DCHP-2

short-handed shorthanded DCHP-2 (June 2016)

• 1 adj. — Hockey, usually in predicative position

  having fewer players on the ice than the opposing team due to one or more penalties.

  Type: 5. Frequency — Being short-handed in hockey is a game situation where a team has fewer players on the ice than its opponent. A team can be one or two players short, depending on the number of penalties they have taken. The goal of the short-handed team is to "kill the penalty", i.e. to prevent the opposing team from scoring (Harari and Ominsky 2010: 36). The opposing team, however, is then on a "power play", which is a good opportunity to score. The term is most frequent in Canada in the context of hockey (see Chart 1).

  See also: hockey  The Great One  

• 2 adj. — Hockey, in attributive position

  a goal scored when a team is outnumbered due to one or more penalties.

  Type: 4. Culturally Significant — When a team with fewer players on the ice than the opposing team scores a goal, the goal is referred to as short-handed. The all-time leader in short-handed goals is Wayne Gretzky, a Canadian former professional hockey player, known as ''The Great One" (see Quant Hockey reference). In fact, the top five scorers of short-handed goals are all Canadian hockey players. Chart 2 shows that the term is no longer limited to Canada. The New Zealand hockey league and NHL coverage in that country, for instance, makes it match, and slightly outnumber even, the number of Canadian hits.

  See also: The Great One