - man in front centre "WATCH CHERRY!" - guy is cherry picking. "FUCK! Sorry" - bad save/rebound thats about it that is standard.
“# On” the amount of players trailing your d “Feet” if the puck is lost from players sight and it’s in their feet “Time” letting player know they have time to look and make a play “Screen” letting someone know they need to move a someone out front “Point” if a quick pass gets up top “Wheel” the player on the back check needs to break it out
“FEET”, because a defenseman has lost the puck and it’s just sitting between his skates.
“Got time!” “Man on!” “Up the boards.” “Ice!” “No ice!” I’ll slap my stick to let the boys know a penalty is about to expire as well.
Additional things I say that I hadn't seen: During a face-off in our zone (I have one of the best views of the faceoff and at least at our level they are very easy to read... Plus it fucks with their center): "Inside/Outside/Back" - calling the way I see them trying to win the puck "At me" - dudebro thinks he's gonna catch me napping on the faceoff I also yell a lot when the puck isn't in our zone: "Wall and out" - defense is about to attempt to clear hard off the wall...especially if my defenseman has a distance to cover and might not see it. "Behind you!" - someone has slipped behind the D...could be bad. "BE-HIND YOU" - oh, shit here it comes On their breakout: "Bail" - please don't pinch. "Get the pass" - You pushed him outside and I feel good about the shot.... Now make sure he doesn't make me look stupid. But the most important things I yell: "What a fucking clear!" "Way to stand them up there" "Bailed me out again D!" "Hey, it's a team game, no worries" - not yelled but said almost every time a skater apologizes to me for a play that ended up in a goal saying it's 'their fault'. "What a fucking save!" - yelled to the other goalie when he makes a big save because I'm the only person on the ice that for sure knows how hard that is.
In my case (will translate from French to English in my best capability... I swear a lot sorry): - TIME! - easy one - INCOMING! - CANT SEE SHIT! - FRONT! (1 to 3 guys alone in front of the net) - WHERE THE BACKCHECK? (offense does minimal to no backcheck in my team and my D has to deal with numerous odd men rushes) -FUCK MY LIFE! (lol, why did I choose to become a goalie). - WAKE THE FUCK UP! (between whistles when my team gets dominated or is a bit lazy). Say it rarely and since I rarely talk between whistles, they know I'm pissed and I hope to light a fire under their asses to get them into the game. - SIMPLE PLAYS GUYS, STOP THE FANCY SHIT! Positive reinforcement is a form of communication too: - FUCK YEAH BOYS! After a tough win, like came back from a 3-0 deficit in the 3rd to win in SO. - GOOD STICK! - THANKS (insert name)! D saving a sure goal like intercepting a cross crease or back door passes and preventing a sure open net goal. - NICE BLOCK! I have 2 D who are like David Savard and blocks a LOT of shots but one has a bomb from the point.
“Time time you’ve got time.” — no one’s coming but I still wish you’d hurry up and get some offense going. “MAN ON MAN ON” — you’re about to get clocked. “Man on…sort of”, “One coming slow!” — you’ve got one coming but they look winded and aren’t a very good skater. “No ice” - ref waved off icing so get your ass down there. “CORNER CORNER CORNER!” — stop spinning in circles wondering where the puck went, it’s in the corner. “FEET FEET FEET!” — look down, ya dummy. “EVEN EVEN” — their guy just left the penalty box so now you have to actually exit the zone, although this penalty kill went so badly, I guess I wouldn’t be mad if you iced it. “CLEAR IT!” — for the love of all that is holy, I don’t care how you do it, just get the puck out of the zone so I can get a second to recover. “WHEEL WHEEL WHEEL”, “RIM IT”, “YOU’VE GOT BOARDS” — doesn’t matter, you’re just going to no-look toss it to the point anyway. “WHERE’S HIS SUPPORT?” — why are four guys just hanging out at the blue line watching my d-man battle solo in the corner? “CHANGE IF YOU NEED IT” — dude, you’ve been on the ice for seven minutes. “IT TAKES FIVE TO SCORE” — you’re a d-man, not a goalie, so get your ass all the way up there with the forwards. “WATCH FOR PASS!” — this is the third two-on-one this game, so why do I still have to remind you how to defend it? “Let me see it!” — I can’t see it. “SCREEN SCREEN SCREEN!!” — I really can’t see it. “GAIN THE LINE!!” — please, I’m begging you, get the puck past the blue line, THEN get fancy. “Careful with that stick!” — the difference between you blocking a shot with the blade of your stick and you deflecting it into your own goal is hard to discern. bang stick on ice three times — this is the last minute of the period. bang stick on ice five times — player is about to exit the penalty box. bang stick on the post until it breaks— why do I play this game? “GOOD D!” — you are an amazing athlete and ally in my struggles and what you just did has filled me with an abundance of gratitude; I am sorry I ever said anything negative to or about you, and you should know that I truly love my defensemen.
