Calgary Flames Practice today

[RadioGaGa 162]

To start practice today....the Flames had a scrimmage where everyone had to play with their opposite hand/stick.

Seems like an odd thing for a pro team to do, and it seems even odder (or is that more odd) for a team coached by "Iron" Mike Keenan. He's not really known for fun practices is he?

Anyone ever had a team that does this?

[Dougie8 0]

That's interesting to hear that an NHL team would be doing this when it's coming down to the clutch part of the season, especially when Calgary is sitting in the #8 spot in the West.

[masterpeice_patrice 4]

when you are a professional.. you will do weird things just to win hockey games. its more of a mental thing.

[DarkStar50 679]

Try it the next time you go on the ice. It's not easy. Your balance will be totally messed up. Chelios can shoot lefty and righty.

[slaw 1]

It is tricky, when I played Jr.B we did it for a while in the middle of our 2 hour sessions. It does kind of work on your balance. Chelios is so old I'm not surprised he can shoot both ways.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Try it the next time you go on the ice. It's not easy. Your balance will be totally messed up. Chelios can shoot lefty and righty.

Iginla looked like he could barely skate...it was weird to see. Acouin (sp?) said the same thing. "It's like you forgot how to skate and everything"

[kosydar 0]

I was watching the Leafs warm ups last month in SJ, and Steen stood in the corner for almost ten minutes firing pucks around the boards holding his LH stick RHed.

[BigDipper 0]

Teaches dexterity....I've made my players do it in practices before, but only the defensemen in different drills. Couldv'e been funny to watch the Flames do it tho, I'm sure there were some laughs

[Fletch 219]

Chelios is so old I'm not surprised he can shoot both ways.

I always had a suspicion that Chelios went both ways.

:P

[Bravada 442 0]

I've fooled around with a friends LH stick during warm ups in the past and I think its funny how easy and smooth my stickhandling was, but I couldn't shoot for my life.

[Dat 0]

That's cool. Seems like it would be good training, making players more well-rounded.

[chk hrd 164]

my kid's Bantam AA team just did this in practice. It looked liked they had never skated before in thier life, especially when they got the puck. When you think about it the older you are it must get harder because of muscle memory. Your body has been doing a specific thing a specific way for how many years and now you are trying to change what comes natural.

[oggy_3 0]

I wondered why my coach made us to it one practice and now that i think of it my balance was a little akward..

[topshelf11 0]

We did it in a blowout beer league game. It's hard. I missed the puck the first few times, then started to get the hang of it.

Turning was weird with the stick on the opposite side. I went to make a sharp turn and basically tripped over my own stick, since I wasn't used to it being on that side.