Detroit Red Wings: Top 25 Goals of All-Time
Youngsters often dream of making it to the NHL. From there, they dream of their first NHL goal and then the series-winning goal in the Stanley Cup Finals. While those achievements are special, there are many goals and achievements that are not forgotten in the great game of hockey.
Many different goals by many different players account for moments only they will never forget.
Many legendary goals have been scored in the NHL, from Wayne Gretzky’s 802nd goal to the Cup-winning goal from Patrick Kane in 2010. Then, there are the first NHL goals scored by a player that some of us may have never heard of, but to him, it is a moment of a lifetime.
One of the original six franchises, the Detroit Red Wings, has seen several goals scored that have been placed in Red Wings history. Those goals have not always been scored by NHL Hall of Famers, but sometimes it is the player who only gets a few minutes of ice time but makes those minutes count.
Here are the top 25 goals of all-time for the Detroit Red Wings.
With legendary and iconic players such as Steve Yzerman and Gordie Howe, memorable goals are almost a given with these two Hall of Famers on the ice. However, former Red Wings forwards, like Darren Helm, have scored important goals as well.
From the first goals in Red Wings history to the last goal of a player’s career, we will look at the top 25 goals in franchise history.
While there are many choices for best all-time goals, we limit the choice to just 25. Enjoy the list as we go down memory lane and look back at some of the most iconic goals in Red Wings’ history.
Most players on this list have moved on, but their moments will never be forgotten. Some of these goals are not just special in the history of the Red Wings but are memorable in NHL history as well. Every goal scored is special. However, some goals have places in history, as some below do.
The players who scored the goals below have a place in franchise history as some of the players who have laid the groundwork for young stars like forward Lucas Raymond and defenseman Moritz Seider, who already have some highlight reel goals in their back pocket.
Some of the goals below will bring back memories of your first NHL game or favorite memories.
Number 1
Steve Yzerman was already a legend in Red Wings history but the goal he scored on May 16, 1996 will forever live in the minds of Red Wings fans.
Against the St. Louis Blues, Yzerman stole the puck away from Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky and skated up the right side with speed. As soon as Yzerman got over the blueline, he wound up and blasted a slap shot over the blocker side of Blues goaltender Jon Casey to give Detroit the game seven, double overtime win.
The Red Wings would advance to the Western Conference Finals with that goal but would lose to the Colorado Avalanche.
Number 2
Game four of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers saw tough guy Darren McCarty score one of the nicest goals ever by a Red Wing.
McCarty gets the puck from Tomas Sandstrom and skates through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone. After he hits the blueline, he is met by Flyers defenseman Janne Niinimaa, whom McCarty dekes out of his skates and moves in on goaltender Ron Hextall.
He easily puts a move on Hextall, to which McCarty puts the puck into the open net, with assists going to Sandstrom and Yzerman. The game-winning goal gives Detroit the win and the Stanley Cup.
Number 3
On December 2, 1995, we would see one of the wildest games in NHL history between the Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens. Slava Kozlov would score four goals, including the game-winning goal from Igor Larionov and Vladimir Konstantinov.
Sergei Fedorov would score five points on one goal and four assists en route to an 11-1 Red Wings win in Montreal. In addition to the big win, Detroit chases Hall of Fame netminder Patrick Roy from the net. This would be the last game that Roy played for the Canadiens.
Number 4
On March 14, 1962, Gordie Howe would score the 500th goal of his NHL career. This historic goal would come on New York Rangers netminder Turk Broda as the Red Wings would lose this contest 3-2 in Madison Square Garden.
Howe becomes the second player in history to achieve the feat of 500 goals, only behind Maurice”Rocket” Richard.
Number 5
Center Steve Yzerman scores his 500th goal, a power play goal, in a 3-2 win versus Colorado. Yzerman becomes the second Red Wing player behind Gordie Howe to score 500 in a Red Wings jersey.
Yzerman would get the memorable goal on a backhander in front of the net off of a rebound.
Number 6
Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood would score his first NHL goal on March 6, 1996, against the Hartford Whalers in Detroit. The puck made its way to Osgood, who cradled the puck with his stick and shot it down the ice and into the empty net.
He would go on to be one of the more consistent goaltenders in Detroit history, not to mention he also has three Stanley Cup rings.
Number 7
On February 3, 1944, Detroit forward Syd Howe would score an unheard-of six goals against the New York Rangers and goaltender Ken McAuley. Detroit would go on to win the game 12-3 as they tied a record for most goals in a game.
Howe would score the game-winning goal in front of the Olympia Stadium crowd. Linemate Don Grosso assisted on five of the six goals scored by Howe.
Number 8
Defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom would score a hat trick with each goal coming a different way. He scored the goals against the St. Louis Blues on December 15, 2010, against goaltender Jaroslav Halak.
The 40-year-old Lidstrom scored an even-strength goal, a power play goal, and an empty-net goal with 30 seconds left to secure the hat trick.
Number 9
Mickey Redmond becomes the first player in franchise history to score 50 goals in a season as he scored two in an 8-2 win in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. He scored his 50th goal against goaltender Ron Low and scored number 51 only 18 seconds later.
