As the banner ascended to the rafters, No. 56 in bright green with “Zubov” written across the top, Sergei Zubov patiently watched, with his wife, Irina, standing to his right and daughter, Anastasia, to his left. Below the No. 56 was the Stars logo with the years 1996 and 2009, marking the 12 years Zubov dazzled Stars fans with his patient puckhandling, pinpoint passes and power-play dominance.
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The banner was raised to immortalize Zubov, but every element of it also represented a stroke of fortuity. Zubov began his NHL career with the New York Rangers in 1992, donning No. 21. In his second season, he finished in the top five of Norris Trophy voting and led the Rangers in scoring during the regular season. New York won the Stanley Cup that season, ending a 54-year championship drought by beating Vancouver in a classic seven-game series.
When Zubov was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995, he embraced No. 3 as his new number.
“The season started and I broke one finger,” Zubov said. “As soon as it got better, I blocked a shot and broke another finger. I missed 20 games and I realized, I got to change something. I used to wear No. 3, it’s what I used to wear with Red Army Club. A couple of numbers were available and the guys told me to pick a bigger one … I guess it was just a blind pick.”
Zubov carried No. 56 to Dallas in 1996, becoming the first, and last, player in Stars history to don it. Though the number selection came on a whim, it isn’t the most happenstance element of that banner. Zubov would have been legendary wherever he played, but the fact the majority of his story was written in Dallas also has layers. As outlined in Sean Shapiro’s book, then-Stars owner Tom Hicks was on the Black Sea for a different business venture and could not be reached as a Zubov-for-Kevin Hatcher trade was cooking. Former Stars president Jim Lites and former general manager Bob Gainey broke the rule of attaining Hicks’ stamp of approval and went through with the one-for-one trade anyway.
Then, there was winning over Zubov. He didn’t know much about Texas, nor was he too familiar with the Stars, a team that was 3 years old after the relocation from Minnesota in 1993. From New York to Pittsburgh, Zubov had grown accustomed to winning, but he was going to a team that was fresh off missing the playoffs in 1995-96.
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“Time went by and I realized that the team came along to become superior,” Zubov said. “In that moment, we really enjoyed playing together and just spending time together. We all became as one big family and that was a big part of the success. I’m glad that it happened with me and I truly enjoyed it.”
The respect Zubov warranted was evident by the stage Friday night. The turnout was star-studded, from Gainey to former teammates, including Mike Modano, Ed Belfour, Derian Hatcher, Brett Hull and others. Former Stars owner Hicks and current Stars owner Tom Gaglardi were present as were Rick Wilson, Doug Armstrong and Ralph Strangis.
“He was just one of those magical players,” Belfour said. “He just knew where to be all the time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him get hit. He was so smart, so clever with the puck. He could thread the needle all the time with those amazing passes, hit (Modano) going up the middle. Obviously, on the power play, he was just instrumental. Just an unbelievable player, one of the best defensemen that I’ve played with throughout my career.”
“You couldn’t hit him,” Gaglardi said. “He could just do things that nobody could do. He could walk the blue line and you looked silly chasing him. Some of the guys that played with him told me they remember him getting hit hard once. He had eyes everywhere and just incredible skill. I don’t know how you describe how good he was. Without him, I’m not sure they win.”
Winning has multiple layers. The most well-known chapter of Zubov’s winning ways, of course, is 1999 when he helped guide the Stars to their only Stanley Cup title in franchise history. It’s a moment that warrants every bit of shine that it gets, as the Stars assuredly don’t have that pinnacle moment without Zubov. But Zubov’s story is about more than one season or one moment.
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Zubov embodied winning with consistency. In his first season in Dallas, he helped take a team that finished sixth in the division and missed the playoffs the previous season to winning the division and going seven games in the first round with the Edmonton Oilers. Over the next 11 years that Zubov was with the Stars, Dallas missed the postseason just twice, once in 2001-02 and the other time in Zubov’s final season in 2008-09 when he only played in 10 games because of a hip injury.
With Zubov on the team, the postseason was merely an expectation. Half of the time the Stars made the postseason with Zubov, they at least went to the second round. Twice they went the distance to the Stanley Cup Final and hoisted the Cup once, in 1999.
“As you know, I never spent a lot of time in front of cameras or microphones so you probably never really got to know me well during my career,” Zubov said, speaking to Stars fans at the ceremony Friday night. “But I wanted you to know that I appreciated your support every single day and never took for granted the wonderful fans we had in this city.”
Zubov is as soft-spoken today as he was during his playing career. Back then, the highlight-reel plays and the many team and personal accolades that were brought back to life Friday night spoke louder words.
Friday was about cementing the legacy of an all-time great. Though many throughout the evening tried to explain the greatness and impact of Zubov through words, it was Zubov’s silent moment that roared loudest. As he was flanked by his wife and daughter, Zubov’s eyes gradually climbed as the banner was raised. There were no more words that needed to be said.
Officially official. Forever 56 pic.twitter.com/v6KAGsYRw9
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) January 29, 2022
(Photo: Glenn James / NHLI via Getty Images)
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