Greatest Goals In Hockey History

Scoring a goal under any circumstances can be thrilling, but when the goal brings the Stanley Cup or an Olympic gold medal, it is a memorable and important hockey moment. Goals by Bobby Orr, Mike Eruzione, Paul Henderson and Sidney Crosby have all shaped hockey's landscape and been cited by experts from hockey's hall of fame and hockey historians.

Bobby Orr's Stanley Cup Winner

The image is iconic. When Bobby Orr scored his famous "flying goal" on May 10, 1970, the moment left an indelible image in the minds of hockey fans. Orr's Boston Bruins were in the fourth game of the Stanley Cup Finals against the St. Louis Blues. The Bruins led the series 3 games to 0, but the fourth game was tied 3-3 in overtime. With the Bruins gunning for their first title in 29 years, the ultra-slick Orr had the puck in the offensive zone. After passing behind the net to teammate Derek Sanderson, Orr received a return pass and quickly shot the puck into the net past St. Louis goalie Glenn Hall. An instant after scoring, Orr raised his hands in celebration and was instantly tripped by St. Louis defenseman Noel Picard. The result sent Orr flying through the air like Superman and the image was captured in a legendary picture. It has been ranked as one of the greatest goals in hockey by both the Hockey Hall of Fame and "The New York Times."

Henderson's Summit Series Winner

In September 1972, a team of NHL All-Stars took on the best players from the Soviet Union in an international series for the first time. All of the NHL All-Stars were Canadian players and their team was dubbed Team Canada. They were expected to rout the Soviet players in all eight games, but the scouting reports undersold the Soviet players and Canada had to rally to tie the series at 3-3-1 after seven games. The eighth game, played in Moscow, was to be the decisive one. With the score tied 5-5 in the final minute of the game, Paul Henderson stepped on to the ice and moved to the front of the net. Phil Esposito took a shot and the rebound off Soviet goaltender came right to Henderson. He quickly wristed a shot on goal, but Vladislav Tretiak saved it. That rebound came back to Henderson and he flipped the puck over the top of Tretiak for the winning goal in the series.

Eruzione's Golden Moment

The 1980 USA Olympic hockey team was a hustling group of college players led by University of Minnesota head coach Herb Brooks. Prior to the Olympics, the United States appeared to be a fourth- or fifth-place team if it played its best hockey. The Americans did not appear to have a chance against top teams like Sweden, Czechoslovakia and the dominant Russians. However, the Americans caught fire and met the Russians in the medal round. Instead of getting obliterated, the Americans were tied 3-3 midway through the third period. At that point, former Boston University star Mike Eruzione skated into the slot and fired a quick wrist shot past Soviet goaltender Vladimir Myshkin. USA goaltender Jim Craig held the Soviets off the scoreboard the rest of the game and the Americans had what ESPN regards as the greatest sports upset in the 20th century.

Crosby Scores for Canada

The 2010 Winter Olympics was a great moment for hockey. The Olympics were held in Vancouver and Canadians widely anticipated that their team would win the gold medal on its home ice. While the Canadians struggled during the tournament, they found a way to make it to the finals against the United States. With Canada leading 2-1 in the final moment, Team USA winger Zach Parise scored to send the game into overtime. Both teams had outstanding chances in the sudden-death period, but Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby ended the drama when he whipped a wrist shot through the skates of goalie Ryan Miller for the winning goal in the 3-2 game. Crosby, one of the game's superstars, was elevated to legendary status with his "golden goal."