red line
Definition
Noun: 1. A line that is colored red and that bisects an ice hockey rink: In ice hockey, this is the central line dividing the rink into two equal halves. It is used for determining icing infractions and for face-offs at the start of periods or after goals.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The puck must completely cross the red line for an icing call to be made.
- After the goal, the referee dropped the puck for a face-off at the red line.
Advanced Usage
- "to clear the red line": In hockey strategy, this refers to a team moving the puck out of their defensive zone and past the center red line, which is a key step in organizing an attack and avoiding an icing call.
- The defenseman's primary job was to clear the red line and get the puck deep into the offensive zone.
Variants and Related Words
- Blue line (n): In ice hockey, either of the two lines that divide the rink into attacking, neutral, and defensive zones.
- Goal line (n): In ice hockey, the line over which the puck must completely cross to score a goal.
Synonyms
- Center line: A general term for a line dividing a playing area in half; used interchangeably with "red line" in hockey context.
- Mid-ice line: An informal synonym describing the line's location.
Related Phrases
- Two-line pass: A former rule (eliminated in 2005) that prohibited a pass from a player's defensive zone across both the blue line and the red line (the center line) to a teammate. The term is still used historically.
- Under the old rules, that would have been an offside two-line pass.
Related Idioms
- "To cross the red line": While not a hockey idiom, this common geopolitical idiom meaning "to pass a critical limit or boundary, often provoking a serious response" is homonymous. It is crucial to distinguish it from the hockey term based on context.
- The dictator's actions were seen as crossing a red line, prompting international sanctions. (This is the idiomatic usage, not related to hockey.)
Noun
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a line that is colored red and that bisects an ice hockey rink
