Is there a more thankless job in the NHL than tending goal? The entire point of the game is to score on you, for one thing, and yet, every time somebody does, people get mad at you.

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What's more, most of the time you make the highlight reel, it's as the guy that got beat. And even when you do make the highlight reel for something you did, some smartass out there is just waiting to point out that you wouldn't have had to make a highlight reel save -- to dive or stretch or reach back or scramble to recover -- if your positioning was better.

So let's say you have impeccable positioning, and your appearances on either end of the highlight reel are sparing as a result. Then you're accused of playing a boring style and nobody likes you.

Seriously, thankless. So let's take a moment to remedy that by appreciating some of the best moments in goaltending in 2012.

And here ... we ... go.

10. Martin Brodeur

Edit: turns out our original number 10, Cam Ward's robbery on Keith Ballard, is from the late stages of 2011 (Harrison, you fool!), which means it's disqualified and our number 11 pick, this scorpion-kick save from Marty Brodeur, finds its way into the top 10. Fine by us, since it's a beautiful stop.

9. Henrik Lundqvist

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There wasn't a pretter suite of saves in 2012 than this trio from Henrik Lundqvist, who robs David Clarkson thrice in spectacular fashion. The first is standard Lundqvistian netminding, as he stands tall and gets his body in front of Clarkson's initial shot. But then he goes into desperation mode, and everything gets sexy. Clarkson goes around the net and tries to wrap the puck home, but Lundqvist reaches back and gets the paddle on it. (To really appreciate this save, you have to watch the super slow-motion replay from this compilation.) Then, Clarkson tries to flip the puck up over Lundqvist's glove, but by this point it should be clear that the puck is not going in. Impeccable netminding here.

8. Tomas Vokoun