Throughout the course of a game, teams are constantly changing ownership of the puck through turnovers.
A turnover is a change of possession without a goal in ice hockey. There are two types of turnovers:
A giveaway is a mistake that causes a player with possession of the puck to lose it to a player on the opposing team.
A takeaway is a forced action taken by a defensive player to regain possession of the puck for his team.
For a turnover to be called a takeaway, it must be done by a defensive player and pressure must be applied to the opposing team.
| SITUATION | TYPE OF TURNOVER |
|---|---|
| A defensive player intercepts a pass and steals the puck. | Takeaway |
| A defensive player steals and strips the puck from an offensive player. | Takeaway |
| A defensive player checks the player with the puck leading to a change of possession. | Takeaway |
| An offensive player misses a shot on goal and makes a mistake. | Giveaway |
| An offensive player loses the puck while skating. | Giveaway |
Takeaways and giveaways are considered a statistic in ice hockey. However, takeaways and giveaways are unreliable stats since the definitions are vague and confusing. The NHL defines a takeaway as any type of pressure applied to an offensive player resulting in them losing possession of the puck. It can be difficult to determine when the pressure was applied and where on the ice and who to give credit for the stat to.