I’ve got two. The first is this Rick Nash vs Phoenix. I had only been watching Hockey for a few months at this point, and a combination of the announcers excitement and the insane skill required kind of blew me away.
The second is Ovi vs Montreal. I remember where I was when I first saw this goal. Early in the morning (UK), I’m on the exercise bike and I’m awestruck with how anyone could do this. It’s for me the definitive early-Ovi goal. Speed, Power, Ingenuity and of course, a finish.
I’m very partial to the golden goal but that may be because I’m Canadian. I was at my cousin’s house and his family who don’t often do things together were huddled around the TV. You could feel the tension in the room. Then the goal happened and you could hear the whole neighborhood going nuts!
Nothing wrong with that at all. I was a neutral in this game but as a Capitals fan…*why did it have to be Crosby?
*2010 me was much different than 2023 me. I hated that guy. Current me thinks it’s been a pleasure to watch him play.
For whatever reason, this goal by Anthony Duclair is one that comes to my mind when I think about awesome goals I saw as it happened.
My favourite goal was during the 1984 Canada Cup tournament. Canada vs Soviets (Soviet Army) in overtime. Edmonton and the NY Islanders were the top teams at the time. Paul Coffey had just broken up an offensive play with a poke check late in the game and the puck eventually ended up in the Soviet corner. John Tonelli was mucking in the corner with two defenders on him and somehow managed to get the puck to the point. Coffey teed it up and Mike Bossy was standing just to the edge of the net with a defender draped over him. Bossy managed to get his stick under one arm horizontal and deflected the puck into the net on the point shot to win the game.
That Ovechkin goal is really special. The play around Hamrlik on the wall is somehow cooler than the part where he scores from his butt.