Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman hold the Detroit Red Wings record in career game-winning goals scored with 121 and 94, respectively. But neither are first or even second in the single-season category.
When you look at the Red Wings all-time single-season leaders in the same stat, Yzerman only appears once. He potted nine of them in 1991-92, and that ties him for ninth all-time. Howe appears more often, but he's no better than No. 3, when he put up 10 of them in 1951-52.
So, if it wasn't Howe or Yzerman, then who? Sergei Fedorov, who sits at No. 1 with 11 game-winners, gets the nod. He passed greats like Howe in 1995-96, before repeating the feat in 2002-03. It's also worth noting that Fedorov tied the record in 1993-94 when he put up 10 before claiming it for himself a few years later.
Detroit Red Wings all-time leading single-season leader in game-winning goals isn't who you think
It's interesting that Fedorov's 1995-96 campaign didn't see him scoring an outrageous number of goals, as he put up 39 of them. Yeah, that's not by any means an easy number for anyone, but just two seasons before, he put up a whopping 56.
So, you'd think he'd have snagged something between 45 and 50 if he reached double-digits in game-winners. Even more interesting is that he was one of the best playmakers in hockey that season with 68 assists, giving him 107 points.
Fast-forward to 2002-03, and Fedorov ended the year with even fewer goals, 36 to be exact. Yet he still snagged 11 game-winners. That came in the season before he left Detroit and joined the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, where he couldn't replicate his success.
Sergei Fedorov was never the same clutch player after his stint in Hockeytown
During his first season in Anaheim, Fedorov snagged six game-winners, and that was as good as it got for him when he wore something other than the Winged Wheel. And to be real, that 2003-04 campaign was his last good year, finishing with 65 points and 31 goals in 80 games.
Overall, Fedorov's career may not have ended the way he wanted it to, but he was a major reason behind the Red Wings success in the 1990s and early 2000s, thanks to his ability for finding ways to pull one goal ahead of opponents when it mattered the most.
Now, the burning question is: Can anyone on the current Red Wings squad threaten Fedorov's record? That'll be fun to watch in the coming years.
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