# 1999 Stanley Cup Finals

The 1999 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1998–99 season, and the culmination of the 1999 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Eastern Conference champion Buffalo Sabres and the Western Conference champion Dallas Stars. It was the 106th year of the Stanley Cup being contested.
The Sabres were led by captain Michael Peca, head coach Lindy Ruff and goaltender Dominik Hasek. The Stars were led by captain Derian Hatcher, head coach Ken Hitchcock and goaltender Ed Belfour. The Stars defeated the Sabres in six games to win their first Stanley Cup, becoming the eighth post-1967 expansion team to earn a championship, and the first team based in the Southern United States to win the Cup.
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.

## Background

This was the third meeting between teams from Dallas and Buffalo for a major professional sports championship. This previously occurred in two Super Bowls in 1993 and 1994.

### Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo entered the playoffs as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. They first swept the second seeded Ottawa Senators, then defeated the sixth seeded Boston Bruins in six games, and then defeated the fourth seeded Toronto Maple Leafs in five games to advance to the Final. This was Buffalo’s first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1975, in which they fell to the Philadelphia Flyers in six games. The Sabres also became the second seventh seeded team to reach the Final after the Vancouver Canucks did so in 1994.

### Dallas Stars

Dallas entered the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winner for the second consecutive season as they clinched the best record in the NHL once again. They swept the eighth seeded Edmonton Oilers, then defeated the fifth seeded St. Louis Blues in six games, and the second seeded Colorado Avalanche in seven games to advance to the Final. The Stars became the first team from the Deep South to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

## Game summaries
### Game 1

The opening game was in Dallas and it was the visiting Buffalo Sabres who struck first, winning 3–2 in overtime. Dallas led 1–0 on a power play goal by Brett Hull, but Stu Barnes and Wayne Primeau scored 5:04 apart in the third to give Buffalo a 2–1 lead. Jere Lehtinen tied the game in the final minute of the third period, but Jason Woolley scored at 15:30 of overtime to give the Sabres the series lead.

### Game 2

With three seconds left in the period, Dallas center Mike Modano tripped Buffalo goaltender Dominik Hasek, and a number of scrums broke out as time expired. Dallas winger Joe Nieuwendyk fought Buffalo center Brian Holzinger in the circle to the right of Hasek. These were the first fighting majors in three years in the final round, and it was also Nieuwendyk's first fighting major in five years in either the playoffs or regular season.
After the scoreless opening period, the teams traded goals in the middle frame. Craig Ludwig's first goal in 102 playoff games gave Dallas its first lead of the game in the third period, but Alexei Zhitnik tied it 71 seconds later. Brett Hull scored on a slap shot, a one-timer on a pass from Tony Hrkac, from the top of the circle to Hasek's left with 2:50 remaining in the game, but Buffalo had an excellent chance to tie the game with Derian Hatcher being assessed a high-sticking minor 19 seconds later. During the power play, Buffalo pulled Hasek for a 6-on-4 attacking advantage, but the Stars were able to kill the penalty, and Hatcher scored an empty-netter just three seconds after emerging from the penalty box. The empty net goal sealed the win for Dallas, and evened the series at one game apiece. Mike Modano left the game with approximately ten minutes to play after suffering a broken wrist.

### Game 3

The series shifted to Buffalo for games three and four. It was the visiting Dallas Stars turn to win one on the road, winning 2–1. With Modano hampered by his wrist injury, and Hull leaving the game with a groin injury, Joe Nieuwendyk's two goals, including his sixth game-winner of the playoffs, led Dallas to the win.

### Game 4

Facing a two games to one deficit in the series, the Sabres came through with a 2–1 victory on Dixon Ward's game-winning goal in the second period.

### Game 5

With the series tied at two games apiece and returning to Dallas, Ed Belfour made 23 saves to shut out the Sabres, and move Dallas within one win of the Stanley Cup.

