Report: Former Dallas Star Sergei Zubov Retires

by Brad Gardner on Apr 18, 2011 10:27 PM CDT in Dallas Stars News

A report out of Russia tonight states that former Dallas Stars Sergei Zubov will officially retire from playing the game of hockey after over 1,200 NHL games and two season in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg.

The sourcing on it is a litte funny and sounds a lot like "I heard it from my sister's ex-boyfriend's roommate..." but the short of it is that OutsidetheGarden.com posted it on their message boards and that comes from a google translation of a russian news site called newsru.com. You can see the article in Russian here and if you're resourceful, give us a better translation.

The long and short of it is that Zubov left the NHL after the 2008-2009 season when no one was willing to take a chance on him for the money he still felt he could earn, and he spent a year with SKA St. Petersburg and then a year off the ice with them this season when a hip issue kept him away from the game completely.

He will (reportedly) undergo a surgery for his hip joint and probably stay in Russia to be involved with the game there in some capacity.

This means that Mike Modano, Sergei Zubov and Jere Lehtinen will likely all announce retirement during the 2010-2011 season and go out together even though they all ended up in different locale's before the end. In the end Zubov needed his body to tell him when to quit just like Modano apparently has done.

As fans we moved on from Zubov's time here a couple of off-seasons ago but it's now time to wonder about when to bring him back and give him the recognition he so richly deserves. After all, we got to say goodbye to Modano and Lehtinen but not Sergei. After a new owner takes control of this team some day the ceremonies will be planned and the three of them brought back to the AAC, possibly (hopefully?) together, to be honored in the rafters and by the people that were lucky enough to see them play all those years in Dallas uniforms.

Here's an additional source listing this story and calling it a hip replacement. And another.

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Comments

all 3 of them...

should get their own banners. right next to each other.
none of them should be on the stupid 6 space banner already up there.

@rossssss
http://www.last.fm/user/ROSSSSSS

by Ross Phillips on Apr 18, 2011 10:40 PM CDT reply actions

Best of luck, Mr. Zubov. You were really fun to watch

Don't play F A G! Do not play F A G! Don't- (BLAST F). OH MY GOD WHAT ARE YOU (BLAST A) DOING?! I SAID NOT TO (BLAST G)!

by DFWTrojanTuba on Apr 18, 2011 10:40 PM CDT reply actions

Forty years old and having a hip replacement...

…means that he’s STILL better than Woywitka and Niskanen EVER will be. And that’s to say nothing of chain-smoking all those nasty Russian cigarettes.

Seriously, though…I wouldn’t mind one bit seeing 56 go to the rafters along with 9 and 26 at a nice ceremony sometime next season.

And if Tom Hicks is on the ice when that happens, I’m going to run out there and strangle him.

You think you know. But you ain't got no idea.

by PatrickIn323 on Apr 18, 2011 10:47 PM CDT reply actions

Zubbbbbbie!

… yep, still feels right shouting. Best wishes and hope to see him back here soon. We need to celebrate him!

by KStars on Apr 18, 2011 10:49 PM CDT reply actions

Now if we can somehow get the sneaky Russian master to come back to Dallas for a day so he can retire with the club that loves him so much.

by HarmGsN on Apr 18, 2011 11:54 PM CDT reply actions

Letter

I suggest a letter be sent to the headquarters of SKA St Petersburg telling Zubov how much we love and miss him and want him back once his hip is 100%. He could teach this defense quite a bit. Miss ya Zubie.

by Ottersaurus on Apr 19, 2011 12:05 AM CDT reply actions

It would be nice to have them all together again...

And they all deserve to have their numbers retired…but not on the same night. They each deserve their own night…and it would take an hour to propperly do that anyway…not all on the same night.

by StarsFan29 on Apr 19, 2011 12:08 AM CDT reply actions

Happy Retirement Zubie…you and Sydor got me hooked in this sport!

by EyesOfDallas on Apr 19, 2011 12:15 AM CDT reply actions

One of my faves

Zubov, Hatcher, Modano, Lehtinen, Morrow, and Turco. Honorable mention goes to Ott, Hull, and Sydor. I love all these guys to death LOL

6-42......NEVER AGAIN!!

by 84gsl-se on Apr 19, 2011 12:46 AM CDT reply actions

Funny

Some of my favorite Rams “greatest show on turf” players retired at the same time as well. Isaac Bruce, Orlando Pace, and Kurt Warner all retired at the same time.