Redmond would go on to score many goals for the Red Wings as he would go down as one of the best goal scorers in franchise history.
Number 10
Sergei Fedorov scores all five goals in a 5-4 win against the Washington Capitals on December 26, 1996. He would become the first player in NHL history to score all the team’s goals when at least five are scored.
Fedorov scored the fifth goal on a wrist shot in overtime to win the game on a pass from Vladimir Konstantinov.
Number 11
Forward Frank Carson scores the first goal in Red Wings history, a 3-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on November 10, 1932.
The first-ever franchise goal scored by Carson was assisted on by Larry Aurie and would be the first of two for Carson, including the game-winner. In his career, Carson would score 22 goals and 22 assists for 44 points, and 72 penalty minutes, in 92 games.
Number 12
Former Red Wings forward Riley Sheahan scores the last goal ever at Joe Louis Arena and finishes with two goals in the game. Sheahan, not known for his goal-scoring ability, was responsible for half of the Red Wing’s goals in a 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.
Number 13
Former Red Wing Anthony Mantha scores the first goal ever in Little Caesars Arena on October 5, 2017, in a 4-2 win against the Minnesota Wild.
The goal came in the second period as Mantha was stationed near the net when he was able to shove a rebound past goaltender Devan Dubnyk off of a Martin Frk blast on a 5-on-3 power play.
Number 14
Gordie Howe scored his first NHL goal in a 3-3 tie with the Toronto Maple Leafs at Olympia Stadium. Howe, wearing number 17 instead of his famous number 9, scored against Turk Broda, with assists going to Sid Abel and Andy Brown.
Number 15
Steve Yzerman would score his first NHL goal in a 6-6 tie against the Winnipeg Jets at the Winnipeg Arena on October 5, 1983. The assists on the Yzerman goal go to Eddie Johnstone and Bob Manno.
Yzerman would go on to have a Hall of Fame career in Detroit, then become general manager three years ago.
Number 16
Nicklas Lidstrom score his first NHL goal on October 17, 1991, in the second period against the St. Louis Blues and goaltender Vincent Riendeau.
The power-play goal would come in a 6-3 win at the Joe Louis Arena with assists going to Jimmy Carson and Steve Chiasson. Lidstrom was only starting his Hall of Fame career as he would score many more goals in a Detroit uniform.
Number 17
Nicklas Lidstrom becomes Detroit’s all-time leading goal scorer among defensemen, scoring goal number 189 on April 15, 2006. The goal was assisted by Tomas Holmstrom and Henrik Zetterberg. The goal resulted in a 3-2 win in St. Louis.
Number 18
Red Wing Pete Kelly would score the 1936 Stanley Cup-clinching goal on April 11, 1936, in Maple Leaf Gardens. Kelly scored in the third period, assisted by Herbie Lewis. Normie Smith, gets the win in the net, while Maple Leaf George Hainsworth takes the loss.
Detroit would win the series 3-1 for the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Number 19
Steve Yzerman sets the single-season Red Wings goal-scoring record with 65 goals in the 1988-89 season. Yzerman would have the best NHL season of his career, scoring 65 goals and adding 90 assists for 155 points.
Those goals came in a variety of ways, including 45 at even strength, 17 power-play goals, 3 short-handed goals, 7 game-winning goals, and 2 overtime goals. The 65th goal was a power-play goal scored in the second period and assists went to Steve Chiasson and Adam Oates.
Number 20
Gordie Howe scores his last goal as a member of the Red Wings on April 3, 1971, versus Chicago in a 4-1 loss. The goal came in the second period, with assists going to Don Luce and Jim Niekamp. The even-strength goal came in typical Gordie fashion, coming within 30 feet of the net.
Number 21
Steve Yzerman scored his last NHL goal on April 3, 2006, at Joe Louis Arena in a 2-1 win against the Minnesota Wild.
After an initial shot in the offensive zone, there was a scramble in front in which Yzerman put the puck behind goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff with a quick wrist shot, and the assist went to Pavel Datsyuk.
Number 22
Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom would score his last NHL goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 16, 2012, at Joe Louis Arena. the goal from the offensive defenseman would come in the second period with assists going to Ian White and Henrik Zetterberg.
Number 23
The last goal at the Olympia would come on December 15, 1979, in a 4-4 tie. The goal was scored by Greg Joly, his second of the season, and the assist went to Paul Woods.
Joe Louis Arena would make its debut in 1979 at the cost of $57 million and would be the home of the Red Wings until 2017 when Little Casers arena opened its doors.
Number 24
Henrik Zetterberg would score his last NHL goal as a member of the Red Wings on April 7, 2018, in a 4-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The goal was scored at Little Casers arena and the assist went to Gustav Nyquist.
Related Story. Montreal Canadiens: The Top 5 Captains of All-Time. light
Number 25
Gustav Nyquist scored the last goal the last time the Red Wings made the playoffs. That occurred against the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 19, 2016, when the Lightning ended up winning the series 4 games to 1. Assisting on the second-period goal was forward Riley Sheahan.