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Buffalo Sabres: 3 most agonizing losses since 1999

By Sion Fawkes

RALEIGH, NC - JUNE 01: Rod Brind'Amour #17 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates his game-winning goal with teammate Justin Williams #11 during the third period against the Buffalo Sabres in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2006 NHL Playoffs on June 1, 2006 at RBC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes won the game 4-3 and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - JUNE 01: Rod Brind'Amour #17 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates his game-winning goal with teammate Justin Williams #11 during the third period against the Buffalo Sabres in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2006 NHL Playoffs on June 1, 2006 at RBC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes won the game 4-3 and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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The Buffalo Sabres have gone 50-plus seasons without winning a single Stanley Cup. With that, have come plenty of heartbreaking losses.

The Buffalo Sabres, and Buffalo sports in general, have seen its fair share of heartbreaking losses. From ‘Wide Right’ in Super Bowl XXV and three subsequent missing rings between 1991 and 1993 to a pair of defeats in the Stanley Cup Final, Buffalo sports fans definitely have a high pain tolerance.

But that also makes them arguably the toughest fans in professional sports, edging out the likes of San Diego, Cleveland, and Phoenix, three other sports towns that have seen more tough breaks than not.

So what were the most agonizing losses in the history of the Buffalo Sabres? There are too many to count. But let’s look at the three most memorable since 1999.

Buffalo Sabres
5 Mar 1999: Jason Woolley #5 of the Buffalo Sabres in action during the game against the Dallas Stars at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres defeated the Stars 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport /

The Buffalo Sabres most agonizing losses since 1999: Loss #1 – 1999 Stanley Cup Final

No Goal may be synonymous with Wide Right in Buffalo Sabres lingo. And what a disheartening moment it was in Game 6 of the 1999 Stanley Cup Final when the Dallas Stars won in controversial fashion. But hey, at least it took three overtime periods for Dallas to win the entire thing.

We now know that Brett Hull ended the game and the season on a series-winning goal. But was it really a goal? In 1998-99, the NHL made it clear to render a goal null if a player’s body entered the crease, and as you can see from the video below, Hull was clearly in the crease.

Initially, few noticed that the goal drew controversy. Then the replays started, and that’s when chaos struck. Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff wanted the game to resume, with general manager Darcy Regier echoing his coach’s demands.

Of course, the NHL changed the rules before the 1999-00 season, which would have rendered Hull’s goal as good had the rule change been in effect on June 19th, 1999. Want more fun? Let’s shift gears to the NFL for a moment, where the Music City Miracle occurred just a few months later in January 2000. It would be the Bills final playoff appearance until 2017.

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