Dainius Zubrus

Dainius Gintas Zubrus (born June 16, 1978) is a Lithuanian former professional ice hockey player. He played as forward 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, Zubrus 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 at 11 years of age, Zubrus moved to Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, to train under Ukrainian coach Ivan Pravilov, with whom he became close as he played for him for six years, on the Druzhba-78 squad, where he played until the end of 1995. As a youth, he played in the 1992 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with them. Pravilov was arrested in 2012 for sexual abuse of a teenage student, and committed suicide by hanging in prison. Zubrus said: "Since learning of the terrible accusations against my former coach, all my thoughts and concerns have been for the children. I have reached out to the children, and assured them that I am, and will continue to be, there for them."

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Zubrus decided to play abroad with Capitals teammate Alexander Semin. He played 42 regular season games for Lada Togliatti, recording 8 goals and 11 assists for 19 points. 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 recorded a career-high 57 points playing alongside star rookie Alexander Ovechkin. In the 2006–07 season, Zubrus continued his impressive form, posting 52 points in 60 games before he was traded on February 27, 2007, to the Buffalo Sabres (along with Timo Helbling) in exchange for Jiří Novotný and a first round-draft pick.

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

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. Four years later, Zubrus got to his second Stanley Cup decision, losing the 2012 Stanley Cup Final to the Los Angeles Kings.

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.

On October 27, 2015, it was announced Zubrus was invited to professional tryout (PTO) with the St. Louis Blues. On November 6, 2015, Zubrus was released from his professional tryout after the Blues opted instead to sign Martin Havlát to a one-year contract.

On November 16, 2015, Zubrus was invited to a professional tryout by the San Jose Sharks. Eight days later, he signed a contract with the Sharks, reuniting with former Devils head coach Peter DeBoer and former Devils teammate Paul Martin. With San Jose, Zubrus reached his third Stanley Cup Final, which the Sharks lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He retired during the off-season.

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, "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.

Executive career In 2018, Zubrus was elected as president of Hockey Lietuva, the governing body of ice hockey in Lithuania. In May 2022, he was re-elected for a second term.

Personal life Zubrus and his wife have two children.

Zubrus holds dual citizenship and is a citizen of Lithuania and the United States.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs 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 1998–99 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 63 3 5 8 25 — — — — — 1998–99 Montreal Canadiens NHL 17 3 5 8 4 — — — — — 1999–2000 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 6NHL totals 1,293 228 363 591 791 106 12 25 37 78

International