In senior IIHF men’s competition, there are no more medals, scoring titles, highlight-reel plays, or other landmark events left to come in the 2010s.

So as we prepare to ring in 2020, it’s time to count down our top 20 IIHF men’s hockey moments of this epic decade, focusing on the Olympics and the World Championships. Let’s go!

20) Slovakia Hosts Men’s Worlds for First Time (2011)

It wasn’t perfect, but it was unforgettable. When Bratislava and Kosice co-hosted the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship for the first time in Slovakia’s history as an independent nation, 406,804 fans flocked to see the games.

Even though the Slovaks only finished 10th under coach Glen Hanlon, they got a lengthy, emotional ovation after their closing 4-1 win over Denmark. In retrospect, the 2011 tournament was tinged with poignancy. Slovak captain Pavol Demitra passed away in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash that autumn, a tragedy that touched the entire IIHF hockey family.

19) Denmark Hosts Men’s Worlds for First Time (2018)

In 2003, the Danes returned to the men’s Worlds for the first time since 1949. At that time, nobody imagined that they’d consistently avoid relegation or host the tournament in Copenhagen and Herning 15 years later. The atmosphere was ecstatic, especially for Swedish fans, who flooded across the Oresund Bridge from neighbouring Malmo to watch Tre Kronor win the gold medal.

These Worlds embodied the global growth of hockey. Korea, which had just hosted the PyeongChang Olympics, made its men’s Worlds debut. Unlike the old Far East Qualifier system that saw Japan appear at each Worlds from 1998 to 2004, the Koreans earned promotion through the regular method.

18) American Superstar Patrick Kane Hits 20 Points (2018)

Even though NHL scoring has trended upward over the last four seasons (teams currently average 3.05 goals per game), getting 20 or more points at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is still a rarity. In fact, until Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks, the 2016 Art Ross Trophy winner, did it with the 2018 American bronze-medal squad (8+12=20), nobody had done it since Canada’s Dany Heatley in 2008 (12+8=20).

With increasing parity, it’s safe to say no one will ever top the late Soviet superstar Vladimir Petrov’s 1973 record of 34 points (18+16=34). Meanwhile, Kane’s feat reflected the continuing rise in American talent since the 1980 Olympic “Miracle on Ice” at Lake Placid. With the best yet to come for Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, and Jack Hughes, it seems inevitable that the U.S. will end its World Championship gold medal drought stretching back to 1933.

17) Shocker in Helsinki as U.S. Dethrones Russia (2013)

Unless you’re a big Nashville Predators fan, it might take you a moment to place who Craig Smith is. However, the American forward put his name in the history books in 2013. Smith led the way with five assists as the U.S. trounced defending champion Russia 8-3 in the quarter-final in Helsinki. Eight goals remains the most a Russian team has ever surrendered in a World Championship game.

It was particularly stunning since the Russians featured Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, and other big names. And it did not augur well for the future of head coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, who had looked so impressive with the 2012 gold-medal team.

16) Minsk Makes Many Russians Happy (2014)

When Belarus got to host the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship for the first time, it made the most of it. A then-record of 640,044 spectators enjoyed the games in the capital city of Minsk. And although the host team did well with a seventh-place finish, nobody had more fun than the Russians.

KHL players dominated the tournament all-star team, including leading scorer Viktor Tikhonov (16 points), Sergei Plotnikov and Anton Belov. MVP Pekka Rinne’s heroics in net weren’t enough to save Finland from the Russian onslaught in the final. Russia won 5-2 with President Vladimir Putin in attendance. In 2021, the men’s Worlds will return to Minsk, which is co-hosting with Riga, Latvia.

15) Swedish “Shootout Dynasty” Stops Swiss (2018)

Who could have predicted that two consecutive IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship gold medal games would be decided by the shootout, both in favour of the same nation? Sweden’s Filip Forsberg scored on Swiss goalie Leonardo Genoni to give Tre Kronor the 3-2 victory. It was the first time the Swedes had won back-to-back titles since Turku (1991) and Prague (1992).

