Dainius Zubrus
Dainius Zubrus | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dainius Gintas Zubrus June 16, 1978 |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey forward (retired) |
| Years active | 1996–2016 |
| Known for | First Lithuanian to play over 1,000 NHL games |
Dainius Gintas Zubrus (born June 16, 1978) is a retired Lithuanian professional ice hockey forward, notable for being the first player from Lithuania to surpass 1,000 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected 15th overall in the 1996 NHL entry draft by the Philadelphia Flyers, Zubrus also competed for the Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, and San Jose Sharks during his NHL tenure.
Early career
In 1989, at the age of 11, Zubrus relocated to Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, to develop his skills under coach Ivan Pravilov with the Druzhba-78 team, where he remained until 1995. He took part in the 1992 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament representing that squad. In 2012, Pravilov was arrested on charges of sexually abusing a teenage student and subsequently died by suicide while incarcerated. Zubrus has voiced his sympathy for the victims and pledged his support to them.
Professional
The Philadelphia Flyers drafted Zubrus 15th overall in the 1996 NHL entry draft, selecting him from the Caledon Canadians. At that time, he was the highest-drafted player from Tier II Junior "A" hockey. Prior to Caledon, he played with the Pembroke Lumber Kings.
Zubrus made his NHL debut on October 5, 1996, scoring a goal against the Florida Panthers. He contributed to the Flyers' journey to the 1997 Stanley Cup Final. On March 10, 1999, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens along with draft picks in exchange for Mark Recchi. On October 14, 2000, he recorded his first career hat-trick against the Chicago Blackhawks. Subsequently, on March 13, 2001, Zubrus was traded to the Washington Capitals alongside Trevor Linden in return for Richard Zedník and Jan Bulis.
During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Zubrus played 42 games with HC Lada Togliatti in the former Russian Superleague, tallying 19 points and contributing during the playoffs.
Upon returning for the 2005–06 season, he achieved a personal best of 57 points while playing alongside rookie sensation Alexander Ovechkin. In the following season (2006–07), after accumulating 52 points in just 60 games, he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres together with Timo Helbling in exchange for Jiří Novotný and a first-round draft pick.
As a free agent on July 3, 2007, Zubrus agreed to a six-year contract worth $20.4 million with the New Jersey Devils. On November 23, 2008, he matched a franchise record by scoring four goals in a single game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He reached his second Stanley Cup Final in 2012 with New Jersey but was defeated by the Los Angeles Kings. The Devils extended his contract by three years on July 4, 2013.
After an eight-season stint with New Jersey, Zubrus was placed on unconditional waivers on July 29, 2015, leading to termination of the final year of his contract.
On October 27, 2015, he accepted a professional tryout (PTO) invitation from the St. Louis Blues, but was released on November 6 following their signing of Martin Havlát.
Zubrus then joined a PTO with the San Jose Sharks on November 16, 2015, signing a two-way contract eight days afterward. This move reunited him with former Devils head coach Peter DeBoer and teammate Paul Martin. While with San Jose, he reached his third Stanley Cup Final in 2016 but fell short against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He announced his retirement during that offseason.
International competition
Zubrus began his international career representing the Russia national ice hockey team at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. Subsequently, he chose to play for Lithuania, including participation in the 2005 World Championships, expressing that "Lithuania requires me more than Russia". Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, athletes born during its existence were eligible to represent any of the successor countries; Zubrus also contemplated playing for Ukraine, where he had undergone training.
Leadership role
In 2018, Zubrus was appointed president of Hockey Lietuva, the official organization overseeing ice hockey in Lithuania. He secured a second term in May 2022, maintaining his commitment to advancing the sport at the national level.
Personal details
Zubrus and his spouse are parents to two children. He possesses citizenship in both Lithuania and the United States.
Regular season and playoffs
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 -| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 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 | MetJHL | 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 63 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–99 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 17 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 73 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 54 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–01 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 49 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington Capitals | NHL | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–02 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 71 | 17 | 26 | 43 | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington Capitals | NHL | 63 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 43 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–04 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 54 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HC Lada Togliatti | Russian Superleague | 42 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 85 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–06 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 71 | 23 | 34 | 57 | 84 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington Capitals | NHL | 60 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 50 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NHL totals !1,293 !228 !363 !591 !791 !106 !12 !25 !37 !78 |
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See alsoExternal links
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