The Dallas Stars’ Best Moment

Apr 27, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; A Dallas Stars fan brings a Stanley Cup replica to the game between the Stars and the Anaheim Ducks in game six of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Now that I’ve spent the last few weeks bringing everyone down while discussing the most disappointing things that have happened in Dallas Stars history, I’m going to attempt to cheer you all up. We have already discussed the best transaction in Stars’ history, the best Stars player, best executive and the best fashion choice, and the best season. Today we conclude the series with the best moment in Dallas Stars history: Brett Hull’s Stanley Cup winning goal.

To say expectations were high entering the 1998-1999 season would be an understatement. Dallas had finished the previous two seasons as division champions and were also coming off a Presidents Trophy campaign. Each season unfortunately ended in playoff failures, as Dallas would get eliminated in the first round and Western Conference Final, respectively. This was a team that had gotten better and better over the last few seasons and 1998-99 was the year that they were finally supposed to get over the hump.

I spoke a little bit about how the season went recently so I’ll skip right to the good stuff here. As the teams took to the ice in game six of the Stanley Cup Final, the Cup was in the building with Dallas having a chance to clinch, while Buffalo attempted to force the series back to Dallas for a decisive game seven. Jere Lehtinen struck first for Dallas about halfway through the first period, before Stu Barnes would tie the game at one in the dying moments of the second period. The game would remain tied at one through the third period and first overtime.

The game featured some outstanding goaltending as both teams had chances to put the game away, but both Ed Belfour and Dominik Hasek came up huge for their clubs. Then sometime well after midnight on Saturday and into Sunday morning, it happened. Mike Modano took the puck from the corner to the right of Hasek. Two Buffalo defenders would go to Modano, allowing Lehtinen to fire a quick shot on Hasek from the faceoff circle. The Buffalo goalie (arguably the best in the world at that point) misplayed the shot and the rebound went right to Hull, who had slipped behind the Buffalo defense. How Hull managed to be left alone in front of the net in a potentially Cup clinching game is beyond me, but the man made a career out of finding the soft spot on the ice, so who am I to question?

Hull’s first attempt was stopped by Hasek, but the rebound went back to Hull’s skate where he kicked it to his stick and buried the goal that captured the first Stanley Cup for Dallas. To this day there is still debate over the legality of the goal, but the call on the ice stood and the Dallas Stars were champions.

On a personal note, I was glued to the television that night, and when Hull scored, I woke up everyone in my house because I was screaming and celebrating and running around the house like a crazy person. That goal legitimized the Southern states as places that hockey could not only survive, but thrive. It was the first Cup captured by a Southern team, and one could argue that it paved the way for teams like Tampa Bay, Anaheim and Los Angeles in the coming years. It was the brightest moment for a franchise that has had plenty to celebrate over its illustrious existence, and a no brainer for the best moment in Dallas Stars history.

As always, I welcome your comments. Thanks for reading and go Stars!