For 27 years I have
been battling hockey people who
maintain, Two Hands on the
Stick, Two Hands on the Stick.
The battle still looms large, because
too many coaches still teach players to
keep two hands on the stick at all
times.
Wrong! For one thing, the stick
belongs on the ice, where the puck is.
Secondly, by keeping both hands on the
stick, players are forced to swing the
stick high in the air, and from side to
side (pitching hay) when skating fast.
A famous player
once said to me, "Anyone who skates with
their stick in the air is playing for
the other team." How true!
How many times have I seen NHL players
lose an opportunity to catch a puck on
their stick because they could not get
the stick on the ice quickly enough?
Far too many!

Another player
once said to me, "If I am skating down
the ice, looking to pass to my team
mate, and he has his stick in the air,
no way am I going to pass to him.
He's not giving me a target!" Also
true!
I maintain that
when players have an opportunity for a
breakaway, or when they are skating in
open ice, attempting to accelerate, or
when they do not have the puck, they
should skate with one hand on the stick
and use their arms forward and backward
in the same motion and in rhythm with
their legs. This method helps
increase their forward momentum.

The other
problem with keeping two hands on the
stick at all times is that when a player
goes into a check with both hands on the
stick, it encourages cross checking,
high sticking, boarding, or other
inappropriate (and often ugly)
penalties. Keeping the stick in
the top hand encourages legal shoulder
checks. At the time of contact,
the player can (and should) put the
second hand on the stick in order to get
the puck.
Once habits are
instilled, they can be fine tuned and
modified for specific situations.
Poor hockey habits, like all other
habits, are hard to break. So
learn good habits! Learn when to carry
the stick in one hand, and when to carry
it in two hands. Learn to
anticipate game situations and be able
to modify your play according to the
needs of those situations.
Remember - There is never just one way
to do anything!