In hockey, what does the term "offside" mean?

The term "offside" in hockey specifically refers to the situation where an attacking player enters the offensive zone before the puck does. This means that for a player to be considered onside, both of their skates must be behind the puck when it crosses the blue line into the attacking zone. If the player is ahead of the puck, the play is called offside, which stops the game and results in a faceoff in the neutral zone.

Understanding this rule is crucial because it helps maintain fair play and ensures that teams do not gain an unfair advantage during offensive plays. The other options speak to different aspects of gameplay but do not accurately define the term "offside." For instance, being too far back from the play doesn't violate any specific rules, fighting is a separate misconduct issue, and penalties for misconduct refer to rule infractions unrelated to the positioning of players in relation to the puck.