It was at the end of another era in hockey, and the Dallas Stars were attempting finish off one incredibly magical season with the chance to eliminate the Buffalo Sabres in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, on June 19, 1999.
Like many games that postseason this one would go to overtime as well, with the game on the East Coast actually spilling over into the next morning. Late in the night, a Mike Modano shot from the point would be redirected on net by Brett Hull, whose subsequent goal off the rebound would secure the Cup for the best team in the NHL that season.
Those Dallas Stars had it all. Depth, grit, speed, talent and a nastiness and determination that was fed by head coach Ken HItchcock. So many of those players have become Dallas Stars legends, as evidenced by the surging crowds around the “green carpet” before Modano’s retirement ceremony — players like Richard Matvichuk, Shawn Chambers, Benoit Hogue, Mike Keane, Grant Marshall, Pat Verbeek, and even Shane Churla were met with just as much cheering as the superstar names.
Those games, with those players, now seem like legend to many Stars fans, who have only started following the team in the days since the Cup victory. The players, coaches and the entire team are spoken of so reverently that it’s required a color and logo change to truly move on from the days of glories passed.
Still, we look back fondly and remember where we were and who we were with when Hull scored that goal, and we think of how it will feel once more as we watch these young Dallas Stars begin their own climb to the top of the NHL.
Let’s remember:
Highlights:
Locker Room celebration and goal explanation:
The flight home:
The Celebration Parade:
Nothing Else Matters.