Hockey 101 Question: LHD vs RHD and RW vs LW...

[Doggy]

I have been watching hockey as a fan for forty years but I would never consider myself a student of the game. Many here know way more than me. So I have questions!

RHD vs LHD: I have always assumed that naturally RHD would be right handed shooters and LHD would be left handed shooters. Seems to me you want your defensemen to naturally have their stick blade pointed towards the wall when playing in the offensive zone (helps keep the puck in). On the other hand, that also means a defensemen can never one time a pass and is always shooting across their body.

So which is right? The majority of our d-men do follow the right handed shot RHD (Peeke, Blankenburg, Boqvist) and left handed shot LHD (Z, Gavrikov). But I thought Bean was playing RHD to start the season alongside Z and he's a left handed shot.

Also, why are RHD so hard to find? While I don't play hockey, as a right handed person I know my natural shot is right handed (hold stick high in left hand and low in right hand). The vast majority of people in the world are right handed. So why are RHD in higher demand?

RW vs LW: This seems all over the place, some of the right handed shot forwards on our roster are listed as RW and others LW and vice versa for LW. Bjorky and Chinny are both listed as RWs but Bjorky is a right handed shot and Chinny a left handed shot. Clearly there needs to be other criteria deciding where a player fits.

Center: I have noticed the majority of our Cs are left handed: Kurls, Boone, Silly, Gaunce (and Tex and KJ13 if you consider them Cs). The only right handed C was Rosy. Is this common? How does that work when a righty comes up against a lefty in the face-off dot? Both wanna take the draw from the same side.

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[majormajor]

I have been watching hockey as a fan for forty years but I would never consider myself a student of the game. Many here know way more than me. So I have questions!

RHD vs LHD: I have always assumed that naturally RHD would be right handed shooters and LHD would be left handed shooters.

Let's clear up the terminology first. RHD means right handed D. RD means right-side D. All of our RHD are RD and all of our LHD are LD except for Kukan and Bean who are LHD that can play both LD and RD.

Seems to me you want your defensemen to naturally have their stick blade pointed towards the wall when playing in the offensive zone (helps keep the puck in). On the other hand, that also means a defensemen can never one time a pass and is always shooting across their body.

I've seen some extensive analyses on this question. In the offensive zone it mostly cancels out - you benefit from having your stick on the wall (LHD at LD) to keep the puck in, but you also have much better shooting on your one-timer side (LHD at RD).

It really matters a lot more for when you're trying to get out of the defensive zone. Imagine the puck is rimmed up the left wall and you gather it as an LHD. You can scan up ice for a breakout as you gather the puck and make a pass instantly to get out of trouble. Now imagine the same situation on the left wall as a RHD. You have to face back towards your end to gather the puck and you can't see where to go with the puck. You have to twist yourself and pull the puck back on to your forehand to make a pass, and in that half-second the forecheckers have caught you. In addition to gathering pucks on the wall, D are often the first outlet pass from their D partners that are behind the net. You have to be able to field that pass on your forehand.

There's a reason why nimble agile LHD like Nuti, Bean, and Kukan have tended to be the ones switched to RD. They can twist quickly and get the puck on to their forehand quickly, to make a play before the forecheckers arrive.

Also, why are RHD so hard to find? While I don't play hockey, as a right handed person I know my natural shot is right handed (hold stick high in left hand and low in right hand). The vast majority of people in the world are right handed. So why are RHD in higher demand?

In the States, more kids start with baseball or golf or something that swings right to left, so most American hockey players are RH. But in most countries including Canada and Russia they're more likely to follow a "dominant hand on top" approach. Your top hand is supposed to be able to work the stick like a screwdriver as you handle the puck. The top hand requires more dexterity. And if the right hand is on top then you have a left handed shot. Yes you read that right - right handedness should lead to more left-hand shots.

One interesting wrinkle of that is that most of the best danglers (think screwdriver hand movement) are left-hand shots. But IIRC most of the best shooters are right-hand shots. Think Laine, Bjorkstrand, and as I write this, Matthews and Stamkos.

RW vs LW: This seems all over the place, some of the right handed shot forwards on our roster are listed as RW and others LW and vice versa for LW. Bjorky and Chinny are both listed as RWs but Bjorky is a right handed shot and Chinny a left handed shot. Clearly there needs to be other criteria deciding where a player fits.

It isn't as important for wingers as it is for D but it still factors in a bit. It is also easy for wingers to play the breakout on their non-one-timer-side because they can field passes on the forehand. If you've got a great one-timer then you might want to play on your one-timer side. But unless players have elite speed or puck protection ability then you probably want to play on your non-one-timer-side (Is there a standard name for this side?) so you can hold the puck further away from defenders (closer to the wall) when you're on the rush. It takes more skill to get away with playing on your one-timer side but if you can do it, like Panarin can, then you can do more with both passing and shooting.

