Dainius Zubrus

Dainius Zubrus
Zubrus in 2014
Born (1978-06-16) June 16, 1978
Elektrėnai, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
Height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight 225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb)
Position Right Wing / Centre
Shot Left
Played for Philadelphia Flyers
Montreal Canadiens
Washington Capitals
Buffalo Sabres
New Jersey Devils
San Jose Sharks
National team  Russia and
 Lithuania
NHL Draft 15th overall, 1996
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 1996–2016

Dainius Gintas Zubrus (born June 16, 1978) is a former Lithuanian professional ice hockey right winger and centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL), the first Lithuanian to have played 1,000 games in the NHL. Drafted 15th overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers, he subsequently played for the Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils and San Jose Sharks.

Playing career

Early career

In the summer of 1989, Zubrus moved to Kharkiv, Soviet Union, to train under Ivan Pravilov on the Druzhba-78 squad. He continued to develop his play there until the end of 1995.[1] Like Darius Kasparaitis, Dainius trained with Aleksey Nikiforov.

Professional

Zubrus in 2010

The Philadelphia Flyers selected Zubrus fifteenth overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft from the Caledon Canadians of the Metro Junior A Hockey League, making him the highest drafted Tier II Junior "A" player since the inception of the Canadian Junior A Hockey League in 1993, a record subsequently surpassed when Kyle Turris was selected third at 2007 NHL Entry Draft). Prior to being traded to Caledon, Zubrus played for the Pembroke Lumber Kings of the Central Junior A Hockey League. He made his NHL debut on October 5, 1996, scoring a goal against the Florida Panthers. In his rookie season, he helped the Flyers reach the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals. The Flyers traded him to the Montreal Canadiens on March 10, 1998, along a pair of draft picks, in exchange for Mark Recchi. He registered his first career hat-trick on October 14, 2000, against the Chicago Blackhawks, and was traded by the Canadiens to the Washington Capitals along with Trevor Linden for Richard Zedník and Jan Bulis on March 13, 2001.[2]

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Zubrus decided to play abroad with Washington Capitals teammate Alexander Semin. He played 42 regular season games for HC Lada Togliatti, tallying 19 points on eight goals and 11 assists. He also appeared in ten playoff games while in the former Russian Superleague (RSL), scoring three goals and one assist.

Zubrus returned to the Capitals the following 2005–06 season and posted a career-high 57 points playing alongside star rookie Alexander Ovechkin.[3] In the 2006–07 season, Zubrus continued his impressive form, posting 52 points in 60 games before he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres, along with Timo Helbling, for Jiří Novotný and a first round-draft pick on February 27, 2007.[4]

On July 3, 2007, as a free agent, Zubrus signed a six-year, $20.4 million contract with the New Jersey Devils.[5]

On November 23, 2008, Zubrus had one of the best offensive games in Devils history. Zubrus tied a team record with four goals to help New Jersey win its season-high fourth straight game, 7–3 over the Tampa Bay Lightning.[6] Four years later, Zubrus got to his second Stanley Cup decision, losing the 2012 finals to the Los Angeles Kings.[7]

On July 29, 2015, after eight seasons with the Devils, Zubrus was placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating the final year of his contract.[8][9][10]

On October 27, 2015, it was announced that Zubrus was invited to Professional Tryout (PTO) with the St. Louis Blues.[11][12] However, on November 6, 2015, Zubrus was released from his Professional Tryout after the Blues opted instead to sign Martin Havlát to a one-year deal.[13]

On November 16, 2015, Zubrus was invited to a professional tryout by the San Jose Sharks.[14][15] Eight days later, he signed a contract with the Sharks, reuniting with former Devils head coach Peter DeBoer.[16][17] Zubrus got to his third Stanley Cup final, which the Sharks lost.[7] He retired during the off-season.[18]

International play

Originally, Zubrus had suited up for the Russia national team during the World Cup of Hockey in 2004. But since then, he has played internationally for Lithuania, most notably in the 2005 World Championships. He had told the press that, "Lithuania needs me more than Russia." Because of the existence of the Soviet Union, players born during its time as a nation were able to choose to play for any of the newly formed countries after the breakup, and even considered representing Ukraine due to his training there.

