...They're still bitter in Buffalo.

Sabres forward 1989-2003 Rob Ray said, "Yeah it is, and I don't think you ever lose it. You realize how difficult it is to get there, and how difficult it is to win."

Sabres captain 1997-2000 Michael Peca said, "You reflect back there after it's mentioned, and it makes you think of a whole bunch of things sometimes you thought were in the past but are just as much in the forefront of your mind as they've always been."

[...]

Peca said, "That goal, there was never any video review. I remember watching Bill

McCreary the referee at the window of the penalty box, and eventually he just put his hands up and skated off the ice. He figured there was no way we were going to get a review or a call on that goal."

This piece was written by a WIVB sports anchor, Paul Peck. I'm sure Paul probably falls into that 99% of people living in Western New York who think the goal shouldn't have counted. And probably, 70% of the hockey populace.

And you know, I'm fine with that I guess. If you haven't figured out why the goal was legit after 10 years, you never will.

Which is funny, because Peck accidentally validates the goal in the first few paragraphs of the story.

At 1:30 a.m., Brett Hull grabbed his own rebound, and with his left foot in the crease, beat Dominik Hasek for the series clinching goal.

Emphasis mine.

But I'm not going to get back into that.

Once again, if you can't understand how the fact that I've emphasized above made the goal legit, you never will.

Or how two wins in a Stanley Cup Final doesn't validate your claim that that call robbed your city of hockey's most celebrated chalice.