Most wingers these days seem to switch sides many times in their careers, but they're still listed as LW or RW for some reason, and at the same time D are just listed as D even though it is very important to us to know which position, RD or LD, they play.

 

[koteka]

Americans often pick up a hockey stick like a baseball bat. That is wrong. Think of a hockey shot as a tennis backhand and the poke check as something you do with your dominant hand. Left stick players are far more common in hockey because right handed people are more common.

Most defensemen want the stick towards the wall - left stick guy on left side, right stick guy on right side.

I have never understood wings. I think it is comfort. I know people that prefer to play the same side as their shot and I know people who prefer to play the other side. Style of play may come into it. Forecheckers might prefer to be on the same side as their shot and snipers might prefer to be opposite side.

 

[EspenK]

Good analysis from MM & K.

 

[tunnelvision]

Americans often pick up a hockey stick like a baseball bat. That is wrong. Think of a hockey shot as a tennis backhand and the poke check as something you do with your dominant hand. Left stick players are far more common in hockey because right handed people are more common.

How about golf clubs? I know lots of right-handed people who play with LH hockey stick and RH golf club.

 

[Doggy]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. This does help.

As a racquetball player I know the backhand is the more natural swing but since I played little league and was not a switch hitter I never gave any thought to dominance and holding the stick another way.

I wonder if this means a higher percentage of Americans are RD while a higher percentage of Canadians, Europeans and Russians are LD.

 

[LJ7]

I wonder if this means a higher percentage of Americans are RD while a higher percentage of Canadians, Europeans and Russians are LD.

It’s Not Political, but More Canadians Are Lefties (Published 2010)

A majority of Canadian hockey players shoot left-handed. Most Americans shoot right-handed. No one is sure why.

www.nytimes.com

This article is goofy but it seems like it yeah

 

[koteka]

I was thinking more about wings. My kid is a left shot and he prefers left wing. He is more of a passer than a shooter. I think being on the left side is easier for him to see the ice and pass. Now if he were setting up for a one timer, he might prefer the other side of the ice. Ovechkin is a right shot and he is a LW. Same with Laine. But Johnny Gudreau and Jonathon Huberdeau are left stick left wings. My kid‘s game is more Gudreau or Huberdeau (nowhere near the talent) than Laine or Ovechkin.

 

[Doggy]

...My kid‘s game is more Gudreau or Huberdeau (nowhere near the talent) than Laine or Ovechkin.

Better to be more like Gaudreau than Goodrow. Who the heck names their kid Barclay anyway...I think the Doodle down the block is named Barclay.

 

[cslebn]

I was thinking more about wings. My kid is a left shot and he prefers left wing. He is more of a passer than a shooter. I think being on the left side is easier for him to see the ice and pass. Now if he were setting up for a one timer, he might prefer the other side of the ice. Ovechkin is a right shot and he is a LW. Same with Laine. But Johnny Gudreau and Jonathon Huberdeau are left stick left wings. My kid‘s game is more Gudreau or Huberdeau (nowhere near the talent) than Laine or Ovechkin.

I think that's a preference. I like coming down the off wing (right handed left side) so I can open up to hit the trailer or take a step towards the net with a crossover.

Wings really comes down to preference. I know a lot of players that preferred to receive the break out at their skates rather than an open blade, or to pick it up with their forehand while it runs around.

 

[Viqsi]

There's a part of me that wants to suggest that the relative lack of RHD nowadays is due to the crackdown on clutch-and-grab, but that's mostly because if I'd ever managed to learn to skate and subsequently play organized hockey (instead of a handful of random street games in sneakers before I was ever a teenager), that would likely have characterized my style of play. "You can't get to the puck if I'm in your way, nyah nyah." Alas, soccer didn't require that I learn how to balance on wheels (or blades, for that matter) and was much more readily available.

And here I presume to talk about actual NHL-level defenders from time to time...

 

[NotCommitted]

I think which hand you have up on the hockey stick is a natural preference for most people, but it doesn't necessarily follow handedness. I would bet for most people it's the same as shoveling, unless for some reason they learned hockey the "wrong" hand up, which would probably need someone telling them which way to do it to begin with, instead of the kid figuring it out on their own.

 

[5th Line Fanatic]

I am really thankful we have such a great group of people on this forum who are willing to answer questions like these with thoughtful responses. Thank you to all of you!

I have been a fan of the NHL since 1995, I've often had and asked these questions and I've never seen thorough responses like these.

 

[5th Line Fanatic]

I've never played hockey, but I love watching it. I'm an avid golfer and played a ton of baseball/softball into my late 20s. As a right hander, I can't imagine picking up a hockey stick any different than I pick up a golf club or a baseball bat. My right hand would naturally be low, but more important I feel I'd get a lot more power swinging through my right hip rather than from the left side. It's very interesting all the different viewpoints on this.

