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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:

#2 - Steven Stamkos scores while falling down

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:

They used to call Jaromir Jagr the human highlight reel. I think it is fair to say that that moniker has been passed on to Alexander Ovechkin. He scored arguably the goal of the regular season (video of Ovechkin's spectacular goal against the Montreal Canadiens) and now you can add to that the goal of the playoffs (so far). Ovechkin was an absolute wrecking ball through the first half of the game, steaming up the ice on rush after rush until he finally buried a beauty where he turned two Rangers inside out before beating Henrik Lundqvist.

Ovechkin has been a man on a mission this series and is finally getting rewarded for his efforts, scoring in the past 2 games after going oh-for on the first 32 shots he fired on Lundqvist in the series. Look for the game Sunday afternoon against the Rangers to be an absolute barn burner.

See the video of Alexander Ovechkin's goal against the New York Rangers below:

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Wow, then other day when I saw the video of Linus Omark's shootout goal I thought I'd seen the shootout goal of the year. Now, just days later Omark's effort has already been trumped by countryman Nicklas Lindberg. The goal was scored yesterday in a game between Lindberg's Port Huron Icehawks and the Kalamazoo Wings. However, even Lindberg's spectacular effort still couldn't propel his team to victory and the Icehawks lost. Do these Swedish players have a bet going to see who can score the nicest shootout goal? Amazing stuff...

Check out the video of Nicklas Lindberg's behind the back shootout goal below: