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What percentage of hockey players shoot left?

Author

William Rodriguez

Published Jan 10, 2026

Some left-right stats: Roughly 60 to 70 percent of NHL players are left-handed shooters, depending on the season. Six of the NHL's top 10 current scorers are lefty shots, but three of the top five goals leaders shoot right-handed.

Why do more hockey players shoot left?

Kind of like a right-handed baseball player learning to hit from the left side of the plate. And a lot of hockey players shoot left-handed. Until the curved blade was introduced in the 1960s, hockey sticks were ambidextrous. But with the curved blade, manufacturers had to begin making left- and right-handed sticks.

What percent of NHL players shoot right?

Handedness and NHL success

As a whole, about 64 percent of NHL players shoot left and 36 percent shoot right -- and both groups are creepily identical: They are 6-foot-1, 196 pounds.

Is hockey more common left or right?

While World Is Right, Hockey Leans Left

Ninety percent of the world is right-handed. Yet, in the NHL, more than 60 percent of the players have a left-handed shot — i.e., with their right hand on the top of the stick's grip and the toe of the blade curving to the right as you look down on it.

Do most hockey players shoot left?

Some left-right stats: Roughly 60 to 70 percent of NHL players are left-handed shooters, depending on the season. Six of the NHL's top 10 current scorers are lefty shots, but three of the top five goals leaders shoot right-handed.

18 related questions found

Is Ovechkin left-handed?

He has moved Alex Ovechkin, a right-handed shot, exclusively to the right wing in part due to this preference. Oates has also made sure Ovechkin's linemates fit this criteria as often as possible. Yet throughout NHL history, there have been many successful wingers who thrived while playing on the off-wing.

What percentage of people are left-handed?

Research suggests that between ten and twelve percent of the world's population is left-handed and even though being left handed might mean struggling with right-handed scissors from time-to-time, there are plenty of reasons being a lefty is pretty cool.

Is Connor McDavid right-handed?

Some of the best left-handed players currently in the NHL include Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, and many others. Many of the best and most influential players in the history of the game also shot left-handed. This includes Wayne Gretzky, Jaromir Jagr, Mark Messier, and dozens of others.

Why are there no left-handed hockey sticks?

Why were left handed sticks band? Left handed sticks cause a high risk to injury in the game of field hockey. If a right handed player came in for a block tackle against a left handed stick they would most likely get hit on the follow through swing.

Is Crosby left-handed?

"Maybe you're a kid in Canada growing up now and you're emulating Sidney Crosby. He's left-handed," Cahill says.

Can a left-handed person play field hockey?

Unlike other sports with sticks, bats or clubs, field hockey requires players to use right-handed sticks - even those who are naturally left-handed. Every stick has a flat side and a rounded side. Only the flat side of the stick can be used, for both field players and goalies.

Can left-handed people play hockey?

All hockey sticks are the same for left-handed and right-handed players. The rules of hockey do not allow left-handed hockey sticks. However, that does not mean left handers cannot play the game.

Is Gretzky left-handed?

2: Wayne Gretzky. "The Great One" is actually right handed, but since he accomplished his NHL records using a lefty stick he makes the list.

What is hockey stick flex?

Hockey stick flex numbers refer to the stiffness of the stick. The number is a measurement of the amount of pressure required to bend the stick 1 inch. The higher the flex number, the stiffer the stick. Retail model sticks generally range from about 30 for young kids up to 110.

What do left-handers struggle with?

Here are some of the struggles lefties face in day-to-day life:

  • Finding a comfortable desk position. ...
  • Handling household equipment and devices. ...
  • Using public transport. ...
  • Elbow wars and being pushed to the far left. ...
  • Measuring cups, tapes, rulers — all favour the righties.

Why left-handed are rare?

A new study suggests lefties are rare because of the balance between cooperation and competition in human evolution. The findings come thanks to some data from the sports world. Representing only 10 percent of the general human population, left-handers have been viewed with suspicion and persecuted across history.

Do lefties think differently?

While some reasons for the differences in thinking and functioning may be genetic and anatomical, left-handedness is behavioral as well. Things left-handers do differently are often influenced by the societal implications of having a dominant hand that differs from the general public.

Should a lefty play right or left wing?

Based on their answer, we decide if they should play on the left or right side. The general advice is that if you shoot left you play left, and vice-versa for the right. There are some clear advantages to this approach, but there are also good reasons—particularly for forwards—to try playing on the opposite side.

Are there any ambidextrous hockey players?

True ambidexterity (no dominant hand) occurs in less than 1 percent of the population, but elite hockey players seemingly develop two dominant hands. Right-shooting Avalanche forwards Nathan MacKinnon and Daniel Briere and defenseman Zach Redmond have dominant right hands.

What hand should a right wing be?

This means that the Left Winger will typically be a right-handed player and the Right Winger will typically have a left-handed shot. The reason for this is to have an increased shot percentage due to being easier to cut to the middle of the zone.

Which sport Cannot be played left-handed?

Polo is another right-handed playing sport and the reason for this is because of safety. Playing left handed was banned In order to avoid the likelihood of a head-on collision between players.