Daily Faceoff’s Tyler Kuehl compiled a list of Sergei Fedorov’s top 10 moments as a Red Wing, and individually speaking, it’s hard to top his 5-goal night vs. the Washington Capitals in December of 1996:
Five Goals vs. Washington
Of all the accolades that Fedorov brought home during his time wearing the winged wheel, there was one night when everything clicked for him and his closest teammates.
On Dec. 26, 1996, the Red Wings hosted the Capitals (you see a trend of Fedorov with/against the Caps, eh?) and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Jim Carey. Fedorov went off, scoring all five of Detroit’s goals in a thrilling 5-4 overtime win.
It was the second-most goals scored by a Red Wing in a single game, second only to Syd Howe’s six-goal outing 52 years earlier.
While the performance was as much of an accomplishment for Fedorov, it highlighted the power of the Russian 5 – Fedorov, Konstantinov, Igor Larionov, Vyacheslav Kozlov and Vyacheslav Fetisov. Konstantinov picked up four assists in the win. Larionov had a pair of helpers, while Fetisov had an assist as well. The group that first came together during the 1995-96 season ultimately played essential roles in the team’s championship runs in the following years.
Continued; Kuehl weighs both great moments for Fedorov and some not-so-happy times, too.
My favorite Fedorov moment was the game 3 SCF game winning goal against the Capitals. With good ole Gary Thorne on the call… that’s why you pay him a billion dollars!