The Story of Fedorov and the Hurricanes
It's only fitting that Sergei Fedorov would be the first to find the back of the net in the series. After the Canes failed to clear the puck on the penalty kill, Steve Yzerman threw the puck at the net. Artus Irbe kicked it out, but a battle in front of the net between Tomas Holmstrom and Aaron Ward ended with the Red Wings' forward being pushed into Irbe. This allowed Fedorov to jump on the loose puck and beat Irbe.
The story of Fedorov and the Hurricanes is a very unique one. Through the 1996-97 season, Fedorov had already won the Hart, the Ted Lindsay, the Selke twice, and the Stanley Cup in 1997, but he needed a new contract, entering a holdout until the Red Wings gave him what he was owed. The restricted free agent held his ground into the 1997-98 season. That's when the Hurricanes came along.
Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos submitted an offer sheet to the Russian winger for six years worth $38 million that Fedorov signed. With the ball in their court, the Red Wings matched the offer sheet, ending Fedorov's holdout and allowing him to return to the team. Fedorov returned to play 21 games and win a second straight Stanley Cup by recording his fourth-straight 20+-point postseason performance. His production never returned to what it was before the holdout, hovering in the 30-goal, 63-69-point range.