Meaning
Coast or wait for a conspicuous scoring chance instead of contributing steadily to team play. Highly obscure and domain-specific Regional use: Canadian hockey slang.
Origin
An obscure Canadian hockey expression preserved in DCHP from a 1963 description of player Dave Keon. The cited explanation contrasts Keon's engaged play with a player who coasts around the rink waiting to add to a personal scoring total. The dictionary provides no evidence for a deeper etymology or a broad non-hockey use, so the origin should remain limited to that attested players' slang context.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- going for the big skate
Usage Examples
- The winger went for the big skate and left his linemates to recover the puck.
- Coach benched anyone who coasted at centre waiting for the big skate.