▁as ▁H ull ' s ▁sk ate ▁was ▁vis ibly ▁in ▁Domin ik ▁H ase k ' s ▁cre ase ▁— ▁ended ▁the ▁series , ▁and ▁the ▁Stars ▁were ▁awarded ▁the ▁Cup . ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 9 , ▁it ▁was ▁illegal ▁to ▁score ▁a ▁goal ▁if ▁an ▁off ensive ▁player ' s ▁sk ate ▁entered ▁the ▁cre ase ▁before ▁the ▁pu ck ▁did . ▁At ▁the ▁time , ▁even ▁Dallas ▁Mor ning ▁News ▁hockey ▁writer ▁Keith ▁G ave ▁question ed ▁the ▁leg ality ▁of ▁the ▁goal . ▁N HL ▁officials , ▁however , ▁maintained ▁that ▁H ull ' s ▁two ▁sh ots ▁in ▁the ▁goal ▁mouth ▁constit uted ▁a ▁single ▁possession ▁of ▁the ▁pu ck ▁since ▁the ▁pu ck ▁def lect ed ▁off ▁H ase k , ▁and ▁their ▁r uling ▁stood , ▁cit ing ▁that ▁they ▁" w ere ▁going ▁to ▁change ▁the ▁rule ▁the ▁following ▁year ▁anyway ." ▁ ▁It ▁is ▁widely ▁spec ulated ▁that , ▁by ▁the ▁time ▁the ▁Sab res ▁mentioned ▁the ▁f oul , ▁the ▁red ▁car pet ▁had ▁already ▁been ▁un rolled ▁at ▁center ▁ice , ▁and ▁the ▁officials ▁refused ▁to ▁acknow ledge ▁the ▁non - call , ▁also ▁due ▁to ▁N HL ▁Commission er ▁Gary ▁B ett man ' s ▁des ires ▁to ▁see ▁a ▁team ▁" S outh ▁of ▁the ▁Mason – D ixon ▁line " ▁ho ist ▁the ▁Stanley ▁Cup . ▁ESP N ▁has ▁ranked ▁the ▁call ▁as ▁the ▁fifth ▁worst ▁offici ating ▁call ▁in ▁sports ▁history . ▁Con vers ely ,