The year is almost over but 2018 was jam-packed with amazing sports stories. From Canada winning a record number of medals at the Winter Olympics to the World Cup and more, SportsCentre takes a look back at the top 10 storylines from 2018.

10. McDavid unofficially-officially becomes the best NHL player

Sidney Crosby has long been considered the NHL’s best player. However, Connor McDavid’s performance in 2018 had him surpassing Crosby in the eyes of many.

The Edmonton Oilers captain racked up individual accolades as the 21-year-old continued to stake his claim as the best in the game.

Despite the Oilers missing the playoffs, McDavid had his second straight 100+ point season (41 goals, 67 assists for 108 points) as he won his second straight Art Ross trophy of his career. He also added another Ted Lindsay Award as the best player voted by the NHLPA to his collection and was named to the first All-Star team for the second year in a row.

 

9. WJHC Canada wins gold

A year after losing in the gold-medal game to the United States in Montreal, Canada found themselves back in the World Junior Championship final in Buffalo. This time they were facing Sweden, who had a perfect run in the tournament, plus the pressure of trying to win their first gold medal since 2015.

Deadlocked with the minutes ticking down, Tyler Steenburgen took a pass from Conor Timmins and scored with a 1:40 left in regulation. Until that goal, Steenbergen was the only Canadian forward who hadn’t scored yet in the tournament.  

An empty-netter from Alex Formenton sealed a 3-1 win for the Canadians, as they won a record 17th gold medal at the WJC.

 

8. UFC 229

In one of the most hyped UFC events in history, the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia took on Irishman Conor McGregor in UFC 229. Nurmagomedov got the best of McGregor as he took him down in round four at 3:03 by submission to maintain his first perfect record in the UFC Lightweight Championship.

Heading into the fight, Nurmagomedov had an undefeated record of 26-0, while McGregor was the first fighter to win titles in two divisions at the same time.

The match was somewhat overshadowed by what happened after the main event. Seconds after his win, Nurmagomedov climbed out of the octagon and charged towards McGregor’s cornerman. McGregor and Abubakar Nurmagomedov also tried to climb out but a scuffle broke out between them. Back in the octagon, McGregor was then attacked by two of Nurmagomedov’s cornermen. Both Nurmagomedov and McGregor received 10-day suspensions with additional hearings for their actions.

 

7. Stamps win Grey Cup

It was third time’s a charm for the Calgary Stampeders as they won the 106th Grey Cup after losses in the final the last two years.

The Stamps beat the Ottawa Redblacks 27-16 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton to win the franchise’s eighth Grey Cup. 

Starting his fourth Grey Cup final in five seasons, Stamps QB Bo Levi Mitchell won his second career CFL championship and his second playoff MVP award. 

 

6. Winter Olympics

Canada won a record 29 medals (11 gold, eight silver, 10 bronze) to finish third overall at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, surpassing the 26 won in 2010 in Vancouver.

More history was made along the way for Canada as ice dance pair Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir became the first ever figure skaters to win five Olympic medals. They also set a world record for most total points in an ice dance competition with 206.07. 

Snowboarder Sebastian Toutant’s gold medal in big air men’s snowboarding was Canada’s 500th medal in the history of the Olympic Games. 

 

5. World Cup

After Germany won in 2014, the World Cup would stay in Europe for another four years as France won the 2018 FIFA World Cup 4-2 over Croatia. 

France finished atop Group C in first place with two wins and one draw. In the knockout stage, France defeated Argentina, Uruguay and Belgium to set up a date with Croatia in the final, who went a perfect 3-0 in Group D.

It was France’s second ever title, and their first since 1998. Antoine Griezmann took home the Bronze Ball and Silver Boot awards for the French with Kylian Mbappe winning Best Young Player.

 

4. Vegas inaugural season

The Vegas Golden Knights made history in their inaugural season as an NHL expansion team. As a team made up of players their original teams were willing to give up, expectations were low heading into the season. The Golden Knights would smash the critics’ predictions as they ascended to the top of the NHL standings.

They set an NHL record for points for an expansion franchise in its inaugural season, finishing their first season with 109 points thanks to a 51-24-7 record. They won the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl as the Western Conference champions and made it to the Stanley Cup final before falling to the Washington Capitals in five games.

The Golden Knights also made an impression at the NHL Awards as head coach Gerard Gallant and general manager George McPhee won the Jack Adams Award and NHL General Manager of the Year Award respectively. William Karlsson won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy with Deryk Engelland also taking home the Mark Messier Leadership Award.

 

3. Eagles defeat Patriots to win Super Bowl

The Philadelphia Eagles, led by Nick Foles in his second stint with the Eagles, marched to their first Super Bowl in franchise history, taking down the reigning champion New England Patriots.

After Eagles starting QB Carson Wentz tore his ACL in Week 14, Foles took over the starting job and didn’t look back. In the playoffs, the Eagles beat the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings on their journey to the Super Bowl.

In the title game, Foles threw for 373 yards, three touchdowns and caught a TD pass to earn him Super Bowl MVP honours. He also became the first backup QB to start and win a Super Bowl since Tom Brady (who backed up Drew Bledsoe) in 2002.

 

2. Tiger’s Comeback

Going into 2018, Tiger Woods was nowhere close to his former glory, having not won a major golf championship since 2008. Major injuries, including spinal fusion surgery, and personal issues off the course took their toll as Tiger became a shell of his former self. 

But Tiger made his comeback in 2018. He tied for second at the Valspar Championship, his first top-five finish on the PGA tour since 2013. He also finished as runner-up at the 2018 PGA Championship, which was his best result in a major since 2009 and his final round of 64 was his best ever final round in a major. For the first time in five years, Tiger won a championship by taking the Tour Championship in September.

Tiger was ranked 656th in the world golf rankings at the end of 2017. By December of 2018, he climbed back up to 13th. 

 

1. Ovechkin and the Caps win Stanley Cup

After 13 seasons in the NHL and a host of individual awards to his name, there was the lingering question of whether Alexander Ovechkin had it in him to lead his team to a Stanley Cup. In 2018, Ovechkin answered that doubt with a career-defining playoff performance.

Ovechkin finally won a Stanley Cup and the first in Washington Capitals history. The Caps defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets and archrival Pittsburgh Penguins in the first two rounds before knocking off the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference final.

The Caps faced the Vegas Golden Knights as they brought Vegas’ Cinderella story to an end after five games. Ovechkin also collected playoff MVP honours, as he was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy.