Top 5 Players of the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals

Originally published on Jan. 18, 2020

By Zane Miller

On Saturday, June 19th, 1999, the Dallas Stars defeated the Buffalo Sabres at Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo to win the 86th Stanley Cup Finals four games to two. It was the first (and, as of this writing, only) Stanley Cup championship for the Stars franchise, and the eighth that was won in New York. These are the top five players that I felt most stood out during the series.

5. #26 Jere Lehtinen (Stars)- F

Lehtinen had three goals and two assists over the course of the series, including the opening goal in game six, which the Stars won 2-1 in triple overtime as Lehtinen also assisted on the winning goal.

4. #41 Stu Barnes (Sabres)- F

Barnes picked up player of the game in game one, getting a goal as the Sabres won the opening game 3-2 in overtime.

3. #39 Dominik Hasek (Sabres)- G

Hasek was player of the game in game four, as he made 30 saves on 31 shots in the Sabres’ 2-1 win.

2. #22 Brett Hull (Stars)- F

Hull took player of the game honors in game two, scoring a goal as the Stars took it 4-2.

1. #20 Ed Belfour (Stars)- G

Belfour got player of the game in games three, five and six, as game three saw him make 11 saves on 12 chances in the Stars’ 2-1 victory, followed by a shutout in game five as he got 23 saves on 23 shots. Game six saw him make 48 saves on 50 shots to give the Stars a 2-1 triple overtime victory to clinch the series title.

Players of the Game Breakdown:

Link to stats database: hockey-reference.com/playoffs/1999-buffalo-sabres-vs-dallas-stars-stanley-cup-final.html