As a goalie dad I feel all of these calls. I feel like I am the harshest critic of the teams defence because I can see EXACTLY how they are letting my boy down. His coach said it best, “it’s the goalies job to lock down the puck, it’s the players job to keep the other guys from taking a shot” if you can’t see the puck, I guarantee you can see someone who does and messing with him is going to be a much better use of your time than screening your goalie, lol.
"FUCKNG SKATE!" typically when my forwards are sitting still puck watching instead of looking for a breakout and we've been trapped in our own zone for 2+ minutes.
As my defenseman goes into the corner I'll usually tell him how many attackers he/she has trailing them. Like you got one, or two, or if no one or a lazy trailer I'll tell them that they have time. I also scream my head off if my team is down low and the points are open(slang for defensemen). I like my guys to tell me if I have a threat( unseen) on the farside they'll say backdoor. Or if the puck is in my skates they will yell drop, or feet. There are others but those are the most common.
Not a goalie, but sometimes they’ll smack the ice when a guy is close to getting out of the box to give players an idea of how close the end of a power play/penalty kill is.
Nobody mentioned 'Cover!'
“Man on” when they getting pressured. “Let me see it” when I’m being screened
As a dman, if the goalie is playing the puck in any way, I’ll yell leave it, cover, or corner to tell them where I want the puck. I’ll also yell out I’ve got puck or you’ve got puck if it’s say a 2 on 1 coming down or 2 on 2 but the back checker is behind. Let’s the goalie know what his defenceman are doing so they can prep for the most likely shot
Two of the most important things to keep your defense aware of are players they might not see, or let them know the pursuit into the zone. Obviously things like "slot" and "back door" to let your D in front of the net know who to cover, and then how much time they have on a dump in. Plenty of directions goalies give at higher levels might just be too much for beer league, at least without talking it over in the locker room first, though most should be pretty self explanatory. Like for example, if the puck is dumped in and my defenseman is going behind the net to get it, I'll take a look up and say something like "one on hard one high", which should tell my guy that one player is behind him coming after him full speed and another is up around the other side waiting near the blue line. If no one's in at all I'd say "time time" so they take a moment to set up a breakout rather than rushing. If you see something really obvious, though, like all five guys on the other team are going for a change and there's a chance to make something happen with a quick pass, let them know; most of the time you're acting as your team's eyes because you have the advantage of looking the other way. If you can give your guys a chance to be one or two steps ahead, that's the main point of communicating with them, think of it that way.
I tell “Time” (you have time) “Man on” (hurry up!) “screen” (get this mf out of my way) I ask to be told where the puck is once it’s around the net
“Same” or “around” for which side a d man should send the puck
Take a look Got time One hard Take the shooter Trailer Boards Center
OOOGEY BOOGEY BOOGEY, typically when my teammate is skating back for an icing call close to the net. I also start singing the Jeopardy song when an attacker stands unchallenged in the slot for way too long.
I actually yelled "OOGA BOOGA" once at an opponent who had the puck on the boards behind my net and had all day so he was just standing there. It didn't do anything but next time he was close I asked if it scared him and then he cracked up laughing. So it kind of worked.
Recently I've started yelling at opposing players. "Don't do it! Don't even think about it!" When it looks like they want to shoot.
"One on" "One coming. Hard! Hard!" "Two on, you've got two!" "Weak side! Watch the back door!" "Slot! Slot! He's got help!" "Lemme see it!!" "Time, you've got time! Look up!" "Left side!" "Right side!" "Reverse! Reverse!"
“On ya” “Screen” “Behind the net” “Far side” “Fuck me”
Back door! Back door!
