the neutral zone
noun
: the middle part of an ice hockey rink that is between the two zones defended by the teams
Examples of the neutral zone in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After a turnover by the Kraken in the neutral zone back across the blue line, Carrick got the puck, skated into the left circle and beat Grubauer low on the blocker side.
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CBS News, 13 Jan. 2026
Red Wings forward Andrew Copp jumped on a Canucks giveaway in the neutral zone and immediately backhanded a pass to Kane in the middle of the ice.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
In overtime, Celebrini created a turnover, took control of the puck along the boards in the neutral zone, carried it into the Kings zone and on a 2-on-1, fed Eklund, who scored past the outstretched arms of goalie Darcy Kuemper for his 11th goal of the season.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
Three minutes later, the Ducks turned the puck over coming through the neutral zone and the rookie struck again, beating Mrazek glove side with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle to give Washington a 2-1 lead going into the second.
—Oc Register, 5 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“The neutral zone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20neutral%20zone. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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