Who are the best left-handed hockey players in NHL history? Alexander Ovechkin, Bobby Hull, Luc Robitaille, and Brendan Shanahan rank among the greatest left-shot players ever.
In hockey, "left-handed" means the left hand sits lower on the stick — a shooting preference that roughly 60–65% of NHL players share, regardless of their everyday handedness.
Left-handed shooting vs. left-handedness in hockey
Hockey is unique among major sports in how handedness is defined. A "left-handed" or "left-shot" player holds the stick with the left hand lower on the shaft and the right hand at the top. This means the blade curves to the left when the player is facing forward.
Here is where it gets interesting: in Canada, the majority of hockey players shoot left, even though most people are right-handed. The convention in Canadian hockey development has traditionally been to place the dominant hand at the top of the stick for greater control, which means right-handed Canadians often become left-shot players. In the United States and Europe, the opposite convention is more common, with players placing their dominant hand lower on the stick.
As a result, roughly 60 to 65 percent of NHL players are left-shot. This is a far higher percentage than the roughly 10 percent of people who are naturally left-handed, as tracked in broader southpaw research. For this article, we focus on the greatest left-shot players in NHL history, while noting which ones were also naturally left-handed.
The greatest left-shot players in NHL history
Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Ovechkin is the greatest left-shot goal scorer in NHL history and is on track to challenge Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record. As of the 2025-26 season, Ovechkin has scored over 850 career goals, all while playing for the Washington Capitals. He has won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's top goal scorer nine times, a record no other player has come close to matching.
Ovechkin is naturally left-handed and shoots left. His signature one-timer from the left circle on the power play is one of the most feared weapons in hockey history. His combination of power, accuracy, and an impossibly quick release has made him the most prolific left-shot scorer the sport has ever seen.
Bobby Hull
Known as "The Golden Jet," Bobby Hull revolutionized hockey with his blistering left-handed slap shot, which was reportedly clocked at over 118 miles per hour. Hull scored 610 goals in the NHL with the Chicago Black Hawks and won two Hart Trophies as the league's most valuable player.
Hull was one of the first players to popularize the curved stick blade, which gave his left-handed shot even more power and unpredictability. His combination of skating speed and shooting power made him the most dominant offensive force of his era during the 1960s and early 1970s.
Luc Robitaille
Robitaille is the highest-scoring left winger in NHL history, finishing his career with 668 goals and 1,394 points. Despite being told throughout his junior career that he was too slow to make it in the NHL, Robitaille proved every doubter wrong through his elite positioning, soft hands, and lethal left-handed shot.
He spent the majority of his career with the Los Angeles Kings and won a Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002. Robitaille's ability to find scoring positions and finish with his left-handed shot made him one of the most consistent goal scorers of the 1990s.
Brendan Shanahan
Shanahan combined toughness with scoring ability in a way few players have matched. He finished his career with 656 goals and over 2,400 penalty minutes, establishing himself as one of the most complete power forwards in hockey history. Shanahan shot left and used his size and strength to create space for his powerful wrist shot and slap shot.
He won three Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013. His left-handed shot from the top of the circles was a signature weapon throughout his 21-year career.
Michel Goulet
Goulet was one of the premier left wingers of the 1980s, scoring 548 goals during his career with the Quebec Nordiques and Chicago Blackhawks. He recorded four consecutive 50-goal seasons from 1982 to 1986, a feat that places him among the most consistent scorers in league history.
His quick left-handed release and ability to score from tight angles made him a perennial All-Star. Goulet was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998.
Keith Tkachuk
Tkachuk was the prototypical American power forward, combining a heavy left-handed shot with a willingness to play a physical game. He scored 538 career goals and was the first American-born player to lead the NHL in goals, accomplishing the feat with the Phoenix Coyotes in the 1996-97 season with 52 goals.
His ability to score from the net front and on the power play made him one of the most effective left-shot forwards of his generation.
Ilya Kovalchuk
The Russian sniper possessed one of the purest left-handed shots in NHL history. Kovalchuk scored 443 goals in 926 NHL games, winning the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2004 with the Atlanta Thrashers. His wrist shot was devastatingly accurate, and his one-timer from the left wing rivaled Ovechkin's as the most dangerous in the league during his prime years.
Patrik Laine
Among active players, Patrik Laine has established himself as one of the most dangerous left-handed shooters in the NHL. The Finnish forward scored 44 goals in his rookie season and has demonstrated an elite-level wrist shot that can beat goaltenders from virtually anywhere in the offensive zone. His left-handed release is among the quickest in the modern game.
Notable left-shot defensemen
Left-shot players are also critical on the blue line, where they typically play the left side of the defensive pairing. Some of the greatest left-shot defensemen in NHL history include:
- Bobby Orr - Widely considered the greatest defenseman of all time, Orr shot left and revolutionized the position with his offensive abilities. He won eight consecutive Norris Trophies and scored 270 goals from the blue line.
