Fansided

Luckiest jerseys in the NHL’s long and storied history

By Bruin Belisle

DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 9: Ray Bourque #77 of the Colorado Avalanche lifts the cup with Joe Sakic #19 after the Colorado Avalanche defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-1 in game seven of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche take the series 4-3. (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 9: Ray Bourque #77 of the Colorado Avalanche lifts the cup with Joe Sakic #19 after the Colorado Avalanche defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-1 in game seven of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche take the series 4-3. (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images) /
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9 Mar 1999: Jay McKee #74 of the Buffalo Sabres stretching during warm ups before the game against the Edmonton Oilers at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York. The Oilers defeated the Sabres 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport /

28. 1999 Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres fall right into Buffalo history by being two-time runner ups in the Stanley Cup finals. Much like their football counterpart, this team, even when stacked, just could not get it done in the final. The teams that played in Buffalo in the mid-90’s were phenomenal. The 1999 Buffalo Sabres lost to the Dallas Stars in the most unlucky way imaginable.

The Sabres lost in game 6 of the series on an overtime goal from Brett Hull in the sixth period. Think about this. The refs are tired, the game has been 1-1 for well over five hours. The goaltenders are playing lights out and hte players are getting tired. Then, Hull, with his entire foot in the crease (not allowed at the time) scores a goal.

Should the goal have counted? No. It definitely should not have. However, the goal would also win a Stanley Cup in a growing market, against a team that has a solid market, despite losing in every sport, all the time. It’s a win-win for the league: The exhausted refs and fans get to go home and the Sabres lose again, which is common in Buffalo.

That Sabres team had Michael Peca, Dominik Hasek, Miroslav Satan and fan favorite Matt Barnaby. This team was built to win a Cup. That’s not to say the Stars weren’t, because they were stacked as well, but poor, poor Buffalo had something here and it was taken away on a bad call.

The Sabres remain unlucky to this day. A surprise success at the beginning of the 2018-19 season, they’ve since trailed off and are currently out of a playoff spot. Hopefully, someday, this team can award it’s starving fan base and at least make another nice playoff run. Buffalo is a great sports city, despite having almost zero success.

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