🔥 Have you seen the ALL-NEW Coaches Directory? Blazing fast - great new layout - easy to find the right coach for your goalie! Check it out →
Subscribe
Scott Wedgewood making a poke check or puckhandling play for the Dallas Stars, reaching toward an opposing Carolina Hurric...

Scott Wedgewood on Importance of “Counting Hands”

Kevin Woodley | Co-Founder & Managing Editor — InGoal Magazine | | 3 min read

Co-founder and Managing Editor of InGoal Magazine. NHL.com correspondent covering the Vancouver Canucks and author of the Unmasked series. Previously with the Associated Press, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, and The Hockey News.

Key Takeaways
  • Count shooter handedness at every faceoff — tracking lefties vs. righties tells you which side most shots will come from before the play develops.
  • Check hands during line changes: glancing at the bench as players come on reveals whether an incoming shooter is a lefty or righty.
  • Study the pregame lineup board to get a handedness count before puck drop, so you already know the tendencies of the full roster.
  • Use handedness as a process of elimination under chaos — if you know only one righty is on a rush, any unknown slot player must be a lefty.
  • Counting hands builds confidence in push decisions by giving goalies a data-driven reason to favor one side of the net.

Dallas Stars goalie Scott Wedgewood had great advice on a recent episode of the InGoal Radio Podcast on how to stay engaged in games and improve your play reading.

Rather than counting down the clock or focusing on shots, Wedgewood counts the handedness of the opposing players, and he does it throughout the game.

INGOAL

Unlock the rest of this premium breakdown

Join thousands of goalies, parents, and coaches who train smarter with InGoal.

15+ years as the #1 goaltending resource

$49.99
CAD / YEAR · ≈ $35 USD
Less than a few skate sharpenings
See Membership Options
Save