After play resumed following the lockout three years ago, all that the NHL said it needed to do to get back on it's feet was to increase scoring. After a few years and a slew of dramatic rule changes, the goals are coming at a higher rate but how well the league is actually succeeding is up for debate. In some places such as Minnesota, hockey is thriving. In others, not so much. That's a debate for another day, but one thing is clear -- the NHL wants to sell offense and wants to sell it badly.
Amongst all the changes, like the addition of the shootout, some things have stayed the same. For one, the ability of a great scorer to create an amazing play and net an unbelievable goal is something that will never go away. You see it night in and night out around the NHL, but most goals are not of the once a year, or once a generation kind. That's the kind of thing we saw Rick Nash do Thursday night in Phoenix. It may not have been a "goal of a generation" kind of goal, similar to Bobby Nystrom's cup winner in 1980 or Bobby Orr's in 1970. Those goals won Stanley Cups and are of a different kind of importance. Nash's goal was extremely impressive, if not important in the grand scheme of history, and shows just what players can do under the best of circumstances.
These days, more and more young stars are shining around the league and netting impressive goals like Nash's. For your viewing pleasure, I have compiled some of the best goals from the post-lockout NHL. We've got the best of the best, from Crosby to Kovalchuk and a kid named Toews. So won't you join me after the jump?
