Mike Sullivan got some security for Christmas.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed their head coach to a three-year contract extension through the 2019-20 season, vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford announced Monday.

Sullivan took over the Penguins' job last season with the club outside the playoff picture, and guided Pittsburgh to a 33-16-5 finish, topped with a Stanley Cup victory after a dominant playoff run.

"Mike did the best coaching job in the NHL last season," Rutherford said. "He continues to be a terrific coach and we are happy to give him a well-deserved extension."

Since Sullivan arrived, he's gotten the most out of his best player, Sidney Crosby, who's erased any prior doubts of his production, scoring 104 points in 81 games under Sullivan.

This season, Sullivan's Penguins sit second in the NHL with 49 points, with a 22-8-5 record through 35 games.

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Mike Sullivan got some security for Christmas.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed their head coach to a three-year contract extension through the 2019-20 season, vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford announced Monday.

Sullivan took over the Penguins job last season with the club outside the playoff picture, and guided Pittsburgh to a 33-16-5 finish, topped with a Stanley Cup victory after a dominant playoff run.

"Mike did the best coaching job in the NHL last season," Rutherford said. "He continues to be a terrific coach and we are happy to give him a well-deserved extension."

Since Sullivan arrived, he's gotten the most out of his best player, Sidney Crosby, who's erased any prior doubts of his production, scoring 104 points in 81 games under Sullivan.

This season, Sullivan's Penguins sit second in the NHL with 49 points, with a 22-8-5 record through 35 games.

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theScore's new series, "The Noise," is published every Monday. It kicks off each week with a quick look at three teams or players making headlines, good or bad.

Jonathan Drouin

Marred in a streak of misfortune, the Tampa Bay Lightning have desperately needed somebody to step up, and Drouin has been their guy.

Injuries to Steven Stamkos, Ben Bishop, and Nikita Kucherov have placed the club's Stanley Cup aspirations on hold and shifted the focus to obtaining a playoff spot.

While the club has struggled since its captain went down, Drouin has looked like the spirited competitor that emerged last postseason.

Over his last five games, Drouin has recorded four goals and three assists, bringing his point total to 20 in 27 contests. He'll need to continue producing in order for the Lightning to remain in the Atlantic Division mix.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Metropolitan Division is a gauntlet, and the Hurricanes, after a slow start, are caught on the wrong end of it.

With the Blue Jackets riding a 12-game win streak, the Flyers recently ending a 10-gamer of their own, along with the Penguins and Capitals being, well, the Penguins and Capitals, the Hurricanes have been lost in the shuffle despite coming on strong of late.

Carolina won three in a row entering the holiday break, and has earned at least a point in seven of its last eight. With the Metro occupying both Eastern Conference wild-card slots, the Hurricanes sit seven points out. However, in the weaker Atlantic Division, they would have found themselves just three points behind third-place Boston, with three games in hand.

The Hurricanes stumbled to a 2-4-2 October record, but have flown heavily under the radar since. Head coach Bill Peters deploys a vastly talented, youthful d-corps that is the strength of the club, as evidenced by it's league-best penalty kill (90.8 percent) and fourth-fewest shots against per game (27.5).

Auston Matthews

Matthews is coming into his own.

After a 13-game stretch without a goal, the Toronto Maple Leafs' No. 1 pick is on the most consistent run of his young career, notching 10 tallies in 14 games since the drought.

The 19-year-old has points in six of his last eight games, and is tied for the club lead with 26. More importantly, he's seen an increased role in Mike Babcock's system and his ice time continues to trend upward.

Babcock isn't sheltering his young pivot anymore, either. Over the past week-and-a-half, Matthews has gone head to head with Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Getzlaf, and has managed to drive play.

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The NHL's leading scorer - Connor McDavid, with 42 points in 36 games - is eligible to play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, which begins Monday. He'll be 20 in two weeks. He has 78 points in 68 games in 2016. Think about that.

The league's second-leading goal-scorer - Patrik Laine, with 19 goals in 36 games - is 18 and could suit up for Finland and help defend its gold medal.

Auston Matthews, after scoring seven goals at last year's world juniors, scoring six at the 2016 worlds, and two in three games for North America - remember that team, and how fast it was? - at the World Cup, could really help the 2017 under-20 U.S. squad. But he's busy, scoring more goals than all but two NHL centers (Sidney Crosby and Jeff Carter) in two-and-a-half months as a 19-year-old rookie.

