The 2000 Stanley Cup Championship

Lore & Background

The Devils were led by captain Scott Stevens, head coach Larry Robinson and goaltender Martin Brodeur. The Stars were led by captain Derian Hatcher, head coach Ken Hitchcock and goaltender Ed Belfour. This was the first of two Stanley Cup Finals where two relocated teams faced each other; the other being in 2001. Despite New Jersey being a lower seed in conference play (4) than Dallas (2), New Jersey's 103 points were one more than Dallas, giving them home-ice advantage in the series. The Devils won the Cup in game six on a one-timer goal by Jason Arnott in double overtime. It was their second Stanley Cup overall and first since 1995.

Reader's Guide

Game one: Petr Sykora and Jason Arnott each recorded 4 points for New Jersey, and Ken Daneyko scored his first goal of the playoffs. Ed Belfour was replaced in the third period by Manny Fernandez after allowing 6 goals on 18 shots. New Jersey won 7–3, taking a 1–0 series lead. Game two: Brett Hull scored twice, including the game winner with 4:16 remaining in regulation. Ed Belfour made 27 saves in a 2–1 Dallas win, tying the series. Game three: After a 1–1 tie in the first period, Petr Sykora scored the game-winning goal on a power play in the second period, and Martin Brodeur made 22 saves in a 2–1 Devils victory, giving them a 2–1 series lead. Game four: After the Stars took a 1–0 lead in the second period, the Devils capitalized three times in the third period due to defensive errors by Dallas to take a 3–1 series lead. Game five: With Dallas facing elimination, both goaltenders remained unbeatable, setting a new record for the longest scoreless tie in a Stanley Cup Final game (106:21). Mike Modano scored the game-winning goal at 6:21 of the third overtime, deflecting a shot from Brett Hull past Martin Brodeur, giving the Stars a 1–0 victory and forcing a sixth game. Game six: A scoreless first period gave way to both teams scoring a goal in the span of 69 seconds. Neither scored in the third period. The first overtime saw no scoring, but in double overtime, Jason Arnott scored the game-winning goal past Ed Belfour to win the game for the Devils and give them their second Stanley Cup in five years. Scott Stevens was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Historical Context and Matchup Dynamics

The 2000 Stanley Cup Final marked a unique chapter in NHL history as the first championship series contested entirely between relocated franchises. The New Jersey Devils, representing the Eastern Conference, faced off against the Western Conference champion Dallas Stars, who were also the defending champions from the previous year. This matchup highlighted a shifting landscape in professional hockey where teams had successfully rebuilt their identities after moving cities. Both clubs entered the Final with significant momentum; Dallas had secured the Pacific Division title and defeated the Colorado Avalanche in a grueling seven-game conference final rematch. Meanwhile, New Jersey overcame substantial odds as the fourth seed, famously rallying from a 3-1 deficit against the top-seeded Philadelphia Flyers to reach the championship round. The series featured legendary goaltenders Martin Brodeur for New Jersey and Ed Belfour for Dallas, alongside head coaches Larry Robinson and Ken Hitchcock respectively. Ultimately, the Devils' victory was historic not only for their second title but also because it represented a rare instance where two teams that had previously won Cups after relocation met in the final battle.

The Road to the Championship

The real test came in the Eastern Conference Finals against top-seeded Philadelphia; trailing three games to one, New Jersey forced a Game Seven and became the first expansion-era team to rally past that deficit after the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Dallas cut through Edmonton and San Jose with five-game series before surviving another seven-battle war against Colorado. Even though Dallas held their division title, New Jersey's higher point total earned them home-ice advantage in the Final. That edge mattered: the Devils seized early momentum to set up a wild finish.

Pivotal Moments and Game Decisions

The six-game series was characterized by intense goaltending battles and narrow margins that defined the outcome. New Jersey opened strong with a decisive 7-3 victory in Game One, where Petr Sykora and Jason Arnott combined for eight points while Ed Belfour struggled before being replaced by Manny Fernandez. Dallas responded immediately in Game Two, with Brett Hull scoring twice to secure a vital 2-1 win that tied the series. The Devils regained control in Games Three and Four, capitalizing on defensive errors from Dallas to take a commanding 3-1 lead. However, desperation struck in Game Five, which became infamous for setting a new record as the longest scoreless tie in Final history at over one hour and forty-six minutes before Mike Modano scored in the third overtime to keep Dallas alive. The series concluded in double overtime of Game Six, where Jason Arnott deflected a shot past Belfour to seal the championship. This victory capped off Scott Stevens' dominant performance, earning him the Conn Smythe Trophy for his unmatched physicality and leadership.

Legacy, Records, and Engraving

The 2000 Final reshaped records for both clubs. For Dallas, losing meant becoming the first defending champion since 1984 to fall in the Finals, a pattern that continued before their next run in 2020. On the Devils' side, this win locked in their status as era-defining contenders, making it two Cups in five years under Larry Robinson's command. The Trophy engraving told its own story: while Scott Stevens accepted the Cup from Commissioner Gary Bettman, New Jersey successfully lobbied for special exemptions to add four players who fell short of standard playing-time rules due to regular-season or playoff absences. Krzysztof Oliwa also etched his name in history as the first Polish-born and trained player to claim a Stanley Cup, doing so despite missing the entire postseason with an injury. This series proves how chaotic play-offs can get when you have a team built to survive any city.

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