When Brett Hull scored one of the most controversial goals in NHL history to clinch Dallas Stars' first Stanley Cup

Brett Hull was the hero for millions of Texans when he won the Stanley Cup for the Dallas Stars, albeit in highly controversial fashion.

The Stars defeated the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 in triple overtime to win Game 6 of the 1999 Final at Marine Midland Arena, bringing the cup to Texas for the first time.

The contentious cup-winning goal by Brett Hull came at 14:51 of the third overtime. His foot was in the crease when he beat Dominik Hasek of the Sabres with a rebound, but the goal was nonetheless recognized by the NHL since he was believed to be in control of the puck.

Hull considers it to be the most significant of his 844 regular-season and Stanley Cup Playoff goals.

He said in 2012:

"To go to Dallas and be the missing piece of the puzzle that's going to help them win their Cup, and then to go out and score the goal in overtime; who hasn't sat as a kid on the ice with his buddies and dreamt or pretended that's the goal they've scored? To do it in real life was something special."

It was the first Stanley Cup title in the franchise's history. The Stars previously played as the Minnesota North Stars and lost the final twice (1981 and 1991).

Brett Hull is truly one of the all-time great scorers in the NHL

Brett Hull was the invisible man of the NHL. He could hide in plain sight and score when it was least expected

The Calgary Flames selected him in the sixth round (No. 117) of the 1984 NHL draft. He spent four seasons with them before getting traded to the St Louis Blues. Hull scored 527 goals with the Blues before signing with the Dallas Stars in 1998. It paid off as he ended up leading them to their first Stanley Cup in 1999.

Hull had three more seasons with the Detroit Red Wings after leaving Dallas in 2001. Hull, who was a member of the line with Boyd Devereaux and Pavel Datsyuk, contributed 10 goals and 18 points in 23 postseason games to help the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup in 2002.

Hull finished fourth all-time with 741 goals in 19 NHL seasons. He had 17 seasons in a row with 24 or more goals. Eight times, he scored 40 or more. On 13 occasions, he scored 30 or more. He scored 86 goals in 1990–91, and there was speculation among league players that he would surpass the century mark.

Brett Hull truly was the apex predator of the NHL.