DALLAS -- The New Jersey Devils finally won the Stanley Cup -- even if
they were almost too tired to lift it once they did.
Jason Arnott ripped a shot from the left circle past Dallas goaltender Ed
Belfour 8:20 into the second overtime, ending a second consecutive
tension-filled overtime game -- and the Stars' Stanley Cup run -- with a 2-1
Devils victory Saturday night.
Arnott one-timed Patrik Elias' shot past Belfour as the Devils prevented the
Stars from forcing a Game 7 Monday in New Jersey.
Because the Devils wouldn't lose on the road to Dallas -- they were 3-0 in
Reunion Arena -- the Stanley Cup has a new home. The Stars, who won the Cup on
the road in Game 6 last year in Buffalo, lost it in Game 6 at home.
It was the third time in five years the Cup was won in overtime, and the
fourth time in five years the Cup has been won on the road.
Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur ended his seven-game overtime playoff
losing streak by making 30 saves, while Belfour -- one of the heroes of the
Stars' 1-0, three-overtime victory in Game 5 -- lost despite stopping 43 of 45
shots.
"This is an unbelievable feeling," said Brodeur, who had been 1-5 in
multiple-overtime games. "This time around I think I realized it a little
more."
It was the first time in the best-of-7 era there have been back-to-back
multiple overtime games in the finals.
Devils defenseman Scott Stevens was named the Conn Smythe Award winner as
the playoffs MVP.
"The Stars never gave up, you have to give them credit. They fought and
fought," Stevens said. "I was telling everyone to play hard for me. You don't
get too many chances, so I'm just enjoying this."
The Stars fans were clearly distraught at seeing the Cup won on their ice,
but most stayed to cheer the postgame presentation to Stevens by NHL
commissioner Gary Bettman.
"The games we had here were really tough," Stars center Mike Modano said.
"They're a great team, outstanding. Those guys -- Brodeur, (Scott) Gomez,
Arnott -- I know how they're feeling. It's a great feeling."
Many fans began cheering, "Stan-ley Cup," and "Stan-ley Cup" and
"Ed-die, Ed-die" in appreciation not only of two of the most stirring
overtime games in recent Cup history, but the excellent goaltending.
It was the end of one era for the Devils -- John McMullen's 18-year run as
owner -- and, likely, the start of another. Larry Robinson became only the third
coach to win a Stanley Cup after taking over during the season and, by
succeeding Robbie Ftorek with only eight games left, became the latest to take
over a Cup champion.
It was Robinson's eighth Stanley Cup title, six as a player and two as a
coach, one as an assistant.
"Marty played unbelievable, really throughout the whole series," Robinson
said. "Scottie's been a tower of strength. He's got that `C' for a reason.
This is not about me. I'm happy for those guys out there."
The Devils opened a 3-1 series lead, then nearly lost it in overtime -- first
in the tense goalie duel in Game 5, then in yet another multiple overtime in
Game 6 -- before avoiding a Game 7. Only one team in NHL history, Detroit in
1942, has lost the finals after leading 3-1.
As might be expected, the Devils won it on the road. They are 5-0 all-time
in road Stanley Cup Finals games, winning all three in Reunion Arena, where the
Stars had won 11 of their last 12 playoff games before the finals.
The Devils matched their own 1995 record with 10 road victories in a single
playoff year. They were 10-2 on the road this year.
The Stars became the first defending champion to lose in the Finals since
the New York Islanders in 1984. The last four defending champs to reach the
Finals all won. The Devils are the first Eastern Conference team to win the cup
since they last did so in 1995.
Both teams started the first overtime with a rush. Sergei Brylin had an open
shot within 90 seconds for New Jersey, but the puck hit off the heel of his
stick. A short time later, the Stars' Joe Nieuwendyk, last year's playoffs MVP,
used a spin move to get open in the slot, only to miss wide on an unguarded
shot.
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| Petr Sykora lies injured on the ice after a violent hit from Derian Hatcher.(AP) | |
Dallas had a rare overtime power play -- referees traditionally call only the
most blatant violations in overtime -- when Arnott cross-checked Blake Sloan to
the jaw while pinning him to the ice at 18:43. Despite having several good
scoring chances during the power play, the Stars were credited with one shot on
goal to New Jersey's 11 in the first overtime.
One goal was enough for the Stars to win the three-overtime Game 5, but a
one-goal lead didn't last two minutes for New Jersey this time.
Scott Niedermayer ended the Devils' 145-minute, 33-second scoreless streak
against Belfour on a 3-on-1 break at 5:18, the Devils' second short-handed goal
in as many games in Dallas.
Claude Lemieux started the play by blocking Sylvain Cote at the blue line,
then took Jay Pandolfo's pass to set up Niedermayer, who played junior hockey
for Stars coach Ken Hitchcock.
New Jersey's first lead since the third period of Game 4 lasted only 1:09
before Mike Keane tied it with only the fourth goal in four games for Dallas.
Mike Modano made a drop pass to Scott Thornton, who threaded the puck across
the ice for Keane's high wrister from the right circle that sailed past Brodeur
at 6:27.
Both teams had a flurry of chances later in the period. The Devils' Colin
White hit the post and Elias struck the crossbar, and Brodeur stopped Modano's
short-range shot from the left circle.
By midway through the first period -- easily, the most physical and
rambunctious of the series -- it appeared the team hoisting the cup would be the
one with enough players left to do so.
Each team lost a key player: defenseman Darryl Sydor for Dallas and
first-line forward Petr Sykora for New Jersey.
Sykora was taken to a hospital on a stretcher for examination following a
high-speed neutral zone collision with the Stars' Derian Hatcher at 12:08.
Tests proved negative, but Sykora was to stay overnight for observation.
Hatcher appeared to hit Sykora with his elbow up, but no penalty was called.
Sydor, moved up to the first line in Game 5 in a strategical ploy by
Hitchcock, injured his left leg while colliding with the Devils' Scott Gomez
with 3:20 gone.
Sydor's leg became tangled with Gomez as he tried to spin off a check,
causing Sydor to slam into the boards unprotected.
The physical play increased significantly after that. Arnott hooked his
stick under Nieuwendyk's left leg to upend him immediately after a faceoff, but
Nieuwendyk wasn't hurt despite slamming into the ice back first.
AP NEWS
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