Why Do Most Canadians Shoot Lefty?

[Tripod]

It's probably because kids in Canada start skating before they play hockey. So when they're skating and someone puts a stick in their hand and says, "skate", they're going to hold the stick in their dominant hand like they would if it were any other object.

This is the correct answer.

As a kid learning to skate, you need to hold on to a hand...or a stick so someone call pull you around. It is natural to want to hold on with your strongest hand. So then when you learn to skate on your own, it's natural to hold the stick too with your strong hand. And for most, that is their right, which means they end up shooting left.

But in warmer areas, baseball is often the sport taught first. And most parents will line their kids up on the left side of the plate to swing at a ball. So they become used to swinging that way...and turn to righties for hockey.

Personally, I am right handed, swing a golf club as a righty, and a bat as well. But as a kid, I had a straight blade and "picked" which way to shoot as I could do both ways. I chose left shooting because there were 2 good right shooting wingers on our team....even knew it back in Novice.

Smart choice...one if those RW ended up with a 15 year NHL career and scored over 40 goals 1 year.

 

[Tripod]

Aldo keep in mind, that as young kids grieving up, we were often given our siblings sticks...just cut down. So if they were left shooting, chances were you were too because no one was lifting shots when the curve went backwards.

Made for a hell of a backhand though!

 

[Superpest]

I've noticed more people shoot right in Western Canada, while most people shoot left in Eastern Canada.

I had a hard time finding someone with a right stick I could borrow while playing pond hockey in Quebec. Asked 30+ people, had to settle with a flat blade.

 

[winnipegger]

I'm as Canadian as they get and use my dominant hand at the bottom. Right handed, right shooting. Maybe that's why no scouts ever called me after my Highschool hockey career

 

[TheTwelfth]

I noticed when I was in PA that they TOLD the kids to put their right hand at the bottom. In Sweden, you just ask the five year old kid which way is more comfortable and they go with that. I had one player in my minor league team that was a right hander and played righty. All other righties were left handed, and all other right handed shot left (all goalies caught left).

 

[8816 others]

I'm a lefty who shoots right and I always wondered what kind of player I would have been if I shot left.

Tennis has to be the most difficult sport for me to decide which hand to use ie, go forehand left or backhand right.