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How common is it for goalies in NHL to catch with dominant hand?

CanadaIsIrrelevant

CanadaIsIrrelevant

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Mar 20, 2011
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Sorry for bad title, couldn't come up with a good one.
Anyway, to the question. How many goalies have played in NHL with their blocker and catcher other way around?
For example: I'm right handed so if I were to play goalie I would have my catcher/trapper on my right hand instead of left hand.

The common way would be right handed use stick and left hand to catch if I'm dominant right handed.
Reason why I ask this is because our goalie in Detroit Red Wings #35 Jimmy Howard is left handed and also play catch/trapper left hand.
So his non dominant hand, which is right hand, is blocker. Howard is also awfully bad at handling the puck with the stick.

I know many players go blocker side on Howard in shootouts.
 
Typically, hockey goalies catch with the hand that they learned how to catch with - for those who played a baseball variant first, they will catch with their less-dominant hand, because they need to throw with their dominant arm.

There's not a lot of data out there on which goaltenders are "natural" lefties, unfortunately.
 
I think there's probably a lot actually. There's only 2 goalies that I can think of off the top of my head who are full right (Mason, Hiller).

The split though for shooters is about 80/20 left, and 80/20 right for Canadian and US shooters respectively.

You'd think with at least 60 goalies, you should see upwards of 10-15 if ratios held out.
 
GeneralOddball said:
Sorry for bad title, couldn't come up with a good one.
Anyway, to the question. How many goalies have played in NHL with their blocker and catcher other way around?
For example: I'm right handed so if I were to play goalie I would have my catcher/trapper on my right hand instead of left hand.

The common way would be right handed use stick and left hand to catch if I'm dominant right handed.
Reason why I ask this is because our goalie in Detroit Red Wings #35 Jimmy Howard is left handed and also play catch/trapper left hand.
So his non dominant hand, which is right hand, is blocker. Howard is also awfully bad at handling the puck with the stick.

I know many players go blocker side on Howard in shootouts.
Click to expand...

I know Theodore actually caught the puck with his left hand but had to switch because he could only shoot right.
 
it seems like quite a conundrum for goalies

on one hand, it makes sense to catch with your off hand in order to keep your dominant hand on the stick but then a lot of the time it screws things up because then it means you have to shoot the opposite way. unless you pull a curtis joseph. he's the only goalie i can remember who held the stick with his right and would actually handle the puck right handed
 
I throw left (catch right) in baseball and shoot left in hockey so would I blocker left or right? Would I be comfortable stick handling as a righty? I don't think so I'd rather catch left and hold my stick with my right than the other way around. (I'm right handed for writing).
 
Apparently both Cory Schneider and Roberto Luongo shoots right when they did the hardest shot competition "Canucks Superskills 2013".

hqdefault.jpg


*EDIT*
Also read that Dwayne Roloson had to switch when handling the puck.
He and Curtis Joseph as mentioned before.
 
nhlfan9191 said:
I know Theodore actually caught the puck with his left hand but had to switch because he could only shoot right.
Click to expand...

...I'm kinda the same story on why I wear the Trapper on my right hand and am right-handed...always shot right, caught (baseball) with the left but could never master holding my paddle lefty when I was a kid learning to play goal, so I switched catching hands (trapper hand) when I was around 10 so I could still hold the stick righty...my Trapper actually became my biggest strength when I was a teenager (still never went very far in hockey, but always had fun)...in our pickup League, I can play Bill Durnan-style if I have to (or wanna **** around, since it is just fun anyway)...
 
Hyack57 said:
I throw left (catch right) in baseball and shoot left in hockey so would I blocker left or right? Would I be comfortable stick handling as a righty? I don't think so I'd rather catch left and hold my stick with my right than the other way around. (I'm right handed for writing).
Click to expand...

You'd probably catch right. Catching with the dominant hand feels awkward to most people I know.
 
Terry Yake said:
it seems like quite a conundrum for goalies

on one hand, it makes sense to catch with your off hand in order to keep your dominant hand on the stick but then a lot of the time it screws things up because then it means you have to shoot the opposite way. unless you pull a curtis joseph. he's the only goalie i can remember who held the stick with his right and would actually handle the puck right handed
Click to expand...

I thought it was natural for most people to play with their dominant hand on top of their stick.
 
Not an NHL goalie, but my personal experience may be relevant.

I write with my left hand, but do most everything else with my right hand/foot/side. There are certain things, like ping pong, tennis, and using scissors, among others, where I'm equally comfortable with both.

I can only shoot right handed, but when I put on gear, I also want to put the glove on my right--which is strange, because if I was playing baseball, it would go on my left (as I throw with my right hand). So, I confuse myself.

Point is, the handedness thing isn't always an either-or. Lots of weirdos like me out there. It doesn't answer OP's question though, I know. :laugh:
 
Maplebeasts said:
I thought it was natural for most people to play with their dominant hand on top of their stick.
Click to expand...

...actually it's the other way around for the Lion's share of people...dominant hand on the bottom of the stick (righties that shoot right, lefties that shoot left)...the minorities are the righties that shoot left, the lefties that shoot right...
 
Hyack57 said:
If I catch right as a goalie I'd be holding the stick in right handed shooting manner... that'd feel more awkward for me I think than catching left.
Click to expand...

Ok. I was assuming because you caught right and throw left in baseball, that you were left handed. It seems strange to me that you shoot with your dominant hand on the bottom of your stick. The reason I say you would catch right is that assuming you are left handed, your blocker would be much quicker and more comfortable feeling in your strong hand. :huh:
 
As an American right hander, when we played floor hockey in intermural, the few times I played goalie I had glove hand on my left. It seemed natural because I was used to baseball, but then Id have to shoot left handed.

In a related note, I used to wonder why so many hockey players shot left. Again, as an American by the time I started playing, I was right handed so I shot righty. The one theory I've heard, and I was wondering if you guys agree, is that when kids start at a really young age, they have to have their strong hand on the top so they shoot with the other hand. So a right handed 3 year old would shoot right because he need his strong hand as the top hand. Does anyone know if this is accurate? If not, why do so many guys shoot left-handed compared to the population at large?
 
id imagine baseball has a huge influence in north america on goalies having the glove on their non "throwing" hand.
 
I often fall back on baseball for this. Throw with your dominant hand, catch with your off hand. Catching doesn't require the kind of control that throwing(or using the stick in this case) would.
 
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