Hockey terminology can be tough to keep up with and with new terms being created each year some of us are going to need a little help. That’s why we’ve written this article to break down exactly what the term wagon means in hockey.
The term wagon in hockey means a team is very good or they are on a hot streak.
In most cases, wagon is a term used to describe a team as whole. Meaning this term is not usually used to describe a single player but rather a group of players.
The term originates from the traditional wagon used to carry goods. Wagons in the olden days did not have any breaks meaning once a wagon got going it was very hard to stop it.
This is another reason why the term wagon is often used to describe teams that are on a winning streak.
This piece of hockey terminology gained popularity recently due to its usage on the Spittin Chiclets podcast. Hosts Paul Bisonette and Ryan Whitney often use this term to describe the top teams in the league.
Though keep in mind referring to a team as a wagon is subjective. There is no official standard that makes a team a wagon which means this term might have different standards for different people.
That being said if your buddy starts calling his lottery pick team a wagon you should feel free to call him out.
Wagon Vs Band Wagon
One aspect of this hockey slang that makes it confusing is that the term band wagon is also quite common in hockey despite the terms meaning the same thing.
A bandwagon fan or bandwagoner is someone who only cheers for a team once they start performing well. For example, new fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning could be considered band wagoners because they just won back to back stanley cups.
So when someone asks if someone is jumping on the bandwagon it effectively means “are you going to start cheering for the team now that they are good”.
A wagon on the other hand refers simply to how good a team is. The term bandwagon is focused on the fans of a team and how they act once a team is good.
A wagon simply refers to the quality of a hockey team.
When Does A Term Earn This Nickname
Now that you understand what this term means you may be wondering when exactly you can use it. Below we’ll break down a couple of situations in which teams are often described as wagons.
While On A Winning Streak
Arguably the most common time to refer to a team as a wagon occurs when a team gets on a winning streak. This use of the term more accurately fits the analogy fans are going for when they are referring to a team as a wagon.
Since the original term was used because wagons do not have breaks a team on a hot streak is probably the most accurate use for this hockey term.
When A Team Acquires A High Caliber Player
We’ve all been there deep into the offseason looking for any hockey news we can get. When free agency comes around and players start signing fans love to talk about how this will affect those teams.
This is especially true when a contender signs a high calibre player. When a top team is able to sign a top free agent you will likely see this term thrown around a lot on Twitter.
If you are looking for a chance to use this term while in conversation just wait until a contender picks up a great player in free agency, trade deadline or waivers.