Personal life

Zubrus is married to Canadian model Nathalie Sanschagrin. They have a son, Tomas, and a daughter, Emma.[19]

Zubrus holds dual citizenship and is the citizen of Lithuania and the United States.[20][21]

Career statistics

Zubrus with the Washington Capitals
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1995–96 Pembroke Lumber Kings CJHL 28 19 13 32 73 — — — — —
1995–96 Caledon Canadians MTJHL 7 3 7 10 2 17 11 12 23 4
1996–97 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 68 8 13 21 22 19 5 4 9 12
1997–98 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 69 8 25 33 42 5 0 1 1 2
1998–99 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 63 3 5 8 25 — — — — —
1998–99 Montreal Canadiens NHL 17 3 5 8 4 — — — — —
1999–00 Montreal Canadiens NHL 73 14 28 42 54 — — — — —
2000–01 Montreal Canadiens NHL 49 12 12 24 30 — — — — —
2000–01 Washington Capitals NHL 12 1 1 2 7 6 0 0 0 2
2001–02 Washington Capitals NHL 71 17 26 43 38 — — — — —
2002–03 Washington Capitals NHL 63 13 22 35 43 6 2 2 4 4
2003–04 Washington Capitals NHL 54 12 15 27 38 — — — — —
2004–05 Lada Togliatti RSL 42 8 11 19 85 10 3 1 4 22
2005–06 Washington Capitals NHL 71 23 34 57 84 — — — — —
2006–07 Washington Capitals NHL 60 20 32 52 50 — — — — —
2006–07 Buffalo Sabres NHL 19 4 4 8 12 15 0 8 8 8
2007–08 New Jersey Devils NHL 82 13 25 38 38 5 0 1 1 8
2008–09 New Jersey Devils NHL 82 15 25 40 69 7 0 1 1 10
2009–10 New Jersey Devils NHL 51 10 17 27 28 5 1 0 1 8
2010–11 New Jersey Devils NHL 79 13 17 30 53 — — — — —
2011–12 New Jersey Devils NHL 82 17 27 44 34 24 3 7 10 18
2012–13 New Jersey Devils NHL 22 2 7 9 12 — — — — —
2013–14 New Jersey Devils NHL 82 13 13 26 46 — — — — —
2014–15 New Jersey Devils NHL 74 4 6 10 42 — — — — —
2015–16 San Jose Sharks NHL 50 3 4 7 20 14 1 1 2 6
NHL totals 1,293 228 363 591 791 106 12 25 37 78

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Dainius Zubrus biography". drazhba78.com. 2012-04-06. Archived from the original on 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2012-04-07.
  2. ↑ "Capitals acquire Linden, Zubrus, Marshall". usatoday.com. 2001-03-13. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
  3. ↑ Cohn, Linda (2006-11-10). "Ovechkin, Zubrus work well on, off the ice". ESPN. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  4. ↑ Brady, Erik (2007-02-28). "Zubrus checks in with Sabres". usatoday.com. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
  5. ↑ "Devils sign free agents Zubrus, Rachunek". usatoday.com. 2007-07-03. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
  6. ↑ D.Zubrus - geriausias NHL lygos dienos žaidėjas. retrieved on 2008-11-24
  7. 1 2 Gilmore, Eric (May 28, 2016). "Sharks' Zubrus hopes third time's the charm". NHL.com. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Devils place forward Zubrus on unconditional waivers". NHL.com. July 29, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Zubrus placed on unconditional waivers". NHL.com. July 30, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Dainius Zubrus leaves Devils with no bitterness". NJ.com. 2015-07-30. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
  11. ↑ "Blues invite forwards Havlat, Zubrus for tryouts". NHL.com. October 27, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Zubrus, Havlat Invited to Pro Tryouts". NHL.com. October 28, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Blues Sign Havlat to One-Year Deal". NHL.com. November 6, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Former Devils forward Dainius Zubrus gets tryout with Pete DeBoer's San Jose Sharks". NJ.com. November 16, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Still with Sharks, Zubrus never lost will to keep playing". Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Sharks Sign Forward Dainius Zubrus to a Two-Way Contract". NHL.com. November 24, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Sharks sign Zubrus to two-way contract". NHL.com. November 24, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Paskelbtas ledo ritulio rinktinės kandidatų sąrašas: yra ir Dainius Zubrus". lrytas.lt (in Lithuanian). February 28, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  19. ↑ "L'ancien Canadien Dainius Zubrus n'écarte pas un retour à Montréal". LNH.com (in French). March 2, 2007. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Devils get into USA-Canada spirit with shootout showdown; Clowe feels "fine"". North Jersey. February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  21. ↑ "D. Zubrus – apie JAV pilietybę, KHL klubo viliones ir baimę dėl draugų gyvybių" (in Lithuanian). Delfi. April 18, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Brian Boucher		 Philadelphia Flyers' first round draft pick
1996		 Succeeded by
Simon Gagne
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