On May 16, 1996, then Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman scored one of the iconic goals in the modern history of the franchise.

Game 7.  Joe Louis Arena.  Double Overtime.

A rare bad touch from Wayne Gretzky, the Great One a St. Louis Blue.  Yzerman grabbed the loose puck and set off right, in no real hurry.  He looked intent on rimming the puck into the Blues zone, but instead, as he crosses the blue line, he winds.  And fires.  And his aim is true.  Ken Kal’s voice cracks as he cries out the word “scores” over the radio.

Our ‘Best of’ series continues! In place of tonight’s scheduled game, we’ve got: The #BestOfDRWvsSTL.

First: May 16, 1996 Steve Yzerman scored the winning goal at 1:15 of the second OT as Detroit won 1-0 over the visiting St. Louis Blues, in Game 7 of the WCSF. pic.twitter.com/1c3WcWWIhS

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 31, 2020

The moment is iconic in part because the camerawork from ESPN is nothing less than perfect.  A low camera behind the end boards is trained up at Yzerman.  It shows his ease through the neutral zone, then his windup, then the brilliant trajectory of his shot—whizzing past the ankle of defenseman Murray Baron and over the blocker of goaltender Jon Casey, who never had a chance.

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Of course, as Red Wings fans well know, Yzerman’s goal—iconic though it was—didn’t come in a championship run.  Instead, Detroit fell in six games to the Colorado Avalanche (who went on to win the Stanley Cup), allowing a narrative to persist Yzerman, despite his heroics, wasn’t suited to winning hockey.  A narrative Yzerman wouldn’t be able to fully put to rest for another year when he would capture the Cup for the first time.

What is your favorite Red Wings goal from the 25-year playoff streak?  Yzerman versus the Blues?  Darren McCarty versus the Flyers?  Darren Helm versus the Blackhawks?  Or something else entirely?  Let us know in the comments.

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