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BOX SCORE
DALLAS (AP) -- Jason Arnott had the puck on his stick, a teammate
in his thoughts and a Stanley Cup to win for the exhausted New
Jersey Devils.
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' no-look pass as the Devils
prevented the Stars from forcing a Game 7 Monday in New Jersey and
won their second Cup in six seasons.
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Sat, June
10
I couldn't believe this game went into a second overtime. I thought to myself 'Can this
really be happening?' New Jersey came out in overtime and started hitting again, and they
started carrying the play. Dallas had some good scoring chances, but the Devils -- I
thought -- carried the play. There were so many great individual performances. Derian Hatcher and Mike Modano were outstanding. Claude Lemieux was incredible.
Ultimately there is such a fine line in winning and losing. The Devils deserved this win.
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"It's all a big blur," Arnott said. "I remember the goal
going in, but everything else is a blur."
As the Cup was handed to Elias, he had injured linemate Petr
Sykora's jersey draped over his shoulder. Sykora was carried off on
a stretcher with 12:08 gone following a collision with the Stars'
Derian Hatcher, but was not believed to be seriously injured.
Elias called Sykora and told him the team would bring the Cup to
him in the hospital. Sykora was kept overnight for observation.
"He said that when we scored, he was jumping out of the bed,"
Elias said.
Because the Devils wouldn't lose on the road -- they were 3-0 in
Reunion Arena -- the Stanley Cup has a new home. The Stars, who won
the Cup on the road in a multiple-overtime Game 6 last year in
Buffalo, lost it in a Game 6 multiple overtime at home as the
Devils won the series 4-2.
No other team has had to play successive multiple-overtime games
at the end of the finals to win the Cup.
Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur ended his record-tying
seven-game overtime playoff losing streak by making 30 saves, while
Belfour -- one of the heroes of the Stars' exhausting 1-0,
three-overtime victory in Game 5 -- lost despite stopping 43 of 45
shots. He allowed only two goals in the final 208 minutes, 33
seconds of the series, yet still wound up losing.
|  | | The New Jersey Devils were one happy and exhausted team after winning the Cup in Dallas late Saturday night. |
As a dejected Belfour knelt, the puck nestled in the net, Arnott
skated behind him, pumping his fists and tearing off his equipment
so he could hug his teammates.
"These were two unbelievable hockey games," Stars coach Ken
Hitchcock said. "Without the two goaltenders that were out there,
these games could have been 9-8. Both teams put everything they had
into it, and both teams knew the crises situation they were in."
A Devils loss would have given the Stars a chance to do what New
Jersey did against Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference finals by
rallying from a 3-1 deficit. Only one team in NHL history, Detroit
in 1942 to Toronto, has lost the finals after leading 3-1.
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.
"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. And what better way to stop that
streak."
Devils defenseman Scott Stevens won the Conn Smythe Trophy as
the playoffs MVP.
Stevens joked that he was "almost too tired to lift the Cup"
following five overtimes in two cities in three nights.
The Stars' fans were 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.
"When I took over, there were a lot of questions around here,
and I had to straighten them out," Robinson said. "But if you're
focusing on the past, you're not dwelling on what you have to do."
It was Robinson's eighth Stanley Cup title. He won six as a player and
two as a coach, one of them as an assistant.
"This is not about me," Robinson said. "I'm happy for those
guys out there."
McMullen did not make the trip, so Devils general manager Lou
Lamoriello sent him this message: "It's a great sendoff. This was
for you, and every guy has a piece of you with them."
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.
As might be expected, the Devils won it on the road. They are
5-0 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
road team won every game in these finals following New Jersey's 7-3
victory in Game 1.
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 also are
the first Eastern Conference team to win the Cup since they last
did so in 1995.
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 was
erased when Mike Keane tied it with only the fourth goal in four
games for Dallas. 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.
"It's not supposed to work out this way," said Keane, who said
the Stars were certain they would force a Game 7.
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 Sykora for New Jersey. 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 last 11 multiple-overtime playoff games have been won by the
visiting team. The last time there were consecutive multiple
overtime games in the finals was the five-game Chicago-Montreal
series in 1931.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
New Jersey Clubhouse
Dallas Clubhouse
Triumphant Devils return home with Stanley Cup
Frozen Moment: Arnott's redemption
X Factor: Devils win war of attrition
Stevens hits jackpot with Conn Smythe
Three Stars and season-ending glance
A series to be remembered?
Stars give valiant effort
Devils' Sykora hurt early in Game 6
Arnott, Elias ready to share Cup with Sykora
RECAPS
New Jersey 2
Dallas 1
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Darryl Sydor injures his knee, but still tries to get up and play.
avi: 1410 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Mike Keane fires the shot past Martin Brodeur for the goal.
avi: 597 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Petr Sykora is knocked out of the game with a hit by Derian Hatcher.
avi: 1042 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Scott Niedermayer beats Ed Belfour for the shorthanded goal.
avi: 621 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Jason Arnott puts the puck past Ed Belfour to win the Stanley Cup for the Devils.
avi: 948 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Scott Stevens is awarded the Conn Smythe trophy after being named the finals MVP.
avi: 927 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Martin Brodeur and Bobby Holik show their happiness by kissing the Stanley Cup.
avi: 785 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
NHL commisioner Gary Beteman presents New Jersey captian Scott Stevens with the Stanley Cup.
avi: 1434 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Larry Robinson is happy that Scott Stevens won the Conn Smythe trophy.
avi: 1198 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Scott Stevens is excited about being a champion.
wav: 74 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Mike Modano knows how the Devils are feeling.
wav: 169 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Martin Brodeur is happy the series is finally over.
wav: 95 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Ken Hitchcock is proud of his team this year.
wav: 150 k
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Scott Niedermayer says it was tough to get scoring chances in this series.
wav: 205 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Scott Stevens is honored to be the series MVP.
wav: 93 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jason Arnott says winning the Stanley Cup was a total team effort.
wav: 169 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jason Arnott decribes his Cup-winning overtime goal.
wav: 75 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Martin Brodeur is happy to finally get an overtime win.
wav: 194 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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