Dominik Hasek can joke about “No Goal” now. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald

Sabres legend Dominik Hasek, Brett Hull waited to discuss ‘No Goal’

BUFFALO – For an entire season, legendary Sabres goalie Dominik Hasek and Brett Hull refused to discuss “No Goal,” Hull’s controversial overtime winner that clinched the Dallas Stars’ Stanley Cup triumph here in 1999.

“Brett Hull, I spent a year with him in Detroit, and in the whole season, we didn’t say one thing about that goal,” Hasek, whose No. 39 will be retired by the Sabres tonight, said this morning inside the First Niagara Center. “We were good friends, we were talking about different things. But we sort of stayed away from that situation.”

Who could blame them? Hull’s disputed goal – his foot was in the crease, which should have disallowed the score in Game 6 – ignited a firestorm of controversy.

But three years later, Hasek and Hull helped the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup.

“I remember after we won, we started to joke about that goal,” Hasek said.

What did they joke about?

“We were laughing because it was after we won the Cup and drinking champagne and just having a great time,” Hasek said. “Of course, I told him no goal. He told me of course it was a goal.”

Hull also told Hasek the Sabres would have won the Cup if they stretched the series to a Game 7.

The superstar winger had a sore groin and wouldn’t have been able to play in the final game. Hull was only on the ice for the goal because the Stars had a faceoff in the Buffalo zone. Ken Hitchcock asked him if he could play for 70 seconds.

“And he scored a famous goal,” Hasek said.

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