Forget about the NHL now being a young man's game. It's a kid's game now.

They're everywhere

The majority of Jack Eichel's 29 goals in the NHL came were tallied as a teenager. Matthew Tkachuk turned 19 two weeks ago. Mitch Marner is tied for the lead in scoring - with Matthews, of course - on the Toronto Maple Leafs - like it or not, one of the more storied franchises in hockey - and is 19 (and barely looks 16).

Ivan Provorov is averaging 21 minutes a game on a very good Philadelphia Flyers team as a 19-year-old. Noah Hanifin has 112 games for the Carolina Hurricanes under his belt and he's not yet 20. And both have teenage teammates: Travis Konecny and Sebastian Aho.

The list goes on and on. Zach Werenski, at 19, has already set a Columbus Blue Jackets rookie record for points by a defenseman. It took him 30 games. Jakob Chychrun won't be 19 until March 31, and he's an NHL defenseman, playing 16:35 a night. Think about it this way: He's more than two years away from being able to legally buy a beer in the United States.

They're only getting better

Players have been making the jump from junior to the NHL as teenagers for years - it's not new. But they weren't this good, this fast.

The 2009-10 season was Steven Stamkos' second in the league; he had 23 goals and 46 points as an 18-year-old rookie. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' age 19 season was his second in the league, and injury shortened, like his first, when he had 52 points in 62 games as an 18-year-old rookie. Not in the above table is Alex Galchenyuk, who is 22 and already in his fifth season, getting better each one and on the track to stardom. Nathan MacKinnon had 63 points as an 18-year-old. Aleksander Barkov began his career at 18.

It's the last two drafts that have stood apart, though. Between McDavid and Laine, still teenagers, they're going to win a lot of Art Ross and Rocket Richard trophies, starting now. Marner, Provorov, Hanifin, Konecny, Aho, Jesse Puljujarvi, Tkachuk, and Chychrun are all 2015 and 2016 draftees. The talent has come in and seamlessly transitioned, and in the case of McDavid, Laine, and Matthews, dominated. If Crosby's not shooting 23.3 percent, Laine's the top goal-scorer in the league (tied with Carter and David Pastrnak).

Maybe McDavid, Laine, and Matthews are the outliers, a crop of special players who came along at the same time, like Crosby and Alex Ovechkin (who was 20 in his rookie year). But damn if they aren't great for the game.

But, what if ...

Another possibility is that this is how it's going to be: Those drafted in the top 10 - especially the top three - are going to be able to step in immediately, like they have been, but it won't be surprising to see some of their names atop the leaderboards.

The kids will only continue to be bigger, faster, stronger, and smarter. The draft and player development will only be that much more important. In a salary capped NHL dominated by teenagers and guys in their early 20s (David Pastrnak), will the next generation of Detroit Red Wings spend as much time in the AHL as this one did?

We'll know the answer years down the line, though it is worth mentioning that no McDavid, Laine, or Matthews is projected to be on the way in 2017, with all due respect to Nolan Patrick.

For now, as we inevitably look back at the year it was in hockey, it's remarkable to see exactly what teenagers accomplished in the NHL in 2016.

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What's unexpected is often cherished most at this time of the year. And as we approach the annual futures showcase that might be a little short on hype this time around, the same may ring true.

With that in mind, here are three predictions for the 2017 World Junior Hockey Championship:

It creates its own hype

Connor McDavid or Patrik Laine are busy, and if there's a future No. 1 overall draft pick to appear in this futures showcase, it'll likely be another 18 months before he's taken off the board.

This is a tournament devoid of certain, unassailable star power. But what it will have is strength in numbers.

Canada, Russia, Sweden, and the United States - picked as the nations best equipped to contend for gold - are loaded with high-quality prospects nearing the end of their junior hockey eligibilities. Canada, in particular, is very deep and remarkably balanced, featuring dominant scorers across four lines - and not one draft-eligible prospect. The U.S., meanwhile, appears designed to outscore deficiencies - and look fully capable of doing it.

There's no headliner, but the tournament boasts the requisites to be incredibly fun, and equally competitive; prepare for it to sneak up on you.