 

[koteka]

As a right hander, I can't imagine picking up a hockey stick any different than I pick up a golf club or a baseball bat. My right hand would naturally be low, but more important I feel I'd get a lot more power swinging through my right hip rather than from the left side. It's very interesting all the different viewpoints on this.

I am the same way, but I raised my kids the Canadian way when it comes to hockey. They are right handlers who use left sticks.

A related question - How would hold a stick if you were a goalie? I would put the glove on my left hand because I grew up playing baseball and my left hand is my catching hand. I would hold my stick with the right. Then I would actually be holding the stick correctly.

How about golf clubs? I know lots of right-handed people who play with LH hockey stick and RH golf club.

I know some people like that as well. It probably helps prevent your hockey shot from impacting your golf swing and vice versa.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I am the same way, but I raised my kids the Canadian way when it comes to hockey. They are right handlers who use left sticks.

A related question - How would hold a stick if you were a goalie? I would put the glove on my left hand because I grew up playing baseball and my left hand is my catching hand. I would hold my stick with the right. Then I would actually be holding the stick correctly.



I know some people like that as well. It probably helps prevent your hockey shot from impacting your golf swing and vice versa.

That’s how my dad taught me and my brother to play in the 70s, righties who hockey lefty. Never occurred to us it was Canadian or whatever - I grew up in Pittsburgh - but it seemed natural to all of us to have right hand high. We both play golf and swing a bat righty. Indeed, I play goalie with stick in my right hand, glove in my left.

 

[koteka]

I have always wondered about Larry Walker and Joey Votto - the two best Canadian baseball players. They both batted left but threw with their right hands. Did they do this because they are Canadian and picked up a bat like a hockey stick?

 

[majormajor]

I've never played hockey, but I love watching it. I'm an avid golfer and played a ton of baseball/softball into my late 20s. As a right hander, I can't imagine picking up a hockey stick any different than I pick up a golf club or a baseball bat. My right hand would naturally be low, but more important I feel I'd get a lot more power swinging through my right hip rather than from the left side. It's very interesting all the different viewpoints on this.

Ok but how do you hold a screwdriver? You're thinking just of shooting but that's only one part of what you do with your stick. If you imagine controlling the stick with one hand, which one do you use?

I have always wondered about Larry Walker and Joey Votto - the two best Canadian baseball players. They both batted left but threw with their right hands. Did they do this because they are Canadian and picked up a bat like a hockey stick?

They did. Same with a lot of Canadian golfers too - Mike Weir was a top lefty golfer at one point.

 

[stevo61]

Ive never really thought about why we prefer to hold a stick right or left. I know im a right hander and shoot right. Ive seen some weird things like a buddy who is right handed, golfs lefty and plays hockey with a right handed shot.

 

[Byrral]

It's weird and something in the brain. I do everything mostly right. I play hockey, sweep and shovel left handed. I don't know why. My skating is right dominant. I wish I could have shot righty I would have been a much better player.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Ive never really thought about why we prefer to hold a stick right or left. I know im a right hander and shoot right. Ive seen some weird things like a buddy who is right handed, golfs lefty and plays hockey with a right handed shot.

I'm left handed but if I was a hockey player, I'd be a right handed shot. I played baseball as a lefty and I golf as lefty but if I was a hockey player, I'd be much more comfortable having my left hand at the top. I have no idea why since it is the exact opposite of my baseball and golf swing.

 

[stevo61]

Ok but how do you hold a screwdriver? You're thinking just of shooting but that's only one part of what you do with your stick. If you imagine controlling the stick with one hand, which one do you use?



They did. Same with a lot of Canadian golfers too - Mike Weir was a top lefty golfer at one point.

I dont know if its as simple as which hand is your dominate so that will be the one you want to have on the stick more. I know as a righty just holding a stick in that hand alone feels weird. As a kid the strength difference in hands will be large but as an adult who trains for strength that imbalance should barely exist

 

[Calendal]

Someone explained it to me like this: top hand gives dexterity and bottom hand gives power. Laine plays his dominant hand down which gives his one-timers a lot of power, while practise gives his left hand enough accuracy for most shots. For pokechecks (and any onehanded play) you would want dominant hand on top, though (as that is only one holding the stick).

Generally it’s easier to train your weaker hand in power than in dexterity, hence weaker hand is often down.

Rafael Nadal: How the right-handed Rafa became the Grand Slam record holder by playing with his left hand

Rafael Nadal will go down in history as one of the greatest players to have played tennis as he has won 22 Grand Slams and set numerous other records, but a lot of casual tennis fans don't know that he is actually right-handed. Well, away from the tennis court anyway.

www.tennis365.com