- Dainius Zubrus
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Dainius Zubrus 
Dainius Zubrus in 2010.Born June 16, 1978
Elektrėnai, LithuaniaHeight 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Weight 224 lb (102 kg; 16 st 0 lb) Position Forward Shoots Left NHL team
Former teamsNew Jersey Devils
Philadelphia Flyers
Montreal Canadiens
Washington Capitals
Buffalo SabresNational team 
LithuaniaNHL Draft 15th overall, 1996
Philadelphia FlyersPlaying career 1996–present Dainius Gintas Zubrus (born June 16, 1978) is a Lithuanian professional ice hockey right winger and center currently playing for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is the first Lithuanian to have played 1000 games in the National Hockey League.
Contents
Playing career
Early career
In the summer of 1989, Zubrus moved to Kharkiv, Ukraine to train under Ivan Pravilov on the Druzhba-78 squad. He continued to develop his play there until the end of 1995.[1]
NHL career
Dainius Zubrus was drafted 15th overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers from the Caledon Canadians of the Metro Junior A Hockey League. As of the 2006 draft, Zubrus was the highest drafted Tier II Junior "A" player since the Canadian Junior A Hockey League's 1993 inception (since surpassed by Kyle Turris 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 Stanley Cup final.
Like Darius Kasparaitis, Dainius trained with Aleksey Nikiforov.
The Flyers traded him to the Montreal Canadiens on March 10, 1999, with a pair of draft picks, 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, Dainius 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]
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 — — — — — NHL totals 983 189 306 495 637 68 8 17 25 54 International career
Originally, Zubrus had suited up for the Russian 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 USSR, players born during its time as a nation were able to choose to play for any of the newly formed countries after the breakup. He now plans to represent Lithuania in all of his future international hockey appearances.
References
- ^ http://druzhba78.com/info/
- ^ "Captials acquire Linden, Zubrus, Marshall". usatoday.com. 2001-03-13. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/was/2001-03-13-trades.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
- ^ Cohn, Linda (2006-11-10). "Ovechkin, Zubrus work well on, off the ice". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=cohn_linda&id=2655699. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
- ^ Brady, Erik (2007-02-30). "Zubrus checks in with Sabres". usatoday.com. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/2007-04-30-zubrus-feature_N.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
- ^ "Devils sign free agents Zubrus, Rachunek". usatoday.com. 2007-07-03. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/2007-07-03-4183402325_x.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
- ^ D.Zubrus - geriausias NHL lygos dienos žaidėjas. retrieved on 2008-11-24
External links
- Dainius Zubrus's career stats at Eliteprospects.com
- Dainius Zubrus's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
- Dainius Zubrus's biography at Legends of Hockey
Preceded by
Brian BoucherPhiladelphia Flyers' first round draft pick
1996Succeeded by
Simon GagneCategories:- 1978 births
- Buffalo Sabres players
- Expatriate ice hockey players in Russia
- HC Lada Togliatti players
- Lithuanian ice hockey players
- Living people
- Montreal Canadiens players
- National Hockey League first round draft picks
- New Jersey Devils players
- People from Vilnius County
- Philadelphia Flyers draft picks
- Philadelphia Flyers players
- Washington Capitals players
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