In the specialized slang of professional and amateur ice hockey, a pizza refers to a careless, ill-advised blind pass made across the defensive zone—frequently right up the middle of the ice—that is easily intercepted by an opponent, directly creating an immediate and dangerous scoring chance. The vivid term originates from the classic visual description of delivering a pie directly to the opponent, since handing the puck straight to the other team in a high-danger area often results in a quick turnover and a high-percentage shot on goal. Coaches fiercely caution players against throwing blind pizzas in their own zone because such mistakes against elite professional forwards almost always end in goals against, making the term a staple warning shouted from benches across every level of competitive hockey.