Foppa’s One-Hander

There’s no bigger time to deliver a shootout goal than in the Olympic final, and that’s what Peter Forsberg will always be remembered for in international hockey.

Canada and Sweden were tied 2-2 in the 1994 Olympic gold medal game in Lillehammer, Norway. In the seventh round of the shootout (the sudden-death phase), the 20-year-old MODO Ornskoldsvik centre deked Corey Hirsch and slid the puck into the net on the backhand with one hand on his stick, just eluding the goalie’s outstretched glove. When Tommy Salo foiled Paul Kariya’s final attempt, gold belonged to Tre Kronor.

Forsberg’s feat was immortalized on a Swedish postage stamp, but he admitted that he’d borrowed the move from another incandescent Swedish talent, Kent Nilsson, who pulled it off versus the United States at the 1989 IIHF World Championship.

The Toews Show

At the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship, Canada and the United States were tied 1-1 in the semi-finals after regulation time and a 10-minute, 4-on-4 overtime. In the ensuing seven-round shootout, Canada’s Jonathan Toews scored three times on U.S. goalie Jeff Frazee on high shots to the blocker and glove side and a great forehand deke. Carey Price, who’s joined Toews here in Sochi as a 2014 Olympian, made the deciding save on Peter Mueller. Canada moved on to the gold medal game, where it beat Russia 4-2.

The future Chicago Blackhawks captain and Triple Gold Club member had already begun to forge his legend. Lost amid Toews’ brilliance were fine shootout performances by the U.S.’s Mueller and Jack Johnson, both of whom scored twice.

Roach versus Vokoun: Parts One and Two

American defenceman Andy Roach stunned the host Czechs with his spectacular 3-2 shootout winner in the quarter-final of the 2004 IIHF World Championship, beating star goalie Tomas Vokoun. Roach also shone in the bronze medal game shootout as the U.S. beat Slovakia 1-0.

A year later, at the 2005 Worlds in Austria, Vokoun would have his revenge. After the Czechs outshot the Americans 53-27 in regulation time, Martin Rucinsky was the only player to score in the shootout, besting Team USA’s Rick DiPietro. Vokoun stopped Roach on the final shot and the Czechs would move on, ultimately defeating Canada 3-0 for gold.

Hasek’s Heaven, Canada’s Hell

Who can forget the Canada-Czech Republic semi-final shootout at the first best-on-best Olympics in Nagano, Japan? Robert Reichel was the lone Czech skater to beat Canadian goalie Patrick Roy, putting a perfect shot inside the post. But the biggest Czech hero was netminder Dominik Hasek, who did not concede a single goal against Theo Fleury, Ray Bourque, Joe Nieuwendyk, Eric Lindros or Brendan Shanahan

Canadian coach Marc Crawford’s decision not to use Wayne Gretzky in the game-winning shots competition would be forever second-guessed. Canada would finish fourth while the Czechs celebrated their first Olympic gold.

Lindros helps Canada squeak past Germany

In the 1992 Olympic quarter-finals in Albertville, Canada was favoured to advance versus Germany. The Canadians had established or soon-to-be NHL stars like goalie Sean Burke and forwards Joe Juneau and Eric Lindros. After Lindros scored on Canada’s sixth shot, German forward Peter Draisaitl had to put one home to keep his nation alive. His attempt squeezed through Burke’s pads but amazingly ended up stopping dead on the goal line.

Canada wound up defeating Czechoslovakia 4-2 in the semi-finals and losing 3-1 to the United States.