Top NHL viral moments of 2016

Numerous NHL memories were made in 2016. Many of them were moments fans just had to share with everyone they knew, and just like that, those stories went viral. The must-see moments, which involved adorable kids, a mysterious cat and very good dogs, also showed a different side of NHL players.
Here are the top 16 viral moments of the year, in chronological order.

March 19: Kevin Spacey shows up to Spacey in Space night

To this day, the
connection between actor Kevin Spacey and the Florida Panthers
remains a mystery. No one knows how it started, but it became a thing, hashtags were born (#SpaceyInSpace), laughs were had and boy was it fun, even if it didn't make sense!

April 24: Wild pay tribute to Minnesota native Prince before playoff game

After Minnesota icon and music legend Prince died on April 21,
the Wild pulled out all the stops in a tribute to the artist
who meant so much to the world, and specifically his home state. It was an amazing tribute before Game 6 of their Western Conference First Round series against the Dallas Stars. The team even changed its goal song to Prince's hit "Let's Go Crazy," and made the change for good for the 2016-17 season.

April 29: Black cat runs on the ice before Sharks playoff game

Luckily for San Jose, sharks and cats are not natural enemies.
A black cat got onto the ice at SAP Center
before Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round against the Nashville Predators. No one really knew where it came from, but it was scooped up and made available for adoption at Humane Society Silicon Valley. When they gave her the name Jo Pawvelski after Sharks forward Joe Pavelski, it was only a matter of time before she found a home, and it was with none other than with Sharks captain Patrick Marleau.

May 15: Joe Thornton, David Backes engage in beard-pulling

Maybe they were just checking if each other's playoff beards were real. In a scene more reminiscent of "Miracle on 34th Street" than the Western Conference Final, Sharks center Joe Thornton and Blues captain David Backes
went after each other's facial hair
in a comical and unforgettable confrontation that you just have to watch again.

May 21: Georges Laraque foils kidnapping

Former Montreal Canadiens tough guy Georges Laraque was participating in a charity baseball game in Montreal when
he helped stop a young girl from being abducted
in broad daylight in May. Laraque, the father of twins, was part of a heroic group of good Samaritans that stopped a man from taking a 7-year-old girl away from her family at the game. "It was nuts," Laraque said. "Everybody was kind of in shock."

June 4: Finnish broadcaster gives memorable call of Donskoi OT goal

Nothing brings out the excitement in an announcer like an overtime winner in the playoffs. When Sharks forward Joonas Donskoi, a native of Finland, scored 12:18 into OT of Game 3 in the Stanley Cup Final, the announcer on the Finnish broadcast
went ahead and made a memory
.

June 6: Metallica rocks anthem at Sharks game

We guarantee you've never seen a National Anthem performance quite like this. Sure, there have been many great versions of the Star-Spangled Banner, but James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett of legendary rock band Metallica put a unique spin on it before the San Jose Sharks played the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final

July 17: P.K. Subban lands in Nashville, sings Johnny Cash at Tootsie's

If you were wondering whether P.K. Subban was going to fit in with the locals in Nashville after his trade to the Predators on June 29, you need no more evidence than the defenseman
singing Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues"
at Nashville's famous Tootsie's while referencing 'Smashville' multiple times.

Oct. 2: Dylan Larkin, Steve Ott photobomb 4-year-old fan

One super-cute Detroit Red Wings fan and a couple of centers in the penalty box is one way to break the internet. Lylah Almas was posing for a picture for her mom, Shannon, at a preseason game in October. Neither seemed to know what was
happening in the background until looking at the photos
.

Oct. 12: Auston Matthews makes his mom cry in his NHL debut

Everyone had high hopes for Auston Matthews, the No.1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, in his debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but who saw this coming? Matthews scored four times in his first game; thanks to the miracle of television, viewers got to see the progression of his
mother Ema's emotions throughout the night
. She couldn't hold in her joy.

Oct. 25: Ben Bishop loses teeth, stays in game, gets special birthday cake

A puck to the mask knocked out Ben Bishop's two front teeth, but it wasn't enough to knock the goalie out of the game, and he led the Tampa Bay Lightning to a win against the Maple Leafs. "These guys in front of me lose teeth all the time, so I guess I wanted to be like them," Bishop said. The Lightning kitchen staff
surprised him with a custom cake
on his 30th birthday a month later.

Nov. 5: Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner sing Bon Jovi

It may have been the third period of a Nov. 6 game against the Vancouver Canucks, but Matthews and Mitchell Marner were only halfway there. As Bon Jovi's rock classic "Livin' On A Prayer" blared through the Air Canada Centre, the two rookies
couldn't help but sing along
. Fun fact: The song is 11 years older than they are.

Nov. 6: Bomb-sniffing dog drops honorary puck at Ducks game

Good dog? Nope. Great dog! A heroic Military Police Patrol/Explosive Detector Dog, credited with saving lives as a bomb sniffer, dropped the puck on Military Appreciation Night before an Anaheim Ducks home game. His name is Corporal Nero and
he nailed the honorary puck drop
.

Nov. 13: Brothers compete for puck at Senators game

What happens when one puck goes into the crowd between two brothers? Usually the older brother comes away with it. But little Landry Hague, clearly a big fan even at such a young age, wasn't happy about it.
After TV cameras caught him crying
, the crew at the game found a way to make him smile!

Nov. 18: Erik Karlsson proposes with a pizza

Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson knew the way to his girlfriend's heart: Pizza. So when he proposed to Melinda Currey,
he put the ring in the center of a pepperoni pie
. Before you judge the romance level, consider this: She said yes.

Dec. 5: Mite player at Capitals game has celebration for the ages

If you are going to score like the big boys, you have to celebrate like the big boys. Micha, an Alex Ovechkin fan, netted a goal at the Verizon Center and went wild.
Full drop to the knees and everything
. You have to give it up for this kid.