### Game 6

The series shifted back to Marine Midland Arena for Game 6, where the Dallas Stars would seek their first Stanley Cup, while the Buffalo Sabres would fight for a win to extend the series to a seventh and final game.
Dallas, which allowed the first goal in the earlier two games played at Marine Midland Arena, took a 1–0 lead on one of its few scoring chances in the first period when Lehtinen scored his tenth goal of the playoffs at 8:09. The Sabres tied the game with their first goal since the third period of game four when Barnes' wrist shot eluded Belfour with 1:39 to play in the second period.
The game remained tied at one through the third period and the first two overtime periods, despite several chances by both teams to score. At 14:51 of the third overtime period, Brett Hull scored to end the series and win Dallas their first Stanley Cup. Joe Nieuwendyk was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.
It was the longest Cup-winning game in Finals history, and the second-longest Finals game overall, after game one of the 1990 Stanley Cup Finals, which ended at 15:13 of the third overtime.

## Hull's series-ending goal

In the third overtime, Jere Lehtinen took a shot from the left circle that was stopped by Dominik Hasek. Brett Hull was not in the crease for the first shot. The rebound came near Hull's left skate, which Hull used to kick the puck to his stick, which was just outside the crease. His left skate entered the crease just before his second shot went in and ended the series.
None of the Sabres players or coaches questioned the legality of the goal in the immediate aftermath. It was not until league commissioner Gary Bettman was on the ice to hand out the trophies that Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff returned to his bench and began screaming at Bettman to explain why the goal had not been reviewed. In the Sabres' locker room, players who had seen the replays were infuriated. Hasek recalled, "My first reaction was 'Let's get back on the ice.' But it's 2 o'clock in the morning and I look at everyone and it's like, 'I'm already out of my pants. It's impossible.'"
The NHL had sent a private memo out earlier in the season with a clarification to the in-the-crease rule. The memo stated that if a player was in control of the puck, a skate could be in the crease even if the puck was not, and a goal in that circumstance would count. NHL Director of Officiating Bryan Lewis said after the game that the goal had been reviewed, just as every goal that season had been, and the officials in the video review booth had determined that since Hull was deemed to have been in possession of the puck throughout the play, he was allowed to shoot and score a goal, even though one skate had entered the crease before the puck.
Among Sabres fans, both the game and the play itself are often simply referred to as "No Goal".

## Team rosters

Bolded years under Finals appearance indicates year won Stanley Cup.

### Dallas Stars

| # | Player | Position | Hand | Acquired | Place of birth | Finals appearance |
| 1 | Roman Turek | G | R | 1990 | Strakonice, Czechoslovakia | first (did not play) |
| 20 | Ed Belfour | G | L | 1997–98 | Carman, Manitoba | second (1992) |
| 2 | Derian Hatcher – C | D | L | 1990 | Sterling Heights, Michigan | first |
| 3 | Craig Ludwig – A | D | L | 1991–92 | Rhinelander, Wisconsin | third (1986, 1989) |
| 5 | Darryl Sydor | D | L | 1995–96 | Edmonton, Alberta | second (1993) |
| 24 | Richard Matvichuk | D | L | 1991 | Edmonton, Alberta | first |
| 27 | Shawn Chambers | D | L | 1995–96 | Royal Oak, Michigan | third (1991, 1995) |
| 37 | Brad Lukowich | D | L | 1996–97 | Cranbrook, British Columbia | first (did not play) |
| 17 | Brent Severyn | D | L | 1998–99 | Vegreville, Alberta | first (did not play) |
| 56 | Sergei Zubov – A | D | R | 1996–97 | Moscow, Soviet Union | second (1994) |
| 9 | Mike Modano – A | C | L | 1988 | Livonia, Michigan | second (1991) |
| 10 | Brian Skrudland | C | L | 1997–98 | Peace River, Alberta | fourth (1986, 1989, 1996) |
| 11 | Blake Sloan | RW | R | 1998–99 | Park Ridge, Illinois | first |
| 12 | Mike Keane | RW | R | 1997–98 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | fourth (1989, 1993, 1996) |
| 14 | Dave Reid | LW | L | 1996–97 | Toronto, Ontario | first |
| 15 | Jamie Langenbrunner | RW | R | 1993 | Cloquet, Minnesota | first |
| 16 | Pat Verbeek | RW | R | 1996–97 | Sarnia, Ontario | first |
| 18 | Derek Plante | C | L | 1998–99 | Cloquet, Minnesota | first (did not play) |
| 21 | Guy Carbonneau | C | R | 1995–96 | Sept-Îles, Quebec | fourth (1986, 1989, 1993) |
| 22 | Brett Hull | RW | R | 1998–99 | Belleville, Ontario | second (1986) |
| 25 | Joe Nieuwendyk – A | C | L | 1995–96 | Oshawa, Ontario | second (1989) |
| 26 | Jere Lehtinen | RW | R | 1992 | Espoo, Finland | first |
| 29 | Grant Marshall | RW | R | 1994–95 | Port Credit, Ontario | first (did not play) |
| 33 | Benoit Hogue | LW | L | 1998–99 | Repentigny, Quebec | first |
| 41 | Tony Hrkac | LW | L | 1998–99 | Thunder Bay, Ontario | second (1992) |
| 49 | Jon Sim | LW | L | 1996 | New Glasgow, Nova Scotia | first |