6-42......NEVER AGAIN!!

by 84gsl-se on Apr 19, 2011 12:47 AM CDT reply actions

So how do you feel about the impending sale of the Blues?

Defending Big D

by Brad Gardner on Apr 19, 2011 12:49 AM CDT up reply actions

I think

that Checketts wasn’t a great owner and it may affect them in the offseason much like it did the Rams last year. It won’t be nearly as messy as our sale has gone thus far, but hopefully they get it sold. The Blues are my second favorite team.

No way they leave St Louis, their attendance was something like 7th in the league which is pretty good, especially considering how much they tanked after the all star break.

6-42......NEVER AGAIN!!

by 84gsl-se on Apr 19, 2011 10:28 AM CDT up reply actions

Great player.

All the best to Zubov.
Hope you do something one day with Stars.

by Henri Muroke on Apr 19, 2011 3:30 AM CDT reply actions

Rough translation of quotes

Thanks for the heads up and the link. Sad news, for sure. I was hoping to be able to watch him next year in St. Petersburg.

But for now, studying Russian here in Ukraine proves useful, after all. Here’s a (rough) but little-better conversational translation of Zubov’s quote to the Russian newspaper Sports Express:
“Definitely, I’m done. I need to replace the whole hip joint. I still don’t know where I will have the operation; possibly in America, maybe in Europe. I still haven’t thought about what I’ll do next. I can only say one thing for sure: I want to continue to be useful to hockey and I want to stay in Russia.”

Why I’m reading hockey news when I have a ten-page paper do tomorrow is a good question. Now, question: do I do the paper or go watch IIHF Pool B games?

by justsaynotocardinals on Apr 19, 2011 7:33 AM CDT reply actions

"Why I'm reading hockey news when I have a ten-page paper do tomorrow is a good question."

They are called priorities. And you, sir, have them straight.

"I’m going on record that he read it wrong. We’ll see who’s right." - Hull Fan, in regards to Joe not trading Richards

by Tsudbury on Apr 19, 2011 8:14 AM CDT up reply actions

Favorite quote from Zubov...

I remember one game (playoff vs Edmonton I think) where Zubov had a beautiful game winning slapshot off the faceoff. Razor asked him – Where were you looking when you took that shot (expecting five hole..corner etc)
Zubov’s Response : “I was looking in the goalie’s eyes”
Even Razor was like…whoa…ok that is on a completely different level

by RB16 on Apr 19, 2011 8:19 AM CDT reply actions

Whoa, that's insane!

And kind of romantic at the same time.

"That must be the Dallas Stars version of the shocker. You don't expect that on the other end!" Razor after Grossman went end to end

by James on Bass! on Apr 19, 2011 9:19 AM CDT up reply actions

HA HA HA!

I know where I’m starring next time I’m playing!

Passes come from the heart.

by William Fleishman on Apr 20, 2011 4:59 PM CDT up reply actions

"I was looking in the goalie’s eyes"

These are the quotes legends are made of. Im off to browse the net for clips of Zubov interviews. Rare i know. Zubov is my all time favorite Star and I still have, and YES even wear my Mooterus 56 jersey to games!

by Ol' Diamondback Sturgeon on Apr 19, 2011 10:20 AM CDT reply actions

This makes me happy and sad at the same time.

But it’s time for him to retire, I think. He’s had a great career and I love him to death.

Love you, 56.

Here's to all us girls who love hockey...and the men who play it.

by Brad_Richards_Rocks on Apr 19, 2011 3:31 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

I can't believe it

All of the greats are hanging up their skates. I’m definitely going to see their numbers retired next season.

Passes come from the heart.

by William Fleishman on Apr 20, 2011 5:00 PM CDT up reply actions

Really

We’ve known forever that 9 will never be worn by another Star.
56, I don’ t know. I want it retired, but he did spend significant time with other organizations. My biggest gripe with Zubie is that Lidstrom stole his Norris. Zubie had the better year and deserved it, but retards thought that Nickie needed to keep his bloody streak alive.
26 is, as always the quiet one. Complete career, never wearing another team’s colors (especially the hated red and white), collecting individual hardware, but never getting the recognition he deserved. Don’t need anyone else wearing the 26 either.
I think really we need them all together to be retired. 3 nights to start the season with the past obscuring the future, nah. One night, give the boys their due, give them individual banners, and close the door on a fantastic era of Stars hockey to start the new era. The King is dead, long live the King!

by Waywardstars on Apr 20, 2011 11:32 AM CDT reply actions