stickhandle

English

Etymology

stick +‎ handle

Verb

stickhandle (third-person singular simple present stickhandles, present participle stickhandling, simple past and past participle stickhandled)

1. (transitive, intransitive, ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse) To maintain individual possession of the puck or ball by controlling it with movements of one's stick, especially to do so in a skillful manner.
   • 2008 April 17, Dave Stubbs, “Lots of life left in Bruins”, in The Gazette, Montreal, retrieved 13 May 2008:

     Kovalev regained possession of the puck and stickhandled at full speed into neutral-zone open ice.

2. (chiefly Canada, by extension) To deal capably and swiftly with a situation, especially in a manner which deflects potential problems.
   • 2008, "Editorial: Hillier goes, not Bernier, Toronto Star, 16 Apr. (retrieved 13 May 2008):

     He has ducked questions in Parliament on everything from Afghan detainees to Radarsat 2, leaving them to be stickhandled by other ministers.

   • 2008 May 8, Diane Francis, “Obama vs McCain. Finally”, in National Post, Canada, retrieved 13 May 2008:

     Obama, on the other hand, stickhandled his preacher problem and retained his poise and dignity.

References

• “stickhandle”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.