Today we present the greatest games of the decade. These are games (or matches) that were extremely entertaining, filled with drama and had some of the most significant storylines of the past 10 years.
In our Top 10, we limited it to one per sport/league/event and only included a championship game or a game as part of a championship series (ie. no regular-season games). They are in chronological order over the decade, not in order of which was best.
As always, we encourage your debate at the bottom of the page.
Enjoy.
1. Super Bowl XXXIV – Jan. 30, 2000 in Atlanta – Rams 23, Titans 16
The 2000s got kicked off right away with one of the most memorable finishes to a Super Bowl ever.
After the NFC’s top-seeded St. Louis Rams, led by grocery boy turned NFL star Kurt Warner, built a 16-0 early in the second half, the Tennessee Titans came all the way back to tie with two minutes to play. The deadlock lasted one play; Warner hit Isaac Bruce on an 80-yard bomb for the go-ahead touchdown.
The Titans, helped by a Houdini-like effort by Steve McNair, went almost the entire field in response, only to fall “one yard short” when Mike Jones of the Rams tackled Tennessee receiver Kevin Dyson, keeping the football in his outstretched hand just short of the goal line. Warner’s Cinderella story was complete as he was named MVP and Dick Vermeil earned his first Super Bowl win.
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2. 2000 European Championship final – July 2, 2000 in Netherlands – France 2, Italy 1 (extra time)
Two years after France won the World Cup at home, defeating defending champion and favoured Brazil, the French side found itself in another major football championship game. In a tightly-contested affair France trailed the Italians 1-0 after Marco Delvecchio scored in the 55th minute and held that lead all the way until injury time.
As Italian players and fans across the world prepared to celebrate their first major title since 1982, France’s Sylvain Wiltord directed a low drive past Italian goalkeeper Francesco Toldo in the 94th minute to dramatically send the game to extra time. The French completed the stunning comeback with a golden goal David Trezeguet in the 103rd minute, and France hoisted a second straight international trophy.
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3. 88th Grey Cup – Nov. 26, 2000 in Calgary – Lions 28, Alouettes 26
Not to be outdone by its American couterpart, Canadian football’s championship game 10 months later was just as thrilling.
It was the first Grey Cup the Montreal Alouettes would appear in since returning to the CFL and the first of seven in the decade in which they would participate. Montreal was the favourite after finishing first in the East with a 12-6 record, while the Lions were 8-10 and needed to upset the Eskimos and Stampeders en route to the big game.
The Lions carried a 12-10 lead into the fourth quarter, which saw each team score two touchdowns and a field goal. When B.C. kicker Lui Passaglia hit a 29-yard field goal with 1:25 left, the Lions held an eight-point lead. Anthony Calvillo promptly found receiver Ben Cahoon, who ran fifty-nine yards for a touchdown with 44 seconds left.
The Alouettes needed a two-point conversion to tie and likely send the game into overtime, but it failed when Calvillo’s pass went over the head of a falling Thomas Haskins. Montreal’s hopes were extinguished when they were unable to recover an onside kick, and the Lions became the first team ever to finish under .500 in the regular season yet go on to hoist the Grey Cup.
4. 2001 World Series Game 7 – Nov. 4, 2001 in Phoenix – Diamondbacks 3, Yankees 2
The New York Yankees, three-time defending champions and winners of the four of the past five World Series, took on the Arizona Diamondbacks in their first appearance in the Fall Classic. It was a game marvelously pitched by aces Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling, who pitched on three days’ rest after starting Game 4, and the game was tied at one after seven innings.
In the top of the eighth, Schilling, who was dominant in two previous starts in the series, surrendered a solo home run to Alfonso Soriano for the go-ahead run. Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly sent in Johnson, the previous night’s starter, who ended up recording the final four outs for Arizona.
With a one-run lead entering the bottom of the eighth, Yankees manager Joe Torre brought in the previously unflappable closer Mariano Rivera for a two-inning save and he promptly struck out the side. New York looked poised to win a fourth straight Fall Classic.
However things unraveled for New York in the bottom of the ninth. Rivera gave up a leadoff hit to Mark Grace then shockingly made errant throw to second base on a bunt attempt by Damian Miller, which put two runners on. Tony Womack hit a double down the right-field line to tie the score, and after Rivera hit Craig Counsell to load the bases Luis Gonzalez hit a bloop single over over a drawn-in infield and Jay Bell came jogging home with his arms raised as the Diamondbacks won their first championship. Schilling and Johnson were named World Series co-MVPs.
