Hockey's 20 Most Memorable Goal Celebrations Ever

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"Come on, act like you've scored before!"

In Disney's film D3: The Mighty Ducks, the high school team's coach, Ted Orion, yelled at his players for over-celebrating their first goal of the season.

Though the idea comes from a fictional movie aimed at a childish audience, this call for humility was an excellent piece of advice. If a player knows he can score, he does not have to show off. He knows he'll do it again.

Still, many hockey players either have signature celebrations or have found themselves caught up in the excitement of professional hockey.

Both respectful and ridiculous, NHL goal celebrations come in a wide, but entertaining variety.

Honorable Mention: Henrik Andersen

Well, that's not what was supposed to happen.

20. Ilya Kovalchuk

Before this goal, Ilya Kovalchuk and Sidney Crosby had an altercation involving pushing and cross-checking that resulted in Crosby going to the penalty box.

When Kovalchuk scores on the ensuing power play, he shows up Crosby.

19. P.K. Subban

P.K. Subban's celebration here was interesting; first he swipes the ice, then points at goaltender Carey Price.

When Subban goes for the bump with Price, it doesn't end well.

18. Patrick Kane

With the Chicago Blackhawks needing one goal to win the 2010 Stanley Cup, Patrick Kane shot the puck through Michael Leighton's five-hole.

Once it was in the net, the puck became hidden under a part of the goal. With no red goal light on and a missing puck, many people (including the television broadcasting crews) had no idea what was going on.

The confusion paired with the celebration was a strange mixture of emotions.

17. Zach Bogosian

Zach Bogosian messes up his overtime goal celebration, but it really doesn't look that bad.

16. Mike Foglino

Mike Foglino scored 355 NHL goals, enough to make his jumping celebration famous.

Foglino would jump, bringing his knees close to his chest before letting them land.

15. Nick Foglino

When Nick Foglino scored his first career NHL goal, he chose to replicate his father's famous jump.

14. Sean Avery

Sean Avery does not score many goals; he has six in the NHL over the past two seasons.

So, when sideshow Avery does put one in the net, antics should be expected.

13. Artem Anisimov

Artem Anisimov pretended his stick was a shotgun, much to the ire of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In HBO's 24/7 series, a teammate can be heard asking him if he was shooting at the goalie.

"No, just reloading my weapon, you know?"

12. Peter Bondra/Zdeno Chara

Peter Bondra used to mimic tossing a hat after hat tricks.

When defenseman Zdeno Chara scored three goals, he did the same thing.

11. Danny Briere

Danny Briere has celebrated his goals with this fist pump for years.

10. Jaromir Jagr

The legendary Jaromir Jagr has had his salute mocked twice in his career, first by Danny Markov and then Mike Rupp.

Those players have a combined 240 points in their careers; Jagr has more than seven times that.

9. Alex Kovalev

En route to destroying cross-state rival Philadelphia, the Pittsburgh Penguins' Alex Kovalev scored a hat trick. He celebrated it by doing a moonwalk.

Kovalev would do it again years later after a five-point night against, once again, Philadelphia.

8. Andre Dupont

The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Philadelphia Flyers were swept in the 1976 finals by the Montreal Canadiens.

During one of those games, defenseman Andre "Moose" Dupont notched a goal and did his custom running dance.

7. Milan Hejduk

Milan Hejduk celebrated his overtime winner by diving and swimming...on frozen water.

6. Alex Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin was not the first player in the NHL to score 50 goals in a season. He was, however, the first person to pretend his stick was on fire after doing so.

5. Ziggy Palffy

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

4. Theo Fleury

The Edmonton Oilers, fresh off their fifth Stanley Cup in seven seasons, were up 3-2 on their rival Calgary Flames in the first round of the 1991 playoffs.

Game 6 went to overtime, when Theo Fleury scored.

Calgary would lose Game 7.

3. Tiger Williams

With that old Vancouver Canucks jersey, Tiger Williams' stick ride looks even more ridiculous; it seems like something that should only happen in a video game.

Later, during an All-Star Game skills competition, Williams scored a goal despite having sticks thrown at him. He repeated his celebration there.

2. Teemu Selanne

Teemu Selanne scored 76 goals during his rookie 1992-93 season, a rookie record.

He also led the NHL in goals that season, something he would do two more times in his career.

1. Mike Eruzione

It was 1980 United States team captain Mike Eruzione who scored the game-winning goal against the heavily-favored Soviet Union hockey club late in the third period.

Unlike most of the other goals in this countdown, Eruzione had every right to celebrate.

This is the most important goal in the history of U.S. hockey. Was there one more important for any team in any country?

Eruzione's ensuing Dupont-like celebration before being mobbed by teammates along the boards is one of the game's most memorable images.

 

B/R Featured Columnist Jason Sapunka is available on Twitter.

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