NHL Top Thursdays: Top 5 Shootout Goals of 2011

With a new year comes many new opportunities and resolutions. For me, I made a resolution that on every Thursday in 2012 I will post a top list of some sorts.  

The New Year may have already rung in, but it is not too late to look at some of the best shootout goals of the past year. 2011 was a year full of dekes, dangles, snipes and spin-o-ramas that drove goalies wild.

After losing in a very dramatic 20-round shootout in "NHL 12," the inspiration for this piece was born.

Without further adieu, in my opinion, here are five of the best shootout goals from 2011.

Todd Bertuzzi Unleashes His Inner Marek Malik

This goal may have been the product of a preseason shootout, but it still amazes me every time.

Bertuzzi always has a new bag of tricks when it comes to the shootout. He is most famous for his spin-o-rama goals, but this between-the-legs roofer really turned some heads.

Mike Ribeiro Continues to Amaze

Mike Ribeiro has scored many goals worthy of making this slideshow, but this one really caught my eye. You would think that a goalie would eventually take notice of Ribiero's signature move.

However, in this attempt, Ribiero scores the game-deciding goal while shielding the puck from the goaltender's line of vision.

The lesson to be learned here: goalies need to learn to use YouTube.

Martin St Louis Puts Corey Crawford Through the Spin Cycle

There isn't much to say here. Martin St. Louis basically fools Crawford out of his skates.

The legality of this goal is up for grabs in the eyes of Crawford, but wouldn't you react the same way if you got beat in front of thousands of fans?

Regardless, this move has gained popularity amongst gamers in "NHL 12."

Patrick Kane Learned a Thing or Two from Charlie Conway

In the "Mighty Ducks" movies, Charlie Conway's triple-deke move is heralded as one of the most unstoppable moves.

What would Mr. Conway think if he he saw Kane one-up him a few times? This move is a cross-hybrid of the "Mighty Ducks" and an "NHL 12" shootout experiment.

Kane takes all the time he needs and puts the biscuit in the basket with skill and ease.

I Wonder If Mikhail Grabovski Has an Xbox?

Bottom line, if I knew how to make moves like this, I probably wouldn't be writing this slideshow.

Grabovski displayed optimal puck control, finesse and creativity with this move. Not many players have the ability to sell and score on such an obvious move.

When attempting a spin move, it is pretty obvious where the puck will end up. However, Grabovski takes things to a whole new level, as he switches from a backhand move to a spin move and finally gets the puck back on his forehand before putting it past Ty Conklin.

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Tom Urtz, Jr. is an NHL featured columnist. For NHL news, updates and alerts about players: