Lefties?

[AfftonDad 88]

There are definitely people at the highest levels that don't do the dominant hand on top as evidenced by the the NHL being 66% left shooters instead of 90% left shooters. On the other hand (pun intended), the fact that there are 66% left shooters in the NHL instead of 10% left shooters would seem to indicate that the "conventional" way to do it is still dominant hand on top.

[n3gkiwi 1]

I wonder how many NHL-ers are actually left handed (dominant hand is their left) and play left handed in hockey.

I am the opposite. Play left in hockey while I write with my right...

[Wallzy41 9]

I'm 55% to 45% right handed.... I golf, write and throw(and therefore play Regular goalie) right handed, but play hockey, throw a frisbee and most other daily tasks I prefer to do with my left hand.

[tareatingrat 4]

I'm right handed, shoot right, bat right, write...right, eat with my right hand, golf right, pretty much everything to the right.

I didn't really play as a kid, and my dad shot right, so I just used his sticks when I goofed around on the ice. My stickhandling has always been an issue for me, but I have a pretty hard and accurate wrist shot and, for the most part, I'm a decent passer.

Lately, as I've been working on my hands a lot, my stickhandling has improved considerably, but I've lost a bit of my shot. Kind of strange, actually, but it's probably because I'm not practicing my shooting as much.

I think you can definitely make it work with either hand on top--it all comes down to how much you practice.

I have that KwikHands stickhandling kit. It helped my stickhandling and wrist strength dramatically, and now I'm going through the system again but with a lefty stick.

[Jordan 13]

***Interesting story, my father was talking to Brian Propp and he said something along the lines that your dominant hand goes on the bottom for a stronger shot.***

Right Handed

Left shot

Does okay in the power department.

[AfftonDad 88]

I wonder how many NHL-ers are actually left handed (dominant hand is their left) and play left handed in hockey.

I am the opposite. Play left in hockey while I write with my right...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but...

Since the general population is around 90% right handed (since this is something you are born with, no reason to believe hockey players would be any different) that would mean around 90 out of every 100 NHLers are right hand dominant and would therefore be left shooters if they were to follow "conventional wisdom." Since the NHL is around 66% left shooters (66 out of every 100), that would mean that around 24 out of 90 (or 26.7%) are going against "conventional wisdom" of dominant hand on top.

[AfftonDad 88]

On another (almost similar topic) I was told the other day that I was messed up because I am a right shooting defenseman and I want to play the right side. Critical offensive zone faceoffs aside and a few other situations, if given the choice, I'll take the right side every time. Call me silly but I would rather have my stick board side on the point to hold the puck in, make forehand d to d passes, etc. Interestingly enough though, when I went to the internet to try to prove my case by calculating how many NHL right d are right shooters and how many left d are left shooters, expecting to find that this was true by a large majority, I found out this wasn't the case. Turns out, around 50% of the left shooting d are left defensemen and around 50% are right defensemen (and the same was true for right shooting d). This surprised me a lot.

[n3gkiwi 1]

On another (almost similar topic) I was told the other day that I was messed up because I am a right shooting defenseman and I want to play the right side. Critical offensive zone faceoffs aside and a few other situations, if given the choice, I'll take the right side every time. Call me silly but I would rather have my stick board side on the point to hold the puck in, make forehand d to d passes, etc. Interestingly enough though, when I went to the internet to try to prove my case by calculating how many NHL right d are right shooters and how many left d are left shooters, expecting to find that this was true by a large majority, I found out this wasn't the case. Turns out, around 50% of the left shooting d are left defensemen and around 50% are right defensemen (and the same was true for right shooting d). This surprised me a lot.

On forward I also prefer to play on the same side (left handed prefer to play left wing). Although I can play right no problem, I find it slightly easier to take a pass off the boards on the left side.

I also remember in fantasy hockey a few years back that left wingers were apparently more valuable because it was easier to find good right wingers. Looking at the stats this year it seems pretty even. I can't seem to find any information on the number of off-hand wingers in the NHL.

[Goonsquad 209]

Write lefty, throw righty, shoot lefty. Started hockey at age 12. In the shop, right outsells left 2-1. That ratio has been dominant in over 30 years of selling sticks in northern NJ.

Which drove my decision to shoot left .. since I write with my right hand..

[hockeymass 11]

On forward I also prefer to play on the same side (left handed prefer to play left wing). Although I can play right no problem, I find it slightly easier to take a pass off the boards on the left side.

I also remember in fantasy hockey a few years back that left wingers were apparently more valuable because it was easier to find good right wingers. Looking at the stats this year it seems pretty even. I can't seem to find any information on the number of off-hand wingers in the NHL.

Same here. I play both wings and center (occasionally) but I much prefer playing right as a righty. I find it easier to make plays breaking up ice.

