ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, April 13, 1996 TAG: 9604150061
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DETROIT
SOURCE: Associated Press
The Detroit Red Wings became the first team in NHL history to win 61 games in a season with a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.
Paul Coffey scored two goals as the Red Wings rallied from a 3-1 second-period deficit to surpass the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens for most victories.
The Red Wings also matched the NHL record of 36 home wins in a season, set by the 1975-76 Philadelphia Flyers. The Red Wings, who went 5-0-1 against Chicago, have one game remaining, Sunday at Dallas. Detroit opens the Western Conference playoffs Wednesday night at Joe Louis Arena.
The Red Wings (61-13-7) can't surpass the Canadiens' point total in '76-77. Montreal finished 60-8-12 that season, for 132 points.
The dominant Montreal teams of the 1970s won four consecutive Stanley Cup championships. The Red Wings haven't won the Cup in 41 years, the longest drought in the NHL.
Still, their march on history hardly seemed possible six months ago. The Red Wings opened 5-5-2, but have lost only eight games since. There have been a pair of nine-game winning steaks, two 10-game unbeaten streaks and one 13-game unbeaten streak. The Red Wings have defeated every NHL team this season.
Igor Larionov and Keith Primeau also scored for Detroit. Steve Dubinsky, Tony Amonte and Joe Murphy scored for Chicago.
With a little more than a minute left in the game, fans began chanting ``61, 61.'' Detroit then clinched it on Kris Draper's empty-net goal with 44 seconds remaining.
LENGTH: Short : 39 linesby CNB