This Date In Sports History: 1996 Detroit Red Wings Set Record For Most Victories In An NHL Season

By Jordan Long

The 1995-1996 Detroit Red Wings might have been the most dominant team in NHL history to not win a Stanley Cup.  On this date, they won their 62^nd game of the year, the most in NHL history.

                Detroit lost  the Stanley Cup Final in 1995 by being swept by the New Jersey Devils.  In 1996 they were looking for a trip back and this time win it. The Red Wings started the season at 0-1 after a 3-2 loss in Colorado.  That marked the first game for the Avalanche in Colorado.  After the defeat, Detroit won 3 games in a row.  Detroit managed winning streaks of 3, 4, 6 games three times, 7and 9 games twice. It seemed when the Red Wings lost a game, they bounced back to go on to win many games in a row.

                Heading into the final game of the year on this date in 1996, they faced the Dallas Stars.  Detroit already locked up the best record in the NHL and won the NHL Presidents’ Trophy for it.  Detroit wanted to end the season on a high note.  For the Stars, they were going to miss the postseason for the 1^st time in 2 years.  The Stars were hoping to crash the Red Wings hopes of ending with the most wins in NHL history.

                The Red Wings started Chris Osgood.  He was in the midst of his best year in the NHL.  He had already won a career high 38 games and was looking for 39.  On the other side, the Stars went with Darcy Wakaluk.

                Detroit scored first with 5:01 left in the 1^st period.  The goal came from Sergei Fedorov.  Dallas tied the game in the 2^nd period on a power play goal by Jamie Langenbrunner.  Late in the 2^nd period, Detroit regained the lead when Paul Coffey lit the lamp.  Going into the 3^rd and final period,  it looked like we had a battle.

                Detroit took over in the 3^rd scoring 3 times.  The Stars had chances but couldn’t put a puck past Osgood.  The Red Wings won the game 5-1 and set the NHL record for most wins in a single NHL season with 62.

                In the playoffs, Detroit beat Winnipeg in the 1^st-round.  In the 2^nd-round they barely skated past St. Louis in 7 games.  Their top year ended in a game 6 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals.  The Avalanche would go on to win their first Stanley Cup in their franchise history and it was the first major sports championship in Colorado.