Stanley Cup Championship

Lore & Background

The series ended with a controversial triple-overtime goal in game six, when replays showed that Stars forward Brett Hull scored with his skate in the crease. Although the Sabres protested later, the league stated that the goal had been reviewed and was judged as a good goal, since Hull had maintained possession of the puck as it exited the crease just before he shot it. Joe Nieuwendyk was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.

In Their Own Story

The ice at Memorial Auditorium felt colder than usual as overtime stretched on. Brett Hull received a pass in the slot, his eyes fixed on the net where Dominik Hasek stood ready. The shot deflected off his skate and into the corner. Confusion rippled through the arena before the referee signaled goal. In that frozen moment, history was made for the Lone Star State.

Reader's Guide

The Stars entered the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winner for the second consecutive season. They swept the Edmonton Oilers, then defeated the St. Louis Blues in six games, and the Colorado Avalanche in seven games to advance to the Finals. The Sabres entered as the seventh seed, swept the Ottawa Senators, defeated the Boston Bruins in six games, and the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games to reach the Finals. This was Buffalo's first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1975.

Did You Know?

• This was the first Stanley Cup Final to not end in a sweep since 1994.
• It was the longest Cup-winning game in Finals history, and the second-longest Finals game overall.
• The Stars became the second team from a Southern state to reach the Stanley Cup Final, joining the Florida Panthers.
• This was the last championship for a Dallas-based major professional sports team until 2011, when the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in that year's NBA Final.