How many of you have been repeatedly told, "Two hands on the stick, two hands on the stick"? From the first time I taught Power Skating (in 1970) until the present, I have had to dispute coaches who tell this to their players.
Nothing could be further from the truth. If you observe great NHLers taking advantage of a breakaway opportunity, you will notice that many accelerate using only their top hand to hold their stick, focusing on keeping the puck out in front of them as they race down the ice.
In these breakaway situations, as well as when forechecking, backchecking, and skating without the puck, it is often preferable to skate with one hand on the stick. This allows for maximum skating speed, and encourages the proper use of the arm swing (forward and back, not side to side). Two hands on the stick causes the "pitching hay" syndrome, which is totally counter-productive.
A famous NHL player once commented to me, "A player who skates with his/her stick in the air is playing for the other team". This is so true. The puck is on the ice. A player who keeps his/her stick in the air often misses the pass. This happens all too often, even at the NHL level.
Another famous NHL player once commented to me, "I'll never pass to a teammate who has his stick in the air - I don't know where he wants me to put the puck." A stick waving around in the air prohibits that player from creating a target for his/her teammate's pass. Players want to have a target for their passes, and a stick waving around in the air doesn’t make a very good target. Holding the stick with one hand almost insures that the stick will be on or close to the ice. Of course, you must learn where on the ice to keep your stick, and to immediately put your bottom hand on the stick when you anticipate a pass. Having the stick on the ice at all times also raises your chances of having a loose puck end up on your stick rather than on someone else's.
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Skate Your Way to Great Hockey!
by Laura Stamm