Mikael Granlund hit the highlight reel again at the IIHF World Hockey Championships today. Just days after he wowed hockey fans with a slick shootout goal against Germany he raised the bar. In the semi-final game against the Russians Granlund pulled a lacrosse-style move reminiscent of Sidney Crosby or Mike Leg, scooping the puck up on his stick and slinging it into the top corner, stunning the unsuspecting Russian goaltender.
The move was made even more impressive by the fact that Granlund was in full stride when he pulled it off. Similar goals by Crosby and Leg were scored when those players were more or less static behind the net. Granlund showed amazing skill to be able to pull it off at high speed with a Russian defender hot on his heels.
The goal made the score 1-0 and eventually stood up as the game winner as the Finns shut out the Russian squad 3-0 to move on to the final where they will face their arch-rivals from Sweden.
See the video clip of Mikael Granlund's incredible lacrosse-style goal below:
Compiling a list of the best goals of the 2009-10 NHL season was a daunting challenge. With so much skill and talent in the league today, even among so-called third and fourth line players it seems there is a goal of the year candidate showing up every week. I combed through literally scores of highlights from YouTube in a quest to try and find the 5 greatest highlight reel goals of the season. There were a ton of quality candidates, but I eventually managed to pare the list down to just 5. Here are my picks for the most spectacular goals of the year on video:
#5 - Rick Nash scores ridiculous shootout goal against J.S. Giguere
Though I wasn't hesitant to include a shootout goal in the list, this one was just so creative I had to give it the nod over several spectacular end to end rush candidates. The Columbus Blue Jackets' Rick Nash completely fools goaltender J.S. Giguere of the Anaheim Ducks, throwing off the goalie by leaning back on one leg before roofing the puck:
#4 - David Perron goes coast to coast against the New York Islanders
I couldn't believe how many spectacular goals were scored off the rush this season. However, one particular end to end beauty trumped all the others in my opinion. Watch as David Perron of the St. Louis Blues picks up the puck in his own end, blows down the ice, turns Mark Streit inside out with a beautiful toe drag, and dekes out Dwayne Roloson for good measure:
#3 - Rob Schremp Scores Baseball Style
The trouble Rob Schremp has had succeeding at the NHL level is well documented, but no one can deny this guy has some world class skill. Schremp shows off his amazing hand-eye coordination as he gloves the puck to himself and then bats it out of mid-air past a completely unprepared Craig Anderson of the Colorado Avalanche. Even the ref is stunned, and initially waves of the goal. However, video replay would vindicate Schremp, giving him official credit for one of the most beautiful highlight reel goals of the 2009-10 NHL season:
As incredible as Schremp's hand-eye coordination was against the Avalanche, Steve Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning trumps it with this amazing goal against Jonas Hiller of the Anaheim Ducks. Stamkos knocks in his own rebound out of mid-air on his backhand while falling. The incredible athletic ability of this maneuver cannot be overstated. Watch the video to see for yourself:
#1 - Daniel Sedin scores beautiful between the legs goal
Nothing like waiting until the last moment. Stamkos thought he had the title of prettiest goal of the year all sewn up until Daniel and Henrik Sedin teamed up in the final Vancouver Canucks game of the season to steal it away. Henrik makes a beautiful tip pass right on the tape of his brother. As Daniel is cruising through the slot he proceeds to tuck the puck back through his own legs, and fire it into the short side corner, completely fooling Calgary Flames' goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff. The Sedins have scored a ton of beautiful goals over their careers, but none better than this one:
You may have heard Don Cherry talking about this scrap tonight on Coach's Corner. Cam Janssen of the St. Louis Blues and Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond of the New Jersey Devils went toe to toe in a marathon bout for the ages. The two stood up and traded blows for over two and a half minutes. Pretty amazing stamina from both of these guys as it wasn't just a wrestling match - these guys were throwing bombs the whole time. Talk about earning your paycheck! Check out the video of the Cam Janssen vs. Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond fight below:
NHL Hockey Jerseys, Vintage Throwback Sweaters, International Jerseys & Apparel