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5. 2002 women’s gold-medal game – Feb. 23, 2002 in Salt Lake City – Canada 3, USA 2
In a game that had as many Canadian fans in the stands as Americans, Team Canada faced a tough test against a U.S. squad that had beaten them eight straight times, including a win over them in the gold-medal game in 1998 in Nagano.
Canada got on the board first in the opening two minutes when Caroline Ouellette stuffed one in. Team USA tied it on the power play early in the second, but Hayley Wickenheiser put the Canadians ahead again a couple of minutes later. With the game looking like it would be a tight one heading into the final frame, Jayna Hefford scored on a breakaway with one second left to give them a two-goal cushion.
Kim St. Pierre continue to make dazzling saves in the third and Canada held off a frantic U.S. squad for the most part, conceding one goal with just over four minutes left. But that was as close as the Americans would come as the Canadian women beat the men to the punch in earning the Maple Leaf its first Olympic hockey gold in 50 years. It was a game filled with chippy penalties, lots of physicality and plenty of dramatic moments, and it has been voted one of the best games in the nation’s history.
6. 2002 men’s gold-medal game – Feb. 24, 2002 in Salt Lake City – Canada 5, USA 2
Both teams came into this tournament after frustrating results at the previous Olympics — the first to include NHL players — as Canada suffered a shocking defeat to eventual champion Czech Republic in the bronze-medal game and ended up finishing off the podium, while the U.S. were eliminated even prior to that (and some took their frustrations out on their hotel rooms!)
In this game, Team USA went ahead early as Tony Amonte scored on an odd-man break. Canada knotted the game at one shortly after on an unforgettable play — Paul Kariya took a pass from Chris Pronger down the left wing and buried it past the U.S. goalie, but only after Mario Lemieux, who was skating down the middle, faked a one-timer and instead let the puck continue through his legs to Kariya.
The two clubs would exchange goals — Jarome Iginla first, then Brian Rafalski for the U.S. — before Joe Sakic put Canada up by one as they headed to the third period.
Canada began to pull away late when Martin Brodeur made a stretching pad save on a power play and Canada rushed down the ice to score for a two-goal lead. Sakic clinched it with his second of the game in the final two minutes, and Team Canada had finally captured that elusive gold.
Following the Games, executive director Wayne Gretzky recovered a “lucky loonie” Canadian icemaker Trent Evans had buried under centre ice.
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7. The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 finale – Apr. 9, 2005 in Las Vegas – Griffin defeats Bonnar
In what is considered to be the most important mixed martial arts fight in the history of the sport, the first meeting between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar to decide the newly established title of “Ultimate Fighter” was a three-round bruiser. The highly entertaining slugfest showcased MMA in the best light and opened the masses to a new form of combat sports, while likely saving the UFC itself from going under.
Recently named the greatest fight in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the main event of TUF Season 1 saw Griffin eke out a unanimous decision (29-28 on all scorecards), earning him a six-figure contract in the organization, and he would go on to later become light-heavyweight champion. For his efforts Bonnar was also given a UFC contract. The fighting world would never be the same.
8. 2007 Eastern Conference finals Game 5 – May 31, 2007 in Detroit – Cavs 109, Pistons 107 (2OT)
In LeBron James’ first trip to the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals, his Cavaliers faced the Pistons and were looking for revenge after being ousted from the playoffs in the second round the previous year by Detroit.
The first four games were won by the home team, which set up a crucial Game 5 in Detroit. In a tight back-and-forth contest in which neither team led by more than eight points, the teams entered the fourth tied at 70. With the Cavs trailing by five with three minutes to play, James took over, scoring 29 of his team’s final 30 points. He had two driving dunks in the last minute, including one with nine second left that forced overtime, and he scored all 23 points for Cleveland in two overtime.
His layup with two seconds left in the second extra period lifted the Cavs to the stunning road win and the series lead. James finished with a franchise playoff-record 48 points, including his team’s final 27. After trailing 2-0 in the series, they would go on to win it in six. While Cleveland would fall to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA finals, a star was clearly born.
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9. 2008 Stanley Cup final Game 5 – June 2, 2008 in Detroit – Penguins 4, Red Wings 3 (3OT)
With the veteran Detroit Red Wings up 3-1 in the series against the upstart Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit had a chance to return as Stanley Cup champions for the first time in seven years and it appeared Pittsburgh was overmatched despite their presence of young guns Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and soon-to-be-free-agent Marian Hossa, acquired in a trade-deadline deal with Atlanta.