Hart joins select group

It's not the only reason Canada has one gold medal to show for its last seven tournaments, but goaltending has let the nation down, at times, throughout its recent fruitless run. And certainly before that.

Naturally, when Carter Hart stumbled in the final tuneup versus the Swiss, it invoked similar concerns. But the Everett Silvertips starter and first goaltender chosen in the 2016 NHL Draft is as dependable as the country's had over the last decade.

With his remarkable consistency shown throughout his three seasons in junior, and perhaps the best defense in the tournament protecting him, Hart's in a position to thrive and make certain Canada extends its medal streak to 12 on home ice.

He's the most important player for Canada on its way to gold, becoming the first Canadian in nine years to win top goaltending honors, while joining Steve Mason, Carey Price, and Marc-Andre Fleury as the only netminders in red and white to do it this century.

Bracco stars

With a shaky back line, the United States may have to fill the nets in Toronto and Montreal. So no player might be more important to its success than slight attacker Jeremy Bracco - especially considering the cuts of Alex DeBrincat and Logan Brown.

After being a controversial exclusion from last year's squad, the second-round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs has won over the coaching staff, and will have the opportunity to make a major impact in a specialty role.

With loads of talent aiding his own, Bracco, one of the most productive junior hockey players in the CHL this season, takes the tournament scoring crown, edging Sweden's Joel Eriksson Ek and Canada's Dylan Strome and Mathieu Joseph.

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Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.

theScore will be giving out fantasy report cards discussing the fantasy value of key players on each of the 30 teams. This edition focuses on the Calgary Flames.

ANA | ARI | BOS | BUF | CGY | CAR | CHI | COL | CLB | DAL | DET | EDM | FLA | LA | MIN | MTL | NAS | NJ | NYI | NYR | OTT | PHI | PIT | SJ | STL | TB | TOR | VAN | WAS | WPG

G Chad Johnson/Brian Elliott

Widely drafted by fantasy owners for extra goaltending depth, Elliott was an unmitigated disaster for the few starts owners allowed him to make. The Flames, unfortunately, are stuck with him. Johnson has been considerably better, though he has also regressed toward his career means of late. Still, he has been among the top waiver claims this season, and he should see the majority of the work. Grade: A/F-

C Sean Monahan

Monahan has slid backward after two consecutive seasons recording more than 60 points. He should hit 20 goals with ease, but he'll need to change his game in order to best last season's 36 assists. He may also need a second scoring winger, as he floundered while Johnny Gaudreau was sidelined by a finger injury. Grade: B-

LW Johnny Gaudreau

Gaudreau returned quicker than expected from his injury, and he picked up where he left off last season. The 23-year-old is just barely below a point-per-game pace, with a very modest and reasonable 11.1 shooting percentage. He'll need to take more than his 2.5 SOGs per game if he hopes to approach 30 goals once again, but he's all but a lock for 25-plus. Grade: A

C Mikael Backlund

Backlund has taken a step back after last year's 47-point season. He could still reach 40 points, but he's likely to finish closer to 35. A late-round draft pick in most formats, he's affected by the Flames' lack of depth on the wings beyond Gaudreau. He's likely a couple of successful Calgary draft classes away from being an impactful player on offense and in fantasy. Grade: C

RW Troy Brouwer

Signed for his physicality, Brouwer has been a surprise on offense, producing at a 1/2-point-per-game pace. He has spent time alongside Monahan and Gaudreau and is currently skating with the former on the third line. His ice time is up a half minute from last season, and he has been a very effective piece of the power-play unit. Grade: A-

C/LW Sam Bennett

Bennett has temporarily replaced Monahan as Gaudreau's center, with the two forming 2/3 of the unofficial second line. Wildly inconsistent, Bennett is a much better daily fantasy option than he is in for any season-long league. His power-play usage remains very low, capping his upside in either format. Consider him at a low cost in favorable matchups. Grade: C+

LW Matthew Tkachuk

Tkachuk has bounced throughout the lineup as much as anyone on the Flames, as their lines are among the most fluid in the league. He's averaging slightly less than 15 minutes per game, but he does see some time on the second power-play unit. Tkachuk should finish with slightly more than 40 points in his rookie season. Grade: B+

