If you ask a hockey fan what were the best goals he has seen in NHL, he would probably name something impressive but it is almost obvious that his list would include some of his favorite players. The same thing happened when I decided to write this article. Before analyzing different goals, I could already name the best goals in my opinion but all of them included my favorite players. After that, I understood that such an article would be too biased, so I decided to check many goals and recall different situations to make the article impersonal.
I also spent some time verifying the date of each goal, as there were moments when I saw something impressive and then realized that the goal was made in 2009 which is not the last decade. Analyzing the relevant information, I found out that hockey players in the 2010-2020s became faster and got better skills in scoring goals. So here is my subjective but impersonal list of 10 most impressive NHL goals of the last decade.
10. Patrick Kane made an impressive backhand (March 2013).
Patrick Kane is the only hockey player who made a spin-o-rama during the last 10 years, and it is already very impressive but there are also some nuances that make that goal even more interesting. First of all, it’s a nostalgic connection to Denis Savard who was Patrick’s mentor and who didn’t create the spin-o-rama but popularized the dipsy-doodle. Second of all, the distance between Kane and the opponent’s net was quite impressive.
9. Claude Giroux hit the deck and made a fantastic backhand (December 2013).
Claude was focused on the opponent’s net ready to score a goal but David Savard draped all over Giroux. As a result, Claude threw the puck to the end boards, then it rebounded, and Claude made an impressive backhand scoring a goal. But do you know what makes this goal even more memorable? The fact that the goal helped Claude’s team to win the game.
8. Vladimir Tarasenko made a beautiful goal using just one hand (November 2014).
Of course, it is not an unusual thing when a hockey player scores a goal using just one hand. But the technique of Vladimir Tarasenko was extraordinary, so this goal was made in a beautiful way. Vladimir was playing against the New York Rangers and he simply skated through 3 opponents and then scored a goal.
7. Inspiring teamwork of Mike Hoffman and Erik Karlsson (April 2017).
Mike Hoffman and Erik Karlsson had a great teammates relationship that should be an example for many players. In 2017 these 2 hockey players made another successful collaborative moment. Karlsson spotted Hoffman who was really flying down ice and then he made an accurate pass, as a result of which the puck got through 2 zones and was located right near Hoffman. After that, Mike made a beautiful one-handed goal.
6. Sidney Crosby scored a breathtaking goal showing impressive hand-eye coordination (March 2018).
Sidney Crosby is the only hockey player whose goals got to this article twice. But it is not because of any bias, it is so just because Sidney is one of the best players and his quality of playing is extraordinary. Here you can see how Jake Guentzel was deflected, as a result of which the puck came to the position in front of Sidney. Crosby scored a goal with impressive accuracy.
5. The impressive comeback of Connor McDavid (February 2016).
It’s impossible to imagine hockey without Connor McDavid, so when Connor was injured and needed to skip almost the whole season, everyone was upset and disappointed. But when Connor came back to the game after a 3-months disappearance, he started with a very impressive goal. He was playing against the Blue Jackets and he scored a beautiful goal after overplaying several defenders of the opponent team.
4. Sonny Milano made a beautiful between-the-legs goal (October 2019).
If you are a hockey fan, then you know that between-the-legs goals are not so unusual in this sport, however, such goals are usually really impressive. For example, Tomas Hertl made such a goal when he was playing against the New York Rangers, Aleksander Barkov also made an impressive goal during the match against the Montreal Canadiens. But I decided to mention Sonny Milano here for several reasons. First of all, his goal looks really impressive. And he embarrassed Roope Hintz as the puck got right through Roope’s feet. Second of all, he scored that goal although Hintz and Lindell were trying to confront him.
3. Sidney Crosby overplayed McDavid to score a beautiful goal (October 2018).
And here is the second goal of Sidney I would like to mention. You probably were expecting to see this, as it is one of the most memorable goals of this decade. Actually, Sidney’s technique always reminds fans and other players why he is the best player of this time. This video shows how Crosby overplayed McDavid who was right near him. Sidney found the way to turn around, got through him, and scored a beautiful goal.
2. Andrei Svechnikov showed lacrosse skills during the hockey match (December 2019).
All hockey players were surprised when Andrei showed the lacrosse move during the match in October. Besides, he not only showed those skills, he even scored a goal! Everyone was impressed but no one was expecting one more goal like this. However, Andrei made his fans happy in winter when he scored another goal using his lacrosse skills.
1. Pavel Datsyuk got through 3 defenders and scored a fantastic goal (February 2013).
Pavel Datsyuk is a real magician as that time he turned an impossible thing into reality. He was gliding over the ice all alone when 3 players from the opposing team got to him to knock the puck off. But Pavel showed fabulous skills and managed to split those players getting himself to the better position to score a goal. Such an impressive goal will never be forgotten
