Why Do Most Canadians Shoot Lefty?

[Islanders1932]

So recently I was noticing that a ridiculous number of players in the NHL shoot lefty and I started thinking that there is no way there are that many lefties in the NHL. I did some research and found an article stating that the majority of Canadians shoot left and the majority of Americans shoot right. Is there a reason for this? As a righty myself, I could never imagine shooting lefty, yet this seems to be the norm in Canada.

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[Algernop Kreider]

Most Canadians play with their dominant hand at the top of the stick, which is better for stickhandling, while most Americans play with the dominant hand on the bottom, like how you would hold a baseball bat.

This is why most of the best shooters in general shoot righty and most of the best stickhandlers shoot lefty.

 

[start winnin]

Most Canadians play with their dominant hand at the top of the stick.

Really???

I thought that you play with your dominant hand on the bottom.

 

[JoeCool16]

I'm left-handed and shoot right so I guess that's the American way, but my bro is a righty and shoots right as well, the Canadian way?

When I started, they gave us all a broom, and said to sweep. Whatever way we held the broom was the way we were supposed to shoot. I've seen it done that way as an adult now too for new players.

 

[wej20]

And given a lot of Americans play baseball first they end up shooting right.

 

[boredmale]

Most Canadians play with their dominant hand at the top of the stick.

I always wonder if players that are right handed but shoot right really should be left handed but they grew up in a right hand dominated world.

 

[DropIt]

Most Canadians play with their dominant hand at the top of the stick, which is better for stickhandling, while most Americans play with the dominant hand on the bottom, like how you would hold a baseball bat.

This is why most of the best shooters in general shoot righty and most of the best stickhandlers shoot lefty.

what? this isnt true at all

 

[Rand0m]

I'm play right but do everything else left handed. Guess the dominant hand at the top argument is true.

Would playing baseball as a youngster affect how a player holds his stick?

 

[danishh]

I'm left-handed and shoot right so I guess that's the American way, but my bro is a righty and shoots right as well, the Canadian way?

When I started, they gave us all a broom, and said to sweep. Whatever way we held the broom was the way we were supposed to shoot. I've seen it done that way as an adult now too for new players.

according to him,
left handed shooting right = canadian way
so your brother is the yankee.


i had no idea there was a developmental bias. I think most kids just grab a stick and stay that way. Then again i'm canadian and pretty much everyone i know uses dominant hand on top.

 

[Avsboy]

Interesting. As a Canadian I just assumed that right handed players shot left and vice versa. Dominant hand on top. I guess it varies with culture.

 

[saskriders]

I am right handed and shoot right.

It is just what feels natural

 

[CaptainCatfish]

wow never thought other people except for the few exceptions played with anything other than your dominant hand on the top.

 

[CaptainKishimoto]

Most Canadians play with their dominant hand at the top of the stick, which is better for stickhandling, while most Americans play with the dominant hand on the bottom, like how you would hold a baseball bat.

This is why most of the best shooters in general shoot righty and most of the best stickhandlers shoot lefty.

This is true. And just to add, I heard that part of the reason for having your dominant hand on the bottom is to add power (which for some reason Canadians don't seem to "teach" for a lack of a better word).

 

[TheGoalJudge]

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.

 

[DropIt]

its just what comes natural, no science behind the decision. a 5 year old isnt going to think it through when they are handed a stick.

 

[Islanders1932]

Crazy because as American I think most of us play with our dominant hand on the bottom. I have also heard this difference between Americans and Canadians to be true to golf.

 

[Rand0m]

NYT article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/sports/olympics/16lefty.html

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

wow never thought other people except for the few exceptions played with anything other than your dominant hand on the top.

If you're taught to hold a baseball bat at or around the same time as a hockey stick, it feels natural to hold a hockey stick with your non-dominant hand.

I'm righty and shoot right. Held a bat before a hockey stick so it just made sense at the time to hold a stick with my left hand at the end and slide my right hand down like I'm bunting.

 

[Islanders1932]

NYT article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/sports/olympics/16lefty.html

Interesting tidbits from that story:

Most Canadians, like most Americans, are naturally right-handed, so the discrepancy has nothing to do with national brain-wiring. And how you hold a pencil, say, has little or no bearing on how you hold a stick. A left-handed shooter puts his right hand on top; a right-hander puts the left hand there.

Roughly 60 percent of the Easton hockey sticks sold in Canada are for left-handed shots, Mountain said. In the United States, he said, about 60 percent of sticks sold are for right-handed shots. Figures over the years from other manufacturers have put the ratio discrepancy between the two countries as high as 70 to 30.

 

[1989]

what? this isnt true at all

Too bad it's totally true and you're absolutely wrong.

Almost all deft stick movement is initiated by the top grip - blade swivel, angling, etc.

There's a lot more finesse if the top hand is the dominant - generally speaking you don't use the bottom grip for anything other than stability and power, things which are easy enough for the non-dominant side to handle.
There will be a lack of power at first as with children/youth players but it's easier to gain strength over training the non-dominant hand for finesse/technique at the top, as 'natural' as it might feel.

Long-term gains for short-term awkwardness in terms of stickhandling. Shooting is going to be a bit more smooth/natural when the dominant hand is at the bottom to guide the follow-through such as in golf.

 

[CanadianPantherFan]

I'm play right but do everything else left handed. Guess the dominant hand at the top argument is true.

Would playing baseball as a youngster affect how a player holds his stick?

Being a left handed player in baseball and in hockey... I wonder that as well. I played a lot of baseball, way more than hockey.

 

[CanuckGame39]

Im right handed,

I shoot left in hockey, in golf, i shoot right.

I dont get it. Never have. Ive always done what feels natural.

 

[Nose Face Killah]

I'm right handed but shoot lefty. Can't handle a righty stick at all, doesn't feel natural to me.

 

[sepHF]

Because my Dad told me to when I was 4

 

[Papaspud]

Most Canadians play with their dominant hand at the top of the stick, which is better for stickhandling, while most Americans play with the dominant hand on the bottom, like how you would hold a baseball bat.

This is why most of the best shooters in general shoot righty and most of the best stickhandlers shoot lefty.

This is the way I've experienced it as well, though when I played out, as an American, I shot Left.
As an aside, I've noticed it also has something to do with your natural dominate foot. I'm "goofy footed" so my Right foot will go forward to brace myself if falling forward...which is perfect for shooting left. Might explain why Messier didn't shoot off his "correct" foot.