D Dougie Hamilton

December has been Hamilton's best month of the season, with his surge commencing once trade rumors began rapidly swirling. Flames president Brian Burke shot them down, and he seems right to have done so. Hamilton is averaging a three-year low in ice time, but he does operate on the second power play unit. He should top last year's career high in goals. Grade: B

D Mark Giordano

Last season, Giordano used a 15-point March to help him finish with a career-high 56 points. This year's slow start is considerably worse. His shooting percentage is less than half of what it was last season, but it's not the lone reason he'll finish well short of 20 goals. He's averaging a half shot less per game this season, and 20 fewer seconds of ice time. Grade: D

Player to watch: D T.J. Brodie

Brodie will need a big second half for his third consecutive 40-point season, but there is hope. His shooting percentage is better than last year, and he's on pace to top last season's meager six goals. He should finish closer to 10, but he'll need to start taking more shots. His ice time is down nearly two minutes per game, but he's still on the top PP unit. Hold out hope for a little longer if you made the investment.

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It's the most wonderful time of the year, for junior hockey fans at least.

Like clockwork, the World Junior Championship is set to get underway the day after Christmas, and the 2017 tournament will provide no shortage of holiday drama for fans all over North America and Europe.

Here are three things you need to know before the puck drops.

What's the format?

As a refresher, here's how the tournament works.

The 10 participating countries have been divided into two groups, with Group A set to play preliminary round games at the Bell Centre Montreal, and Group B taking to the ice at Toronto's Air Canada Centre.

Every team will play one game against each of the other four in its group, earning points as follows:

• Three points for the winning team at the conclusion of regulation time.
• One point for both teams at the conclusion of regulation time if the game is tied.
• An additional point earned for the team winning the game in a five-minute overtime period or a shootout if the teams are still tied following conclusion of the overtime period.
• 0 points for the team losing the game in regulation time.

The top four teams from Group A and Group B will advance to the quarterfinals and be matched up as follows: 1A-4B, 2A-3B, 1B-4A, 2B-3A. The fifth-place teams, meanwhile, will play a best-of-three mini-series to determine which country will be relegated.

The playoff round will be single elimination, with the gold and bronze medal matches scheduled for Jan. 5 at the Bell Centre.

Who's the favorite?

To no one's surprise, the host Canadians have been tabbed as the favorites to win, despite failing to medal at the 2016 tournament and without the strongest possible roster as a result of star players plying their trade at the NHL level.

Still, there's no shortage of talent, and the two arenas will be full of red and white jerseys cheering for this year's crop of holiday hero hopefuls.

It's no slam dunk, however, with the United States and Sweden both set to field strong teams, and the defending champions from Finland always capable of stealing the show.

Oh, and don't ever rule out the Russians, who are surely looking to beat Canada on its own ice.

Here's the list of favorites from top to bottom, courtesy of Bodog.

Appointment viewing

The playoff round is obviously must-see TV, but the group stage - running from Dec. 26-31 - has its fair share of intriguing matches.

Circle these four on the calendar.

• Russia vs. Canada, Dec. 26, 7 p.m. ET
• USA vs. Russia, Dec. 29, 3:30 p.m. ET
• Sweden vs. Finland, Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m. ET
• Canada vs. USA, Dec. 31, 3 p.m. ET

Yes, all of these involve the top five teams featured in the tournament, but the beauty of international play is the surprises along the way.

Get ready. It's bound to be another wild ride.

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It's a good time to be a Philadelphia Flyers supporter.

The club sits 20-12-4 at the holiday break, firmly in possession of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Jakub Voracek, Claude Giroux, and Wayne Simmonds pace one of the league's top offenses, while teenagers Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov have 31 points between them.

The present is bright, but so is the future: The Flyers have nine prospects set to compete at the World Junior Hockey Championship, which begins Monday in Toronto, writes NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. And that's without Konecny and Provorov, who are eligible to play but will remain with Philadelphia. That's about as stocked as a system gets.

The last two drafts will be on display for the Flyers, and it says a lot about their scouting when five of the nine listed players were drafted 100th overall or later, or - in the case of Myers - not drafted at all.

Hart, the highest pick of the bunch as a second-rounder, is the best goalie in the WHL and will play an integral role in Canada's success at the tournament.

The Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators, and Tampa Bay Lightning each have five prospects set to play in Montreal and Toronto from Dec. 26 through Jan. 5.

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The World Junior Hockey Championship can serve as a coming out party for emerging talent.

Consider last year's tournament, when the play of explosive winger Patrik Laine, who finished third in tournament scoring with 13 points in seven games, helped secure Finland's second gold medal since 2014.

That performance saw Laine climb several spots in the 2016 NHL Draft, as he was selected second to only Toronto's Auston Matthews.

This year's edition of the world juniors has plenty of talent of its own. With that in mind, here are 10 players to keep an eye on:

Pierre-Luc Dubois - Canada

The Columbus Blue Jackets' third overall pick in the 2016 draft has a solid frame and the offensive talent to go with it, so it's fair to say he'll play a key role on Canada's scoring lines.

A native of Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec, Pierre-Luc Dubois is strong at both ends of the ice, while the early scouting reports have compared his game to Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar. With Cape Breton (QMJHL) this season, Dubois has tallied 18 points in 20 games.

The tournament will mark his first appearance at the world juniors, after he didn't make the final cut last year.

Jeremy Bracco - United States

Jeremy Bracco doesn't let his lack of size keep him off the scoresheet.

The diminutive winger stars for the OHL's Kitchener Rangers, with whom he's put up a staggering 51 points through 27 games this season. That after tallying 64 points in 49 games with the Rangers a year ago. The product of Freeport, N.Y., was originally recruited by Boston College before leaving for Kitchener.

Bracco, selected in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, will be make his first appearance in the world juniors.

Dylan Strome - Canada

Chosen to captain Team Canada, Dylan Strome is a returnee to the world juniors after leading the team in scoring last year, when Canada finished a disappointing sixth place. He'll look to avenge that performance this time around.

Strome also serves as captain of his junior club, the OHL's Erie Otters, with whom he's tallied an impressive 16 points in just seven games this season, after being returned to the OHL by the Arizona Coyotes, who drafted him third overall in 2015.

The native of Mississauga, Ontario, hasn't been short on offense through his development years, scoring 295 points in 191 games with Erie.

Nico Hischier - Switzerland

Nico Hischier has the chance to become one of Switzerland's better known hockey talents, joining a group headlined by the likes of Mark Streit, Roman Josi, and Nino Niederreiter.

That's because his game is built for offense. A star player with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, Hischier is a creative center who has tallied 48 points in 31 games this season.

He'll be a top pick in this summer's NHL draft, with the most recent draft rankings by ISS Hockey placing the Naters-born forward as the eighth-best available talent. Hischier recorded two assists with Switzerland at last year's world juniors entry.

Eeli Tolvanen - Finland

Among the top-ranked Finns in this year's draft, Eeli Tolvanen is known for his scoring touch and impressive release, which are already of NHL quality.

Starring with the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL, Tolvanen paces his team in both goals (16) and points (27) through 23 games. The 17-year-old will finish the year in the USHL and has committed to Boston College next season.

Ranked No. 9 by ISS, Tolvanen will make his first appearance at the world juniors. He previously appeared at the Under-18s with Finland, posting seven goals and two assists in seven games.

Elias Pettersson - Sweden

Sweden is a tournament favorite, and a big reason why is the inclusion of lanky playmaker Elias Pettersson.

Ranked 13th by ISS, Pettersson will make his first appearance at the world juniors, although he's not short on experience on the international stage. At last year's Under-18 tournament, he tallied a goal and seven assists through seven games.

The Sundsvall native plays with Timra IK in Sweden, where he leads his team with 27 points in 27 games.

Martin Necas - Czech Republic

It has been a few down years for Czech hockey talent, but forward Martin Necas could play a big part in reversing that trend.

Necas is an elusive playmaker whose on-ice vision is always apparent. He plays for the HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga, and has tallied six goals and seven assists through 29 games this season.

Ranked 19th overall by ISS, Necas will make his first showing at the world juniors. He tallied five points in five games in the Under-17 tournament.

Mikhail Sergachev - Russia

Like Team Russia, the Montreal Canadiens liked what they saw in Mikhail Sergachev, opting to draft the hulking blue-liner with the ninth overall pick in June's draft.