- Paul Coffey - The second-highest scoring defenseman in NHL history with 396 goals, Coffey's skating ability and left-handed shot made him a dominant offensive force on multiple Stanley Cup-winning teams.
- Chris Chelios - One of the most durable players in NHL history, Chelios played 26 seasons and won three Norris Trophies as the league's best defenseman, using his left-handed shot and fierce competitiveness to excel.
- Scott Niedermayer - A four-time Stanley Cup champion, Niedermayer's smooth skating and precise left-handed passing made him one of the most complete defensemen of his era.
- Erik Karlsson - One of the most offensively gifted defensemen of the modern era, Karlsson has won two Norris Trophies and consistently ranks among the league's top-scoring blueliners with his left-handed shot.
Why left-shot players matter tactically
In hockey, having the right balance of left-shot and right-shot players is critical for effective offensive play. Left-shot players are typically deployed on the left wing and the left side of the defense, where their stick positioning allows them to receive passes on the forehand, take one-timers from their natural side, and protect the puck along the boards.
On the power play, left-shot players positioned in the left circle can receive cross-ice passes and unleash one-timers without having to adjust their body position. This is exactly how Ovechkin has scored hundreds of his goals. The geometry of the left-handed one-timer from the left circle creates an angle that is extremely difficult for goaltenders to cover.
This principle of lateral advantage mirrors what happens in other sports. Just as left-footed soccer players provide natural width and different crossing angles, left-shot hockey players create passing and shooting lanes that right-shot players cannot replicate from the same positions. The best left-handed NBA players similarly exploit the right-hand bias in basketball to attack from unexpected angles.
Left-shot players in today's NHL
The modern NHL continues to feature elite left-shot talent. Players like Kirill Kaprizov, Jason Robertson, and Brady Tkachuk represent the next generation of dominant left-shot forwards. On defense, Cale Makar (who shoots left) has quickly established himself as one of the league's best overall players.
Interestingly, the NHL has seen a gradual shift toward more right-shot players over the past two decades, particularly among American and European players. However, left-shot players still make up the majority of NHL rosters, and the demand for elite left-shot talent remains high.
The advantage of being a left-shot player in hockey parallels the advantages seen by left-dominant athletes across many sports. From left-handed quarterbacks whose throwing angles differ from the norm, to southpaw boxers who confuse orthodox fighters, athletes who operate from the left side consistently enjoy a competitive edge rooted in the unfamiliarity their opponents face.
The Canadian connection
The reason so many NHL players shoot left traces back to Canadian hockey culture. Young Canadian players are traditionally taught to put their dominant hand on top of the stick for better stickhandling control. Since most people are right-handed, this produces a large number of left-shot players.
In contrast, American and European players more commonly place their dominant hand lower on the stick, similar to how a baseball bat is held. This produces more right-shot players from these countries. The cultural difference explains why Canadian-born NHL players are disproportionately left-shot compared to their American and European counterparts.
This cultural variation in how handedness is applied to sport is a fascinating parallel to how different cultures have historically viewed left-handedness in general. Just as shooting direction in hockey is shaped by tradition and coaching philosophy rather than pure biology, attitudes toward left-handedness have varied enormously across time and geography.
Frequently asked questions
Is Alexander Ovechkin actually left-handed?
Yes, Alexander Ovechkin is naturally left-handed in everyday life and also shoots left in hockey. This makes him one of the relatively rare NHL players whose shooting hand aligns with his natural handedness. Many left-shot NHL players are actually right-handed in their daily lives, particularly those who grew up in Canada where the convention is to place the dominant hand at the top of the stick.
Why do most NHL players shoot left?
Most NHL players shoot left because of Canadian hockey tradition, which teaches players to place their dominant hand at the top of the stick for better control. Since the majority of people are right-handed, putting the right hand on top results in a left-handed shot. This convention has produced a league where roughly 60 to 65 percent of players are left-shot, even though only about 10 percent of the general population is naturally left-handed.
Does shooting left give you an advantage in hockey?
Shooting left does not inherently provide an advantage over shooting right in hockey, since left-shot players make up the majority of the league. However, having the correct shot for a specific position matters enormously. Left-shot players are naturally suited to play left wing and left defense, where their stick positioning allows for better puck protection, easier one-timers, and more natural passing angles. Teams actively seek balance between left-shot and right-shot players in their lineups.
Who is the greatest left-shot goal scorer in NHL history?
Alexander Ovechkin is the greatest left-shot goal scorer in NHL history. With over 850 career goals as of the 2025-26 season, he holds the record for the most goals by any left-shot player and is challenging Wayne Gretzky's all-time record of 894. Ovechkin has also won more Rocket Richard Trophies (nine) as the league's leading goal scorer than any other player in history.
