Hockey Jersey Letters: 'A' vs. 'Alternate' - What Does It Mean?

Question
Just to clarify, I saw that you answered that the "A" on the hockey jersey stands for "Assistant."  
However, I do believe that it really stands for "Alternate" if I'm not mistaken.
I'm sure in modern times, people have coined it "Assistant," but I do believe the official word is "Alternate."

Answer
I've also heard alternate for it, but that is a rarity.. In juniors and college I've also heard it referred as assistant captain, to help out the captain. But you could be right where the official term is Alternate.

Thank you for sharing this!

Have a good one!