[goblue9280 33]

As someone who always enjoyed the physical side of the game, I found it easier playing left-wing as a lefty. I was usually always on a checking line... which meant a lot of dump and chase, playing in the corners and along the boards... so having my forehand along the boards on my side of the ice made things easier.

[ArrogantOwl 7]

***Interesting story, my father was talking to Brian Propp and he said something along the lines that your dominant hand goes on the bottom for a stronger shot.***

Right Handed

Left shot

Does okay in the power department.

Again, that was Propp's perspective, not a true statement. I would like to see a test (assuming the technique was the same) where NHLers would switch hands and see what happened to their shots.

[Xuno 14]

I wonder how many NHL-ers are actually left handed (dominant hand is their left) and play left handed in hockey.

I know Ken Daneyko is left-handed. I was doing the PA announcing for a Devils Alumni game and I remember being surprised that he was signing autographs after the game with his left hand.

[wrangler 157]

I do everything right-handed, except flying, which I do with either hand, since I had to learn to fly from the left or right seat. I started at 10 or 11, with a straight stick. I don't remember ever having any doubt or confusion, just shot right. I've always used my left hand for stuff that requires strength. I think I got in that habit by lifting and carrying with my left, to keep my right free for doing things.

Somewhere along the line I've read or heard that we get one hand more specialized for fine motor control tasks, and the other for gross motor control tasks. I wish I could track that down now; I don't remember how that related to the dominant hand.

[beth 0]

I'm a coach who helps a lot with "Try Hockey Day" and I can tell you that here, where the parents often didn't grow up with hockey, if they are picking out a stick for their kid they will assume "right-handed stick" is meant for a right-handed player. So I don't bother asking if they want to use a right-handed or left-handed stick. If we have straight sticks I will give a new kid one of those, or I'll ask them "do you want to hold your stick like this or like this?" and don't even mention the right/left thing, just watch what their hands do on their own.

[jconc1941 0]

started when i was like 3 and am a righty that shoots left, make sense with dominant hand theory

[hockeymass 11]

***Interesting story, my father was talking to Brian Propp and he said something along the lines that your dominant hand goes on the bottom for a stronger shot.***

Right Handed

Left shot

Does okay in the power department.

I think that's David Krejci signing the picture, though I believe Chara is also a right handed writer.

[phonak 0]

I'm very left handed. Write, throw a ball, etc with my left hand. I shoot, golf, swing a bat etc right. I was taught by my dad as a kid that I should use my dominant hand on the top of the stick and I've never been able to switch sides since. It just feels awkward.

Furthermore I don't really understand the argument to use your dominant hand on the bottom because it is stronger and your shot should therefore be stronger. Maybe it's just me but my non-dominant hand is not weaker, just not as good control. If I go to the gym for example I cant lift a heavier weight with my non-dominant hand, I max out at the same weight.

[Captain Sane 2]

One thing that's important to remember is that a lot of NHL players likely started playing hockey when they were really young, so most of the time they likely had a stick with no curve, and held the way that was most comfortable to them, and I think somebody in this thread said that younger players are likely to hold the stick with their dominant hand on top.

At least that was my experience, I started playing when I was 5 or 6 and I just held the stick as a left-handed shot because it felt natural to me at the time, even though I'm right handed. But most of the people I've played with since (almost 20 years now) have been right-handed shots and right-handed in general.

I don't think there's any advantage one way or the other, if you're a right-right, you'll get used to it and your shot power is probably going to be as high as it would be if you started out as a leftie. Maybe it's not a perfect analogy, but look at Rafa Nadal in tennis, he's right handed in everything except tennis, and he has as much if not more power than any other professional.

[Larry54 243]

One thing that's important to remember is that a lot of NHL players likely started playing hockey when they were really young, so most of the time they likely had a stick with no curve, and held the way that was most comfortable to them, and I think somebody in this thread said that younger players are likely to hold the stick with their dominant hand on top.

At least that was my experience, I started playing when I was 5 or 6 and I just held the stick as a left-handed shot because it felt natural to me at the time, even though I'm right handed. But most of the people I've played with since (almost 20 years now) have been right-handed shots and right-handed in general.

I don't think there's any advantage one way or the other, if you're a right-right, you'll get used to it and your shot power is probably going to be as high as it would be if you started out as a leftie. Maybe it's not a perfect analogy, but look at Rafa Nadal in tennis, he's right handed in everything except tennis, and he has as much if not more power than any other professional.

Nadal started playing right-handed. When he was young, his uncle/coach made him switch to left-handed. It just goes to show you that handedness can be learned.

[dc00 0]

Both my kids are righties. I let them hold a stick the way they wanted when they started. It turned out one shoots right and the other left, the same way they shovel.

[mug25 2]

I guess I'm one of the few that shoot left, throw left, write left and eat left. Felt natural from day 1