The smooth-skating and offensively-creative defenseman is effective on both sides of the blue line. It's that type of play that has enabled him to put up 15 points in 18 games with the OHL's Windsor Spitfires. He also saw an early showing with the Canadiens, as the 18-year-old played three games in the NHL at the start of the season.

The Nizhnekamsk, Russia, product will be making his first appearance at the world juniors.

Charlie McAvoy - United States

The United States boasts an impressive blue line, and it begins with Charlie McAvoy of Boston University, who was drafted by the Boston Bruins in June.

McAvoy is a strong two-way defender who plays a physical brand of hockey. Born in Long Beach, N.Y., he'll make his second appearance at the world juniors. While he was held pointless in seven tournament games last year, he also held down a plus-five rating over that stretch.

McAvoy has tallied 13 points in 17 games in the NCAA this year, after scoring 25 in 37 with Boston a year ago.

Ilya Samsonov - Russia

Solid goaltending is key in any short tournament, and Russia has a gem in Washington Capitals prospect Ilya Samsonov.

Playing with the KHL's Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Samsonov has just one loss on the season, racking up a 12-1-3 record through 19 games, with a .936 save percentage and 2.06 goals-against average.

Samsonov, who hails from Magnitogorsk, appeared in two games at last year's world juniors, posting a spectacular .956 save percentage and 1.00 GAA, as Russia finished with the silver medal.

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The world juniors is a holiday tradition like none other.

The annual holiday tournament provides a glimpse into the NHL's future, as the world's top under-20 players gather for international supremacy.

There have been countless memorable moments since its official inauguration in 1977, and here are the top five.

5. Zibanejad delivers gold for Sweden

Both Sweden and Russia advanced to the 2012 final in Calgary after narrow victories over respective arch-rivals Finland and Canada, and together provided a game for the ages.

The game was scoreless after three periods, forcing sudden-death overtime. Creating something out of nothing, Swedish forward Mika Zibanejad darted to a loose puck to spring a break, then converted the breakaway chance.

Russian goaltender Andrei Makarov recorded 56 saves in the loss, as Sweden won its second-ever gold medal.

4. Russia stuns Canada with 3rd period comeback

Appearing in their 10th consecutive final, Team Canada sought it's sixth gold medal in a row, as they took on Russia in 2011 in Buffalo.

The Canadians jumped out to a 3-0 lead entering the third period, when Russia's attack - featuring the likes of current NHL superstars Artemi Panarin, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Evgeny Kuznetsov - launched a full-fledged barrage with five unanswered goals in the final frame.

It was the biggest comeback in WJHC history, as Russia won its first gold since 2003.

3. Finland captures gold on home soil

Finland delivered for its home crowd in 2016.

Pitted against Russia in the gold-medal final, Finland erased an early deficit in the third on a goal from Patrik Laine. After Russia regained the lead less than two minutes later, the Finns scored two goals and went ahead with only three minutes on the clock.

With six seconds remaining, Andrei Svetlakov knotted things at three, forcing overtime.

Kasperi Kapanen was the hero, converting a golden wraparound in OT to seal the deal. The incredibly talented Finnish team featured Laine and Kapanen, along with budding NHL prospects Jesse Puljujarvi, Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho, and Olli Juolevi.

2. The Jonathan Toews Show

In Leksand, Sweden in 2007, the hockey world was first introduced to the clutch nature of Jonathan Toews.

Team Canada and Team USA were matched together in the semifinals, and after three periods and overtime solved nothing, the bitter enemies were forced to a shootout.

International rules permit repeated shooters after teams send their initial trio, so Canada picked Toews three times, and he converted all three with an ice-cold demeanor.

The shootout lasted a tense seven rounds, ultimately ending with Carey Price stopping Peter Mueller to send Canada to the gold-medal game.

1. 5.4 seconds

Jordan Eberle cemented his name into Canadian hockey history in 2009 in Ottawa.

Trailing 5-4 to Russia in the semifinals, an ill-advised attempt at Canada's empty net resulted in an icing call, and brought the puck back to the Russian zone.

The puck never left, and John Tavares proceeded to shovel a loose puck at the net, where Eberle found the rebound and converted the chance with only 5.4 seconds remaining in the third period.

Eberle followed up with the shootout-winning goal to oust the Russians, as Canada advanced to win its fifth consecutive gold medal days later.

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