Our favourite hockey memories from 2016

The obvious one is the lottery, but I'd pick one a little different. It was at the World Cup of Hockey, a mostly forgettable second-rate Olympics, with the exception that it had the most electric team I have ever seen on ice. Team North America was more fun to watch than almost any team I've ever seen. I'd put their final overtime against any international contest since the 2010 Canada vs. Russia "Gorillas out of a cage" game. They were so good. But, it's something specific about that game.

Photo by Vaughn Ridley/World Cup of Hockey via Getty ImagesAuston Matthews was on Team North America, and it was the first time I'd really watched him for extended periods. And he was so, so good. After…