Why Do Most Canadians Shoot Lefty?

[Muh]

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.

is this true? Majority use dominant hand on bottom of bat for baseball?

I don't have time now, gonna look it up tomorrow, but I would've guessed it the other way around.

 

[KGL]

I'm Canadian, right handed and shoot right.

 

[IdealisticSniper]

The correct way is your dominant hand on the handling portion of the stick. Which is the top hand.

That's the reason there are a majority of lefties in the NHL.

 

[TRG]

Because it's the most polite way.

 

[Selanne00008]

I always though if you play D and you're skating backwards, crossing over, poke checking etc you most certainly want the strong hand on the stick, which would mean right handed skaters shoot left.

I'm American and shoot left. But I'm 10 min from the border haha

 

[mgeise]

This is my theory: parents in Canada tend to know more about hockey and likely played it while they were younger, while parents in the United States are less likely to have played it when they were kids. U.S. parents buy their children righty sticks because they assume that they are what would be more natural for a right-handed child. Canadian parents know a bit more and are more willing to buy righty children lefty sticks when they're kids because they know that tends to be more natural.

I'm American and neither of my parents had ever played hockey before, but they at least allowed me to pick the stick that felt most natural to me before I started playing at 5. I'm righty and shoot lefty, but most of my right-handed friends shot righty. It made me rarely have to play my off side on defense at least

 

[Hyack57]

I've never understood this logic. Can someone explain why:
I consider myself right handed (writing, using scissors, eating)
But I shoot left and throw left.

But in baseball in bat right.

In golf I use left clubs.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

I'm a right handed person, and I shoot right. Dominant hand on the bottom part of the stick. It's how I was taught. New Jersey and PA have great youth hockey programs and most of the people I grew up with shot right as well.

is this true? Majority use dominant hand on bottom of bat for baseball?

I don't have time now, gonna look it up tomorrow, but I would've guessed it the other way around.

I think he might mean, if you hold a hockey stick like a bat, the right hand is on top, so when you actually use it like a stick, the right hand moves down the shaft.

 

[Mattb124]

You can go back to post #2 for my answer.

 

[Devils Trap]

Everyone watches Don Cherry in Canada. Ovechkin and Kovalchuk arent good ole Canadian kids and they shoot right handed...

Therefore, Don Cherry is the reason Canadians shoot Lefty

 

[Angry Hockey Dad]

I played hockey for 5 years right handed, moved to a new province and started shooting left. A bit weird...

 

[mgeise]

is this true? Majority use dominant hand on bottom of bat for baseball?

I don't have time now, gonna look it up tomorrow, but I would've guessed it the other way around.

It's definitely the other way around. Most use their dominant hand on top in baseball, which is comparable to using ones dominant hand on bottom in hockey, if that makes sense. That's why the baseball theory makes some sense. The bottom hand on the bat in baseball plays a more similar role to the top hand on the stick in hockey.

 

[NewBoysClub97*]

I'm right handed and shoot right. Almost all of my friends are the same.

 

[KuralySnipes]

I'm an American. I'm a righty that shoots left. I guess it was the way I was taught. The other way is awkward and I could never imagine shooting like that.

 

[BobbyShehan]

I'm Canadian and a lefty. I'm more comfortable with my dominant hand on the bottom so I shoot left but I can easily switch. Same in baseball, I can hit both sides about equal. But I can't throw anything with my right hand although I play guitar right handed. It's not rocket science, it's all about what you're comfortable with.

 

[benjiv1]

From what I understand, it comes down to two things:

1 What sport you learned first.
2 Which hand your "teacher" is.

Most Americans learn to play swing a baseball bat first. That translates to having your dominate hand closer to the end of bat/blade.

 

[Maplebeasts]

Well I'm right handed and I shoot left. I always thought it was weaker hand on bottom but I guess not.

 

[Diamondillium]

Left hander here and shoot right, although when I wanted to teach myself to play goalie I went left hand shot because I also catch left and I valued glove over shot.

 

[Hynh]

is this true? Majority use dominant hand on bottom of bat for baseball?

I don't have time now, gonna look it up tomorrow, but I would've guessed it the other way around.

The top and bottom in hockey and baseball are reversed. To avoid ambiguity, let's say "nearest the body" and "away from the body". Canadians usually prefer their dominant hand near their body while Americans usually prefer their dominant hand away from their body.

The theory is that Americans are more likely to encounter sports like baseball and golf where you always swing with two hands on the bat/club and power is vital. For Canadians hockey normally comes first and controlling puck is more useful early on than power. Skating without the puck is also easier with the stick in just the dominant hand and that makes defending easier too.

 

[Gormo]

I think its because when you are a kid, learning how to play defense, you hold the stick in whatever hand you prefer.

For example, Im a southpaw but shoot right.

In Canada, how to use your stick tends to be the priority rather then skating. In other countries skating takes precedent.

 

[Al Lagoon]

The hand you grab the stick with will likely be the one at the butt-end of the stick, and likely be the hand you use most often.

I am a lefty who shoots right, and it makes perfect sense to me.

 

[Jeti]

Left hander here and shoot right, although when I wanted to teach myself to play goalie I went left hand shot because I also catch left and I valued glove over shot.

Your catching hand is your dominant hand? That's odd. I'd have assumed if you're a lefty, you caught right. Must make baseball awkward (I'm envisioning you catching and then taking the glove off so you can throw with the same hand).

I'm right-handed and shoot right but when I play goal I shoot left. But in baseball terms my left hand is my catching hand.

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

The top hand is the control hand and the bottom hand is the power hand. That's why hockey players should have their dominant hand on top and baseball players should have the dominant hand on the bottom.

Most Canadians play hockey first and most Americans play baseball first.

 

[Atas2000]

Really???

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

The dominant hand is on top. Righties shoot left. There are in genral more righties and more players shotting left.

The whole thing may be influenced by culture in different countries. In some countries it is or was usual to force lefties to change the dominant hand. Not so much recently, so there should be more right side shooters in general now.

I for my part started with left, then had a phase maybe as 11-13y.o. when I for whatever reason was more comfortable with a right handed stick, but then changed back to left and stayed. Go figure.

 

[McPuritania]

I'm right handed and I shoot righty. It blew me away when I found out I was in the minority. Stickhandling is one of my strengths to boot, go figure.