As heartbreaking as it was for Swiss coach Patrick Fischer’s men to settle for silver for the second time this decade, it was also an incredible achievement. Switzerland had only cracked the quarter-finals twice in the preceding four years.

14) King Henrik Claims Gold in Cologne (2017)

Did you know that Henrik Lundqvist’s first world title actually came in 2002? Yes, this legendary Swedish netminder went all the way at the inline world hockey championship in Nuremberg that year. But the 2006 Olympic champ and 2012 Vezina Trophy winner with the New York Rangers had to wait until 2017 to finally achieve men’s Worlds supremacy.

Beyond Lundqvist, the Swedes iced one of their best teams ever in Cologne, including Nicklas Backstrom, Victor Hedman, and John Klingberg. It was 21-year-old William Nylander, though, who was named tournament MVP with his team-leading 14 points. Sweden denied Canada’s bid for a three-peat as Backstrom (GWG) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson tallied in the shootout.

13) Russians Foil Germany’s Cinderella Run in Korea (2018)

Competing under the banner of the Olympic Athletes of Russia, Pavel Datsyuk faced heavy expectations. At age 39, he captained a KHL-laden roster that was heavily favoured to win gold at the PyeongChang Olympics, which the NHL skipped. However, the Russians’ dreams almost failed.

The no-name Germans, brilliantly coached by Marco Sturm, got on a roll. Patrick Hager’s shootout goal lifted them to a 2-1 qualification playoff game win over Norway. Next, it was 2-1 over archrival Switzerland in the quarter-final on Yannic Seidenberg’s early OT marker. Patrick Reimer was the sudden-death hero in the 4-3 upset over Sweden. Unbelievably, Germany then edged Canada 4-3 in the semi-final, with Hager getting the winner again. What would happen in the gold medal game against the OAR team in the Gangneung Hockey Centre?

The Germans nearly completed their miracle. Leading 3-2 with just over two minutes to play, they went to the power play. Despite being shorthanded, Russia pulled towering netminder Vasili Koshechkin for the extra attacker. When SKA St. Petersburg ace Nikita Gusev got loose, he scored his second goal of the night with just 59 seconds left to equalize.

And Gusev wasn’t done. He set up Kirill Kaprizov for the golden goal on the power play at 9:40 of overtime. The Russians celebrated their first Winter Games gold since 1992, and Datsyuk became the newest member of the IIHF’s Triple Gold Club. Despite the missed opportunity, Germany had its greatest hockey success ever.

12) Canada Delivers the Goods in Moscow (2016)

Even though Moscow is the capital of Russia, Canada’s eternal nemesis in international hockey, the Canadians have enjoyed some big triumphs there. Paul Henderson’s last-minute goal in Game Eight of the 1972 Summit Series tops the list, of course, but Canada also struck gold in Moscow at the 1988 World Juniors and 2007 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.

That tradition continued in 2016. The Finns got on a roll, powered by 18-year-old tournament MVP Patrik Laine’s seven goals, but came up dry versus Canada in a 2-0 final loss. Connor McDavid scored the winner on a spectacular rush and goalie Cam Talbot recorded a 16-save shutout. It was payback for Canada’s 4-0 group stage loss to Finland.

2016 proved to be a big year for the motherland of hockey overall. Canada also won the World Cup of Hockey, defeating Team Europe in the final in Toronto.

11) Granlund Scores His Lacrosse Goal Versus Russia (2011)

Mikael Granlund’s “lacrosse goal” remains the most iconic highlight-reel goal at the Worlds in the 2010’s. The shifty Finn’s move, executed at 5:13 of the second period versus Russian netminder Konstantin Barulin, proved to be the winner in a 3-0 semi-final upset. Finland then trounced Sweden 6-1 in the final in Bratislava for its first gold since 1995.

Context is important. Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes made history this season as the only NHLer to pull off “The Michigan” twice. We’ve seen Sweden’s Nils Hoglander do it at the 2020 World Juniors. But back in 2011, it was not a common thing to see. And Granlund, at age 19, did it with millions watching worldwide.