Hossa opened the scoring midway through the first period, and Adam Hall made it 2-0 for the Penguins before the end of the frame. But Detroit came storming back with three straight goals (Darren Helm, Pavel Datsyuk, and Brian Rafalski) and held a one-goal lead all the way to the final moments of the third period.
With the fans at the Joe Louis Arena bursting to celebrate a championship on home ice, Maxime Talbot spoiled the party, scoring with 34.3 seconds to send the game into overtime. It was only the second time in NHL history that a team avoided elimination in the final by scoring in the last minute.
After the first two overtime periods couldn’t produce a winner, Pittsburgh’s Petr Sykora, who between periods told his teammates he was going to score, put the game-winner top shelf past Chris Osgood on the power-play at 9:57, forcing the series back to Pittsburgh. It was the fifth-longest game in Cup final history and the first to see one team have three power plays in overtime. Malkin got an assist for his first point of the series and Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made 55 saves, including 24 in overtime.
Pittsburgh would go on to lose the final at home in Game 6, but this game was the most memorable, if even for the determination displayed by both teams, and has been voted the best hockey game of the decade. Perhaps it even provided an extra boost of confidence for the Penguins, who would go on to beat the Red Wings in seven games in the Cup final the following year.
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10. 2008 Wimbledon final – July 6, 2008 – Rafael Nadal defeats Roger Federer
The Wimbledon final between rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, meeting for the third straight year to decide the champion, had all the storylines. Federer was going for his record-tying sixth straight Wimbledon title, while Nadal was trying to win his first at the All-England club. Federer had won a record five straight grass-court tournaments and had yet to lose a set on his run to the final. He was also on a 65-match win streak on grass. Nadal, meanwhile, was riding a 23-match winning streak, which included his first career grass-court title. But the four-time French Open champion had yet to win a Grand Slam not played on clay.
It started off well for Nadal, who went up 2-0 in sets (with matching 6-4 scores). But Federer, who would convert just one of 13 break points in the entire match, won the next two sets in tiebreaks (7-5 and 10-8). Then came the epic fifth set. Both players held serve through the first 12 games, forcing them to continue game-by-game in near darkness (no fifth-set tiebreak at Wimbledon). With the set deadlocked at 7-7, Nadal managed the first service break when world No. 1 Federer committed a forehand error and the No. 2-ranked Nadal won the championship when held serve for a 9-7 score in the fifth set.
It was the longest final in terms of time in the history of the tournament, at four hours, 48 minutes. Nadal became the first to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back since Bjorn Borg in 1980. (Note: Federer would take part in another epic five-setter in the final of Wimbledon the following year, this time he was a winner over Andy Roddick. But the 2008 final was more dramatic and the storylines were greater.)
BONUS GAMES
We decided to give you two more games as they made for nice bookends to the decade.
11. Super Bowl XLIII – Feb. 1, 2009 – Steelers 27, Cardinals 23
In the 2009 championship game, Kurt Warner ironically found himself in a similar situation to his first Super Bowl (see No. 1). This time, quarterbacking a different team, the Arizona Cardinals, he found Larry Fitzgerald for a 63-yard touchdown to give the Arizona Cardinals their first lead of the game with just over two minutes to play in the 4th quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Unfortunately for Warner, the result went the other way as his defence gave up the full 100 yards when Santonio Holmes caught a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger in the corner of the end zone. Pittsburgh won its NFL-record sixth title in a game that also featured the longest play in Super Bowl history (a 100-yard interception return by Steelers’ James Harrison in the second quarter) and halted the Cardinals’ unexpected playoff run.
12. 97th Grey Cup – Nov. 29, 2009 – Alouettes 28, Roughriders 27
In an eerily similar fashion as in the case of the Super Bowl, the bookend Grey Cup for the decade saw Anthony Calvillo and the Alouettes in the exact same situation as his first championship game, needing a two-point conversion to tie with under two minutes to play. This came after the heavily favoured Als rallied from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter to score the potential tying touchdown with less than two minutes to play.
Again Montreal failed to convert and appeared on their way to yet another heartbreaking loss in a Grey Cup. Only this time they got the ball back and were able to get the winning field goal with no time left. Of course, that only came after Alouettes kicker Damon Duval missed but was given another chance as Saskatchewan was called for 13 men on the field when. He made good on his second attempt from 10 yards closer for the victory. The manner in which the game ended makes it perhaps the most-talked about Grey Cup of all time if not one of the greatest of the decade.