The "lacrosse goal" in hockey is always a thing of unexpected splendor: An offensive player behind the goal picks the puck up on his stick blade, lifts his stick and tucks the disc above the goalie's shoulder but under the crossbar.
YouTube is overpopulated with them, but you rarely see the "lacrosse shot" attempted and converted in a critical game. Which is one reason why Finnish forward Mikael Granlund's goal against Russia in the IIHF World Championship semifinals on Friday became the talk of the hockey world:
Here's another clip. As you can see, they checked it out on video review before approval:
How dazzling and surprising was this shot? Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet published a series of still images of the goal before any video was available, calling it "historic."
Granlund was selected No. 9 overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, and already has a few moments of offensive awesomeness that have gone viral, like this shootout move from last April. But when it comes to lacrosse-style goals, it may actually run in the Granlund family. Here's brother Markus Granlund scoring — one from behind the goal line in a HIKK Helsinki Jr. team game in 2010:
Pond hockey games at Granlund family reunions must look like the NLL.