The five-hole is the gap between a goalie's legs, the only one of the goalie's five holes hockey ever agreed on a name for. Here is what it...
By Mike Johnson · 8 min read
Pulling the goalie ties the game only about 15% of the time, yet the math says do it, and do it far earlier than coaches dare. Here is how t...
By Mike Johnson · 10 min read
A faceoff looks like a coin flip, but it is a governed 50/50 battle: nine exact spots, a center on the dot, and a rule that ejects him when...
By Mike Johnson · 9 min read
A Zamboni shaves, sweeps, washes, and floods a rink with hot water in one slow 9.7 mph pass. Here is how the ice resurfacer actually works,...
By Mike Johnson · 10 min read
Save percentage is hockey's go-to goalie stat, but it counts a point-blank chance and a 55-foot floater as the same shot. Here's the SV% for...
By Mike Johnson · 9 min read
What is GAA in hockey? Goals against average is goals per 60 minutes, the oldest goalie stat and the most misleading. How it is calculated,...
By Mike Johnson · 7 min read
Hockey positions explained: six players per side, five skaters and a goalie. What the center, wingers, defensemen, and goalie each do, how l...
By Mike Johnson · 6 min read
What is a penalty kill in hockey? The short-handed team's stand against the power play, four against five. The rules that help the underdog...
By Mike Johnson · 7 min read
What is a pest in hockey? An agitator who chirps and goads stars into dumb penalties, usually without fighting. How a pest differs from an e...
By Mike Johnson · 8 min read
What is a healthy scratch in hockey? A fully fit player the coach leaves out of the lineup, watching from the press box in a suit, not injur...
By Mike Johnson · 8 min read