### Buffalo Sabres

| # | Player | Position | Hand | Acquired | Place of birth | Finals appearance |
| 30 | Dwayne Roloson | G | L | 1998–99 | Simcoe, Ontario | first (did not play) |
| 39 | Dominik Hasek | G | L | 1992–93 | Pardubice, Czechoslovakia | second (1992) |
| 3 | James Patrick – A | D | R | 1998–99 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | first |
| 4 | Rhett Warrener | D | R | 1998–99 | Shaunavon, Saskatchewan | second (1996) |
| 5 | Jason Woolley | D | L | 1994–95 | Toronto, Ontario | second (1996) |
| 8 | Darryl Shannon | D | L | 1995–96 | Barrie, Ontario | first |
| 42 | Richard Smehlik | D | L | 1990 | Ostrava, Czechoslovakia | first |
| 44 | Alexei Zhitnik | D | L | 1994–95 | Kyiv, Soviet Union | second (1993) |
| 74 | Jay McKee | D | L | 1995 | Kingston, Ontario | first |
| 9 | Erik Rasmussen | LW | L | 1996 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | first |
| 15 | Dixon Ward | RW | R | 1995–96 | Leduc, Alberta | first |
| 17 | Randy Cunneyworth | LW | L | 1998–99 | Etobicoke, Ontario | first |
| 18 | Michal Grosek | RW | R | 1995–96 | Vyškov, Czechoslovakia | first |
| 19 | Brian Holzinger | C | R | 1991 | Parma, Ohio | first |
| 22 | Wayne Primeau | C | L | 1994 | Scarborough, Ontario | first |
| 24 | Paul Kruse | LW | L | 1997–98 | Merritt, British Columbia | first |
| 25 | Vaclav Varada | RW | L | 1993–94 | Vsetín, Czechoslovakia | first |
| 27 | Michael Peca – C | C | R | 1995–96 | Toronto, Ontario | second (1994) |
| 32 | Rob Ray | RW | L | 1988 | Stirling, Ontario | first |
| 37 | Curtis Brown – A | C | L | 1994 | Unity, Saskatchewan | first |
| 41 | Stu Barnes | C | R | 1998–99 | Spruce Grove, Alberta | second (1996) |
| 80 | Geoff Sanderson | LW | L | 1997–98 | Hay River, Northwest Territories | first |
| 81 | Miroslav Satan | RW | L | 1996–97 | Jacovce, Czechoslovakia | first |
| 90 | Joe Juneau | C | L | 1998–99 | Pont-Rouge, Quebec | second (1998) |

## Stanley Cup engraving

The 1999 Stanley Cup was presented to Stars captain Derian Hatcher by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman following the Stars 2–1 triple overtime win over the Sabres in game six.
The following Stars players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup
1998–99 Dallas Stars

### Players
#### Centres

* 9 Mike Modano (A)
* 10 Brian Skrudland
* 18 Derek Plante††
* 21 Guy Carbonneau
* 25 Joe Nieuwendyk (A)
* 49 Jon Sim

