Geeks talk about video games, nerds socialize about homework, but what hockey players say on the ice is what only hockey fans can understand.
The language of hockey was introduced back in 1875, when a group of university students from Montreal thought it would be fun to ice a rubber puck into an empty net and talk about it.
On Nov. 13 this year, the Abbotsford Pilots BCSHL hockey team said some nasty things during their game against the Ridge Meadows Flames such as, “Look at this ankle-bender, he can’t even stand on his f**k*ng feet,” and “Open your f**k*ng eyes ref,” before some terrific hockey plays and after questionable calls by the officials.
“Much of the bad language stays on the ice, while other silly hockey terms are used for conversations off the ice,” said former Mission Minor Hockey athlete Jimmy Dillon.
Since the Pilots play in a relatively small community arena, it is easy for fans to hear what’s being said on the ice. Children who come out to see their idols play every Friday night pick up on the kind of language that the hockey players use.
Another former Mission Minor Hockey player, Jake Hosch, says, “I like the intensity that on-ice language brings to the hockey game. It would be dull without it.”
Although the players try to keep the language on the ice, bad tempers often flourish if players take bad penalties, and of coarse, the fans can hear what the players are saying.
