10 Years Later: It's Still No Goal

((HT: WIVB-TV/Paul Peck))

Ten years ago, most of us were watching the same thing on television, game six of the 1999 Stanley Cup finals.

Now some members of the Buffalo Sabres are talking about the triple overtime thriller that ended with "no goal."

June 19, 1999 turned into June 20th when game six of the Stanley Cup finals went to a third overtime.

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.

As the Dallas Stars celebrated, the Sabres realized that the goal should not have counted.

For the players on that Buffalo team, time does not heal all wounds.

News 4's Paul Peck asked Rob Ray if the emotions and anger still come back to him.

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."

The National Hockey League said the rule had been changed, to allow players to be in the crease as long as they maintained possession. None of the Sabres knew anything about that.

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."

Not winning a Stanley Cup still bothers Rob Ray. Having one taken away from Buffalo's fans bothers him even more.

Ray said, "You just always dreamt of being part of a team that can put a town over the top. That's when you look back and people would never forget you, never be forgotten that way. You feel bad sometimes because you added to their disappointment."

Shortly after the finals ended, the NHL eliminated the crease rule. No team since then as ever had to deal with another "no goal."



Here was the explanation at the time from "Hockey Night in Canada..."
((HT: CBC/NHL))