#### Wingers

* 11 Blake Sloan
* 12 Mike Keane
* 14 Dave Reid
* 15 Jamie Langenbrunner
* 16 Pat Verbeek
* 22 Brett Hull
* 26 Jere Lehtinen
* 29 Grant Marshall
* 33 Benoit Hogue
* 41 Tony Hrkac

#### Defencemen

* 2 Derian Hatcher (C)
* 3 Craig Ludwig (A)
* 5 Darryl Sydor
* 17 Brent Severyn† (did not play)
* 24 Richard Matvichuk
* 56 Sergei Zubov (A)
* 27 Shawn Chambers

#### Goaltenders

* 20 Ed Belfour
* 1 Roman Turek

### Coaching and administrative staff

* Thomas O. Hicks (Chairman/Owner/Governor), Jim Lites (President), Bob Gainey (Vice President/General Manager)
* Doug Armstrong (Asst. General Manager), Craig Button (Director of Player Personnel), Ken Hitchcock (Head Coach)
* Doug Jarvis (Asst. Coach), Rick Wilson (Asst. Coaches), Rick McLaughlin (Vice President-Chief Financial Officer), Jeff Cogen (Vice President-Marketing & Promotions)
* Bill Strong (Vice President-Marketing & Broadcasting), Tim Bernhardt (Director-Amateur Scouting), Doug Overton (Director-Pro Scouting)
* Bob Gernader (Chief Scout), Stu McGregor (Western Scout), Dave Suprenant (Medical Trainer)
* Dave Smith (Equipment Manager), Rick Matthews (Asst. Equipment Manager), Jean-Jacque McQueen (Strength-Conditioning Coach)
* Rick St. Croix (Goaltending Consultant), Dan Stuchal (Director of Team Services), Larry Kelly (Director of Public Relations)

### Stanley Cup engraving

* † Brent Severyn played only 30 games, missing 22 regular season games due to injuries, and was a healthy scratch for the playoffs. Dallas asked the NHL to include his name, because he spent the entire season with Dallas.
* †† Derek Plante – played 41 regular season games for Buffalo and 10 for Dallas, NHL total 51 games. He also played 6 playoff games. His name was included on the cup, because he spent the whole season in the NHL.
* Mike Modano and Shawn Chambers were the only players on the roster remaining from 1990–91 Minnesota North Stars. Chambers left the Stars in summer of 1991 for Washington. He joined Tampa Bay in summer of 1992. Chambers won the Stanley Cup first year in New Jersey in 1995, before rejoining the Stars in summer of 1997. The North Stars in 1990–91 were coached by Bob Gainey (who would become general manager in 1992 and hold the position when the team relocated), where they lost in 6 games to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals.
Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas in 1993 to become the Dallas Stars.
Included on the team picture, but left off the Stanley Cup.
* In February, Dallas added #6 Doug Lidster (D) from the Canadian national team, and #37 Brad Lukowich (D), from the minor league Kalamazoo Wings. Lidster played 17 regular season and 4 playoff games. Lukowich played 14 regular season and 8 playoff games (2 games in conference finals). They were left off the cup even though they played in the playoffs.
* Leon Friedrich† (Video Coordinator), Craig Lowery† (Trainer Asst.), Doug Warner† (Equipment Asst.) – All 5 members were awarded Stanley Cup Rings

## Broadcasting

In Canada, the series was televised on CBC. In the United States, this was fifth and final year in which coverage of the Cup Finals was split between Fox and ESPN. Fox aired games one, two, and five; while ESPN had games three, four, and six. Had there been a game seven, it would have aired on Fox. Under the U.S. TV contracts that would take effect beginning next season, ABC would take over for Fox as the NHL's network television partner.

## Aftermath

The Stars returned to the Stanley Cup Finals next year, but lost to the New Jersey Devils in six games. They would also make the Finals again in 2020, but they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, also in six games. As of 2025, this is the last championship series of the four major North American sports leagues to feature a team from Buffalo.