10) Malkin Goes Into Beast Mode as Russia Wins Gold (2012)

Yes, Zdeno Chara is very big. But Yevgeni Malkin came up even bigger when Russia stormed to the gold medal at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. No team had won 10 straight Worlds games since the 1989 Soviets, but the hulking Pittsburgh Penguins centre scored his 11th goal of the tournament as the Russians hammered the Chara-led Slovaks 6-2 in the final in Helsinki.

That year, Malkin also became the first and only player since Wayne Gretzky (1982) to lead both the NHL (109 points) and Worlds (19 points) in scoring in the same year. He was named MVP, Best Forward, and a tournament all-star.

9) Unheralded Czechs Stun the World (2010)

Early in the 2010 Worlds in Germany, the legendary Jaromir Jagr told reporters he wasn’t happy with the so-so roster the Czech Republic had iced under coach Vladimir Ruzicka: “It’s the national team. We didn’t really have any success lately, and a lot of guys said no in our country. Probably the top 25 guys said no, and I think it's too much. I understand the guys are injured or they feel tired after the season, but look at guys like Ovechkin or Kovalchuk.”

Indeed, the Russians had sent a stacked team to Cologne, featuring 14 returning Olympians who hoped to atone for their 7-3 quarter-final loss to Canada in Vancouver. Nobody expected them to meet the Czechs in the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship gold medal game, but that’s what happened. Jagr and his mates got hot at the right time.

The late Jan Marek notched the shootout winners against Finland (2-1) in the quarter-final and Sweden (3-2) in the semi-final. In the final, Tomas Rolinek stunned Russia with the golden goal, and Jagr, a Triple Gold Club member since 2005, earned the last IIHF title of his decorated career.

8) Prague and Ostrava Set Attendance Record (2015)

Come 2021/22, the next NHL market will be Seattle, whose official population is just shy of 745,000. Imagine if every single person bought a ticket to watch hockey.

That puts in perspective what happened when the Czech Republic hosted the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. A new attendance record of 741,690 was set. No other tournament has even topped the 700,000 mark, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Prague and Ostrava establish a new record again in 2024. Our game is for the fans, and the Czechs are world-class hosts.

7) Goals Galore as Canadians Gain Gold (2015)

Prague 2015 is the World Championship that rejuvenated Sidney Crosby’s NHL career. The Pittsburgh captain, a two-time Olympic champion, had battled concussion syndrome and seen his numbers drop off in the preceding seasons, but won two consecutive Stanley Cups after this triumph.

However, Crosby was just one piece of the puzzle on a Canadian team that dominated offensively like no other in the 2010’s. Coach Todd McLellan’s boys racked up a decade-high 66 goals in 10 straight wins en route to gold, including a 6-1 pounding of Russia in the final. Leading scorer Jason Spezza (14 points), Taylor Hall and Brent Burns represented Canada on the tournament all-star team.

6) Teemu’s Time to Shine in Vancouver (2010)

Teemu Selanne become beloved on the west coast of North America as an Anaheim Ducks star. “The Finnish Flash” took it up a notch when he became the all-time leading scorer in Olympic history at the 2010 Games in Vancouver. His assist in a 5-0 round-robin win over Germany gave him 37 career Olympic points, surpassing the 36 points recorded respectively by Harry Watson (Canada), Vlastimil Bubnik (Czechoslovakia), and Valeri Kharlamov (USSR).

Selanne also won a bronze medal in Vancouver. But even at age 40, his Olympic days weren’t done.

5) Dramatic End to Russia’s Dreams in Sochi (2014)

Future generations may struggle to comprehend the hype leading up to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The Games at this Black Sea resort cost an unprecedented $50 billion. Alexander Ovechkin saw his face plastered across Coke machines everywhere, and as a Sochi ambassador, the Washington Capital captain was expected to lead the host nation to men’s hockey gold.

It didn’t happen. At the Bolshoy Ice Dome, the Russians struggled to get in gear, especially after a tough 3-2 shootout loss to the Americans, with T.J. Oshie famously connecting on four of his six shootout attempt on goalie Sergei Bobrovski.

