English term for hockey situations

Spacey

Registered User
Feb 2, 2015
71
65
Sorry if I created the topic in the wrong section.
On one Russian-language site, I had a small dispute with one user about the name of the situation when forward goes to the goalkeeper without the defenders in front of him. In Russian, we usually call this output "one to nil" (I don't know which English word to use correctly as 0 in this context). For example, we call other situations like this: when one striker against one defender - "one in one", three strikers against two defenders - "three in two" and so on. How do you call this situation in English-speaking countries?
Thx
 
Last edited:

morehockeystats

Unusual hockey stats
Dec 13, 2016
617
296
Columbus
morehockeystats.com
Sorry if I created the topic in the wrong section.
On one Russian-language site, I had a small dispute with one user about the name of the situation when forward goes to the goalkeeper without the defenders in front of him. In Russian, we usually call this output "one to nil" (I don't know which English word to use correctly as 0 in this context). For example, we call other situations like this: when one striker against one defender - "one in one", three strikers against two defenders - "three in two" and so on. How do you call this situation in English-speaking countries?
Thx
When I was growing up in the USSR, "one on one" was just the attacker and the goaltender. E.g. Ozerov: "Vykhod odin-na-odin, brosok, gol!"
 

Primary Assist

The taste of honey is worse than none at all
Jul 7, 2010
5,911
5,699
The word you're looking for is "breakaway" which is when an attacking forward skates in alone against the goaltender, with no defensemen

For other odd-man rushes, we say things like "two-on-one" if there are two attacking forwards and just the defenseman and goalie, or "three-on-two" if there are three attacking forwards and two defensemen and the goalie. If there are two forwards against just a goalie (with no defensemen) we'll call that a "two-on-zero" with zero just pronounced as "oh"
 

Michael Farkas

Grace Personified
Jun 28, 2006
13,352
7,834
NYC
www.HockeyProspect.com
^ That's all correct (breakaway and all that).

The Y portion of the "X-on-Y" situation does not include the goaltender in North America - at least no where that I have heard, read, coached, or scouted (hockey only for all of them).

One slightly odd tick, that maybe some will disagree with. In the rare event that an out-numbered situation occurs, we may sometimes switch the "on" to "against". So if you come in as one attacker and against four defenders (sometimes popular in the VHL haha), some people may say "1-on-4", but you also might hear "1-against-4". Especially for some color commentators breaking down a play, as in: "Afinogenov flies down the left wing, 1 against 3, and he gets through everyone, but shot the puck weak and wide."

But the word "against" is virtually never used to describe the situations outlined above, where the attackers have the advantage...I don't know, probably not worth noting. But just in case...
 

Filthy Dangles

Registered User*
Oct 23, 2014
28,356
39,703
Also, as someone who played(s) and coaches, North America players and coaches also use the vernacular 'two' and 'twenty-one' to signify an aforementioned '2 on 1'.

'Three' is also common call to signify a possible odd man break where the 3rd forward/player can beat the opposing players up the ice as the late man/trailer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DaveG and Spacey

Spacey

Registered User
Feb 2, 2015
71
65
Thanks a lot. The conclusion is that "The Y portion of the "X-on-Y" situation does not include the goaltender" both in Russia and in North America.
And yes, I forgot about "breakaway", in Russia we also say that, but rarely. ("ушел в отрыв", "оторвался от защитников")

one to zero if it's just the goaltender and no defender
but in soccer, it's one on one ("the striker is one on one with the goalkeeper")
In Russian we also in football (soccer) use "one on one".

When I was growing up in the USSR, "one on one" was just the attacker and the goaltender. E.g. Ozerov: "Vykhod odin-na-odin, brosok, gol!"
My dad and granddad say that they always used one to zero in hockey. :skeptic: I think that Ozerov, being a commentator on both football (soccer) and hockey, who himself did not play hockey (he was a tennis player), used a more popular and understandable for him and the mass audience "one-on-one".
 
  • Like
Reactions: DaveG

morehockeystats

Unusual hockey stats
Dec 13, 2016
617
296
Columbus
morehockeystats.com
My dad and granddad say that they always used one to zero in hockey. :skeptic: I think that Ozerov, being a commentator on both football (soccer) and hockey, who himself did not play hockey (he was a tennis player), used a more popular and understandable for him and the mass audience "one-on-one".
It's hard to doubt people that I never saw or knew; however I never head of "odin-v-nol'" or similar. Ozerov, Mayorov, Pisarevsky all used 1-on-1 for what I can recall.

For the situation with a defenceman present, I think term "one-on-one with a defenceman" was used (odin-na-odin s zashchitnikom). I'll ask my father (born in 1946) what he remembers.

Wikipedia seems to agree with me.
 

tarheelhockey

Offside Review Specialist
Feb 12, 2010
84,982
137,355
Bojangles Parking Lot
My dad and granddad say that they always used one to zero in hockey. :skeptic: I think that Ozerov, being a commentator on both football (soccer) and hockey, who himself did not play hockey (he was a tennis player), used a more popular and understandable for him and the mass audience "one-on-one".

This is also the case in North America. As we have seen in this thread, hockey fans understand the concept of 1-on-0. But sports fans in general, people who don’t watch a lot of hockey, would say 1-on-1. For someone who follows a lot of baseball and basketball, hearing an announcer say 1-on-0 would be confusing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DaveG

canary

Registered User
Jan 20, 2011
317
97
Toronto
I'm wondering if part of the "one-on-zero" nomenclature has to do with soccer, where the goalkeeper is more similar to defenders/midfielders/forwards as opposed to goaltenders and skaters in hockey.

In soccer, the offside rule is written so that a player may not be behind the second defender when the ball is played - the last defender quite often being the keeper. If the keeper is stranded up the field, you still need to be behind the second outfield defender. One-on-one for player-on-keeper in the soccer context seems to make sense (at least to me) as opposed the breakaway that we refer to in NA, where the goaltender is so different in the rules of the game compared to skaters.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tarheelhockey

mattihp

Registered User
Aug 2, 2004
20,425
2,915
Uppsala, Sweden
In swedish I think we don't say anything like that, just mostly friläge or ensam med målvakten. A free chance or alone with the keeper.
 

bucks_oil

Registered User
Aug 25, 2005
8,328
4,513
Agree with the above. Some common uses include:

"Two on 0 ("oh", not "zero" usually) breakaway" = two forwards vs the goalie
"Three on one" = three attackers against one defender (plus the goalie)
"one against three" = one attacker against three defenders
"odd man rush" = any 3on1, 2on1, 3on2, 4on3 etc... though commentators most often used to describe rushes with more players involved since they can't count so quickly ;)... and 2on1 or 3on1 arise so much more often.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tarheelhockey

Sean Garrity

Quack Quack Quack!
Dec 25, 2007
17,420
6,040
Dee Eff UU
You "can" use "one on one" if you're speaking about the hockey goaltender first. So like, "Anderson one on one with McDavid." Some announcers will also say either two on none or two on 0("oh", not "zero"), but that's rare. You're probably more likely to hear like "in (all) alone".
 

Phil Parent

Sorel, 'fant d'chienne!
Feb 4, 2005
15,833
5,666
Sorel-Tracy, Quebec
In French, 1 on 1 applies to both Attacker VS Goalie and Attacker VS Defender & Goalie. And in the second case, the defending "1" refers to the defending skater, not the goalie.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->