Inspiring a hit single may not be what most hockey players set out to do, but Granlund can count that among his accomplishments.

The Oulu, Finland, native's memorable, lacrosse-style, scoop-and-score goal against Russia at the 2011 IIHF World Championship helped create a cultural sensation when a Finnish electronic music artist set announcer Antero Mertaranta's call of the play to music. The song, dubbed "Taivas Varjele," which translates to "Good heavens," reached No. 2 on Finland's singles chart.

Granlund had started getting attention for his hockey skills much earlier -- soon after he first strapped on skates at the age of 2. A product of Karpat in Finland's club team system, at 16 he earned first-team all-star status in his country's top junior league after scoring 21 goals and finishing with 57 points in 35 games. On his 17th birthday, Granlund made his debut in Liiga, Finland's top professional league.

After a contract dispute with Karpat, Granlund transferred to HIFK Helsinki to start the 2009-10 season. He was named rookie of the year in Liiga after finishing with 40 points (13 goals, 27 assists) in 43 games. He was also named the league's most gentlemanly player after taking one minor penalty all season.

NHL Central Scouting ranked Granlund as the top European skater entering the 2010 NHL Draft, and the Minnesota Wild selected him No. 9.

Granlund, whose younger brother Markus was drafted in the second round (No. 45) by the Calgary Flames in 2011, averaged better than a point per game playing two more seasons in Finland. After a concussion sidelined him for part of the 2010-11 season and forced him to miss that year's IIHF World Junior Championship, Granlund returned in peak form for the playoffs. He finished second in playoff scoring with 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 15 games, helping HIFK win the Liiga championship. That preceded the "Taivas Varjele" goal against Russia in the semifinals of the World Championship on the way to a gold medal for Finland.

Granlund moved to North America and scored a goal against the Colorado Avalanche in his NHL debut on Jan. 19, 2013. He finished his first season with eight points (two goals, six assists) in 27 games, then had seven points (four goals, three assists) in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

His breakout season came in 2016-17, when he had NHL career highs in points (69), goals (26) and assists (43). He followed that by getting 67 points (21 goals, 46 assists) in 77 games in 2017-18.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• Olympic All-Star Team (2014)