In the quarter-final, the Russians fell into Finland’s defensive trap. Ilya Kovalchuk opened the scoring with an early power play goal, but the Finnish counterattack delivered three second-period goals, with Teemu Selanne and Mikael Granlund earning a goal and an assist apiece.

After the stunning 3-1 defeat, Russian coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov said: “I can only apologize to the fans for the results.” Before the 2014 Worlds in Minsk, he was replaced by Oleg Znarok.

4) Unknown Finns Take It All With “Morko” (2019)

What Finland did in the elimination round at the 2019 Worlds in Bratislava is almost as remarkable, collectively speaking, as the “Miracle on Ice” or the 4-3 Belarus win over Sweden in the 2002 Olympic quarter-final in Salt Lake City.

Perhaps someday Kaapo Kakko, the 18-year-old wunderkind who had six tournament goals, will rank higher in the Finnish pantheon than Teemu Selanne or Jari Kurri. But not right now. And Kakko was the biggest star on coach Jukka Jalonen’s roster.

It’s inconceivable that 33-year-old captain Marko “Morko” Anttila – his nickname stemming from a grotesquely large character in Tove Jansson’s children’s books about the Moomins – scored four goals in three playoff games.

It’s even more inconceivable that AHL goalie Kevin Lankinen outduelled Sweden’s Henrik Lundqvist in the 5-4 quarter-final win, Russia’s Andrei Vasilevski in the 1-0 semi-final win, and Canada’s Matt Murray in the 3-1 gold-medal win. That’s a whole lotta Olympic gold, Stanley Cup, and Vezina power to overcome.

But beyond the names, the Finns are setting the standard for team play in modern hockey right now.

3) Sedins End “Home-Ice Curse” as Swiss Strike Silver (2013)

For 27 years, “home ice advantage” was a misnomer at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. After the Soviet Union triumphed in 1986 in Moscow, no host nation could win the gold medal again.

That is, until 2013 in Stockholm. When the Swedes airlifted in former NHL scoring champions Daniel and Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks, what had been a mediocre tournament under head coach Par Marts turned into a masterpiece.

The twins led the way as Tre Kronor downed Canada 3-2 in a quarter-final shootout, blanked Finland 3-0 in the semi-final, and defeated Switzerland 5-1 for gold. Henrik Sedin had two goals, including the winner, and an assist in the final. “En For Alla For En” by The Poodles automatically became the greatest Swedish goal song of all time.

It was too bad for the underdog Swiss, led by tournament MVP Roman Josi, but they could still take pride in their first medal since 1953’s bronze and best result since 1935’s silver.

2) Canada Becomes “The Big Red Machine” (2014)

For decades, the powerful Soviet national team was called “The Big Red Machine.” But the Canadians – at least temporarily – deserved that nickname for how they won the 2014 Olympics.

Over the 362 minutes and 32 seconds of hockey Canada played in Sochi, they never trailed, and they led for 205 minutes and 54 seconds. Head coach Mike Babcock and his staff – including a big nod to consultant Ralph Krueger – devised a successful plan to control the big ice and stifle their opponents. The Canadians only allowed three goals in the tournament.

On artistic merit, the Canadian women’s 3-2 overtime comeback win over the Americans in their gold-medal game, featuring two Marie-Philip Poulin goals, was much more entertaining than Carey Price’s 3-0 shutout in the final. It came against a Swedish team that lacked the injured Henrik Sedin and Henrik Zetterberg, as well as Nicklas Backstrom (suspended for a doping violation related to sinus medication).

With all that said, though, it was hard to miss the symbolism of both Jonathan Toews and Sidney Crosby both scoring for the second consecutive time in an Olympic final.

1) Crosby 7:40 (2010)

Sidney Crosby’s iconic 3-2 golden goal at 7:40 of overtime against the U.S.’s Ryan Miller at the Vancouver Olympics scarcely needs an introduction.

Suffice it to say that when the country that invented hockey sees its best player score the Olympic sudden-death winner on home ice against its neighboring archrival, you’re never going to top that. Even if you were born in Philadelphia, root for the Washington Capitals, and live in Moscow, you’ve got to give Crosby his due.

That’s our top IIHF men’s hockey moment of the decade. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the 2020s!