Top NHL moments from 2016

The 2016 NHL calendar year was filled with unforgettable moments and memorable games. Today, NHL.com looks at 16 of the moments that helped define hockey in 2016. The list is presented in chronological order:

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Jan. 30: P.K. Jagr

The hair spilled out from the back of the helmet, just as it had in the old days. Except, instead of Florida Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr, who couldn't suppress his own laughter on the bench, it was Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban skating out onto the ice clad in a Panthers jersey and an extra-long mullet wig at the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition in Nashville. He finished off his breakaway challenge attempt with the classic Jagr salute. It was a perfect tribute to one of the best -- and most fun -- players in the NHL.

April 6: Goodbye, Rexall

They gathered to say goodbye to "The House that Gretzky Built." More than 150 former players, staff and assorted guests of the Edmonton Oilers came together to bid adieu to Rexall Place. It was an arena that had seen 20 Stanley Cup Final games over seven Stanley Cup Final series, that had seen Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier and, most recently, Connor McDavid star on the ice in the nearly 42 years after it opened Nov. 10, 1974.

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April 24: Johnny on the spot

John Tavares was not going down easily. After scoring with 54 seconds left in the third period to tie Game 6 of Eastern Conference First Round series against the Panthers, forcing overtime, the New York Islanders captain did it again in the second overtime. His first shot attempt was stopped by Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo, but Tavares retrieved the rebound and scored on the wraparound at 10:41 to send the Islanders to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 1993, setting off a celebration among his teammates and fans at Barclays Center.

May 5: Jumping the Sharks

Not much slowed down the San Jose Sharks in their run to the Stanley Cup Final, but Mike Fisher and the Predators did so in dramatic fashion in the Western Conference Second Round. Fisher scored at 11:12 of the third overtime of Game 4, collecting a rebound and knocking the puck past goaltender Martin Jones to earn himself a group hug from his teammates and start a wild celebration at Bridgestone Arena.

May 25: Backes breakers

Nearly 45 minutes after his teammates had come and gone from the locker room, St. Louis Blues captain David Backes faced the media after being eliminated by the Sharks in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final. While telling a story about the kindness of teammate Steve Ott, Backes' red-rimmed eyes spilled over with tears while he contemplated the possible end of his decade-long run in St. Louis, what it meant to him, and what might be coming next. It was the final game with the Blues for Backes, who signed with the Boston Bruins on July 1.

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May 30: 'Bonino, Bonino, Bonino'

It was the call heard 'round the world -- literally. With 2:33 left in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Nick Bonino scored to put the Pittsburgh Penguins up 3-2, sparking the best call of the playoffs from Harnarayan Singh of "Hockey Night Punjabi," repeating Bonino's last name over and over and over, ending with a crescendo of "Nick Bo-nee-nooooooooo." The call was played in the Penguins locker room, spawned ring tones, and provided the NHL with one of its signature moments.

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June 12: City of Champions

Given where the Penguins were to start 2016, winning the Stanley Cup didn't seem likely. They had fired coach Mike Johnston and replaced him with Mike Sullivan on Dec. 12, 2015, and their best player and captain, Sidney Crosby, had not hit his stride. But they did win it, turning around their season in large part because of a torrid finish by Crosby and capping the title run with a 3-1 victory in Game 6 against the Sharks at SAP Center.

June 14: Remembering Mr. Hockey

Hockey legends crowded the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit, all there to pay their respects to a man known as Mr. Hockey. Hockey Hall of Famer Gordie Howe died June 10 at 88, and the hockey world came out to remember and celebrate him. Howe embodied hockey for many, scoring 801 goals in an NHL career that spanned 26 seasons over five decades, including 1,687 games with the Detroit Red Wings.

June 22: Vegas baby!

Hockey is coming to Las Vegas, arriving in the land of casinos and showgirls. On the day of the NHL Awards, the League announced Las Vegas would be home to its next expansion franchise, to begin play in the 2017-18 season. In a raucous public celebration outside of T-Mobile Arena on Nov. 22, owner Bill Foley said that he wanted his new team to be known for "dedication, honor, strength, courage and a commitment to never give up -- both on the ice and off." And thus, the Vegas Golden Knights were born.

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June 29: Anarchy in NHL

It was the day -- no, really, the hours -- that shook up the entire hockey world. It started with the Oilers sending forward Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Adam Larsson, the biggest trade on just about any other day. But that was barely digested when another blockbuster set off the internet, with the Canadiens trading Subban to the Nashville Predators for defenseman Shea Weber. That trade barely left room to take in the fact that Steven Stamkos re-signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning for eight years, instead of testing the free agent market. It was, in short, chaos.

Sept. 21: Nathan's famous

It was a World Cup of Hockey 2016 game that started with two goals in 95 seconds, and that wasn't even the crazy part. That came much later, in overtime of the preliminary-round game between Team North America and Team Sweden at Air Canada Centre. In what likely were the final moments of its existence -- Team North America did not advance -- the Young Guns traded chance after chance with Team Sweden before Nathan MacKinnon deked and backhanded the puck past goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who was left face down on the ice.

Sept. 29: O Canada!

It seemed nearly a foregone conclusion at the start of the World Cup that Team Canada would win the tournament. It wasn't quite that easy, but Team Canada finished with a perfect record, led by the otherworldly line of Brad Marchand-Crosby-Patrice Bergeron, which combined for 25 points in six games. It all was capped by Marchand's shorthanded goal with 44 seconds remaining in Game 2 of the Final against Team Europe, crowning the pretournament favorite.

Oct. 12: Fab four

Welcome to the NHL, indeed. Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Auston Matthews wowed the League, its fans and his fellow players in his debut, becoming the first player in the modern era to score four goals in his first game in the NHL. No No. 1 pick had scored even twice in his NHL debut since Alex Ovechkin in 2005. It was a night to remember for Matthews, the No. 1 pick at the 2016 NHL Draft, and a night that had everyone talking the next day.

Oct. 19: Tricks shots

It was going to be difficult for this matchup of the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2016 draft to live up to the advance billing, but thanks to Patrik Laine's hat trick, it did. Laine finished his three-goal performance by scoring the game-winner for the Winnipeg Jets at 2:40 of overtime in a 5-4 win against Matthews and the Maple Leafs. That goal came seconds after Michael Hutchinson made a save on Matthews on a breakaway.

Oct. 22: Classic Teemu

It had been a long time since Teemu Selanne suited up for the Jets. His last season in Winnipeg was, after all, 1995-1996. But it seemed at the Heritage Classic like no time had passed, with Selanne thrilling the crowd in the alumni game with five points, including the first and last goals on penalty shots, the latter the game-winner. He already had been given the key to the city of Winnipeg, and his performance seemed to be a tip of the cap and a thank you right back.

Dec. 22: Jagr passes Messier

Jagr moved into second place on the NHL all-time points list with a third-period assist in a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins. That gave him 1,888 NHL points, one more than Mark Messier. Two nights earlier, Jagr tied Messier with three assists in a 4-3 shootout win against the Buffalo Sabres. Messier had held No. 2 behind Gretzky (2,857) since passing Howe (1,850) on Nov. 4, 2003.