This Date In Sports History: Steve Yzerman Scores Final Regular Season Goal Of His NHL Career

By Jordan Long

Steve Yzerman had a Hockey Hall of Fame career.  He scored 692 goals and added 1,063 assists for a total of 1,755 points, all for the Detroit Red Wings. His career spanned 22 years.  The Red Wings made the playoffs 20 times with him while winning 3 Stanley Cups.  On this date back in 2006, Yzerman scored his final regular season goal ever.

                The Detroit Red Wings headed into Calgary to face the Flames. The Red Wings were 51-15-8 while the Flames stood at 42-24-8.  This game could have been a preview of the Western Conference Final if both teams were to make it that far.  The Flames were in control of the Northwest Division while the Red Wings sat in 1^st place in the Central Division.

                Calgary started Miikka Kiprusoff in goal while Detroit went with there veteran in Chris Osgood. On paper, it was going to be a low scoring game.  Neither one of these goalies usually allowed many goals to go through them.    It took a lucky bounce or a tip-in for the puck to go through.

                The Flames scored first with 40 seconds left in the first period.  Defenseman Dion Phaneuf was credited with the goal.  With 6 minutes and 12 seconds gone in the second period, Detroit evened things up with a goal from Steve Yzerman for his 14^th of the year. At the time, nobody knew that would be his last goal scored in the regular season.    In the third period, each team had chances but couldn’t score.  The goaltenders stood on their heads to stop scoring opportunities and the game went to a shootout.  The Red Wings were victorious and improved their record to 52-15-8 while Calgary dropped to 42-24-9.

                The Red Wings and the Flames made the postseason.  The success in the regular season didn’t carry over to the postseason for either team.  Detroit was bounced in the 1^st-round by the Edmonton Oilers in 6 games.  The Oilers managed to go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final only to be beaten by the Carolina Hurricanes in 7 games.  Meanwhile, Calgary dropped game 7 of the 1^st-round to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim by the score of 3-0. Yzerman would retire from the NHL after the postseason ending one of the best careers in Detroit history.  He was then inducted in the NHL Hall of Fame in 2009.