The worst of the worst.  In this edition of Hockey Talk, it’s all about the bad.

Bender: This guy can’t skate. We’re talking terrible.  The term comes from players who skate so bad they look like they don’t have their skates laced up properly, and their legs are all bent in as if they’re just learning to take the ice.

Duster: He’s been sitting on the bench all game, and he’s probably going to stay there.  The player who’s greatest skill on the team is collecting dust and he’ll only see time on the ice if the team is up a lot.  This guy can also be the placeholder in between the offense and the defense on the bench. (Sometimes also referred to as a “grocery stick”).

Hoser: Basically a loser.  Before there were zambonies, there were always losers, and this Canadian term refers to the unlucky/unskilled players who were placed in charge of hosing down the ice to refreeze the skate cuts.

Pylon: Pylons are big orange plastic cones used in just about every hockey practice, but this can also refer to a useless defensive player that any offense can skate circles around.

Bag Skate: You play bad, you pay for it at practice. A “Bag Skate” is a series of skating drills meant to exhaust the players and leave ’em thinking about their game.  Think that scene from Miracle.