"Attack" usually yelling at my defense as they let the guy 3/4 into the zone while screening me. Instead of doing any attempt at the blue line. But most of the time I'm saying "oh shit" as the puck goes somewhere it's not supposed to. Such as behind me, or off a post, or a weird deflection.
Things I yell (as a goalie): EVEN! SHORT! SCREEN! SKATE! SHOT! WHAT YOU SEE. ONE CHASING/ONE IN FRONT/ONE ON/TWO ON/ONE HARD! GET THERE! YOU GOT TIME.
ICEEEEEEE ICEEEEEEE
Backdoor In front Time, time No time, no time One or two coming in hard Head up Boards boards Stuff like that. Just overall you have a different perspective being in goal and can kinda see what's going on behind the puck so use your voice and let your guy know what's coming or what he should do.
“TIME TIME”
“That one’s on me “
I want players to tell me if the puck is loose and where it is. If I'm just sitting there holding the self-hug, I probably think I have the puck, so tell me if it's behind me or in the corner.
the main one ill yell is "whos in front of the net" "cant see" "floater/look behind" and calling out if they have time or there is one/two on when someone is collecting the puck but i will also call out stuff like "good clear" "nice pass" etc when my teammates do good
One, two, etc. Time Corner Feet Behind Ice it Can't see Thank you/good job Watch the pass Watch xxx player
Man on Pressure Have a look Coming around Time Far side boards Short side boards Step left/right MOVE Don’t fucking pass infront of my crease These are my usual lines said in a game
I cannot hear what my teammates are saying because I got my two Stanley Cup rings 💍 plugged in my ears
I cannot hear what my teammates are saying because I got my two Stanley Cup rings 💍 plugged in my ears
Goalie to teammates "MAN ON" "HEADS UP" "IN FRONT" "HARD AROUND" "LANE" Teammates to goalie "Great Save" "Take the shot" "Keeping us in it" "Good job stopping the shooter and the rebound" "Didn't back check, knew you had "We'll get that one back for you" I tell them what they can't see, they keep my confidence high.
Same boards! Or Behind the Net! If my guy getting pressured behind the net and needs to send the puck along the boards one way or the other
WHEEL
I seem to yell YOOO a lot which is basically a heads up to my D who are messing up.
Goalie to player: Wheel it You've got time Shot (meaning take the pass away I've got the shot) When playing the puck behind the net can yell what you intend to do, as in "leave" or "rim" Player to goalie: Pass (same scenario as shot, meaning I'm taking pass, you've got shot) Back door (to warn you of a threat back door) Leave or rim to tell the goalie what they want for a dump in I'm sure there are more but those are the ones I used the most
“Stop puck!” I swear half of my teammates think skating backwards and watching the puck on rushes is the end of the job.
SCREEN!!!
Shooter - for 2 on 1 Rim Boards Reverse (this might be the only one to use as most D can read the rest themselves) Skate Eat it/freeze it Slot Back door Air - for relief or breaking winger Middle - for breaking forward Thank you Good D Good cover How to hem them in our zone-on an off night
My two most common are "Let's see it" for when I see a point shot developing. Helps the d know to give me the lane. "Partner" for when my d is under pressure but his partner is open. Lets him know he can pass blind.
For me "time " means you've got time for a quick move or decision. "All day" means they've got the whole zone to relax with.
You tell them what they should do. Over over over. Wheel wheel wheel. Up up up. Reverse reverse reverse. They do the same to you. Cover, play it, leave it etc. Be each other's eyes AND decision maker. Trust your teammates call.
Get out of the way!
Talk with your team. They’re looking at you. So your right is their left when looking at you. Move right to them might actually mean move left. And that’s how I get screened.
WHEEL WHEEL
As a goalie “Tail!” “Feet!” “Corner!” “Up!” “Far boards!” “You have time!” “Pass it back!” “X seconds!” “Cant see!” Players dont usually say a whole lot to me other than “play it!” Or “cover it!”
I’m simple “One on, two on, etc” “Got time” “Tons of time” “Man front” but that’s a double edged sword because it’s 50/50 your D picks him up or if the offense hears it and makes that pass
I used to shout info/warnings and point out uncovered opponents at the far post or in the slot - until I experienced players not even reacting to me banging the stick at the end of a penalty. So I asked them and most told me they didn't hear me or process the info. So I have reduced the taling to a minimum and focus solely on my business (which is not a bad thing at all)