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Dallas Stars Daily Links: An Ode To Sergei Zubov, Super Genius

Posted on by Kathleen Tibbetts

As a child, Sergei Zubov used to temper his hockey stick over his Mom’s kitchen stove. He knew even then that he could make it do whatever he wanted if he could just get the balance right.

It took 10 years, but he got his pattern. It was all uphill from there.

As Zubov prepares for his Hockey Hall of Fame induction. Dallas Stars senior staff writer Mike Heika has posted a new retrospective on his genius as a player – and how it informs his work as a coach:

He polled higher than eighth just twice in voting for the Norris Trophy, getting third one year and fourth the other. He wasn’t seen as a charismatic figure with media or fans. All he did was play great hockey on a consistent basis.

”He never got the credit that was due to him from the media or the league or awards or anything,” said teammate Craig Ludwig. “I think it was funny, because he didn’t want you guys hanging around asking questions all of the time. He was like, `I don’t need that, so I’m fine if nobody is giving me attention.’ It probably hurt him in terms of awards and everything, but I think it was just better for him day to day.

“He could just play his game and do all of his talking on the ice.”

Heika’s article is full of little stories about Zubov’s approach to the game, and how it made both him and the Stars better:

Modano and Zubov used to play a game after practice or at the morning skate. Each player would stand on an opposite side board and flip pucks back and forth to the other across the width of the rink. The puck had to bounce once before it got to the defending player. If it hit the wall, the shooting player received a point. If it didn’t, the score stayed the same.

”It was something he liked to do and he got me into it, and it just kind of took off from there,” Modano said. “It was simple enough, but it taught you how to control the puck when you were throwing passes and it taught you how to catch a bad pass, so I think it did make you better. Back then, the ice at Reunion wasn’t great, so the puck was bouncing a lot in the last 10 minutes of a period, and it just kind of got you used to it. He was always thinking about things like that.”

There’s much more at Mike’s place. [Dallas Stars]

Stars Stuff

Zubov and Guy Carbonneau had a big weekend, and the big honors haven’t even started yet.

You’ll love what Zubie is thinking about as an opening move for his HHOF speech.

Mark the Vegas Golden Knights game on your calendar, because you have something to look forward to this Friday the 13th.

ICYMI during that big comeback win against the Edmonton Oilers: Tyler Seguin now has 600 NHL points, and this is how he does it.

Around The League(s)

#Death Watch

  • The Chicago Blackhawks are finding their game – they won their fourth straight over the Buffalo Sabres, 4-1, with a two-goal performance from Kirby Dach. [Second City Hockey]/

Elsewhere, in discipline, the St. Louis Blues’ Oskar Sundqvist has been slapped with the maximum fine for charging Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson on Saturday.

Darcy Kuemper vs. Matthew Tkachuk sounds like a title fight waiting to happen.

Is Miro Heiskanen officially on Norris Trophy watch? He just got a feature dedicated to him in THN’s All-Access section.

The 2019 Para Ice Hockey championships are live from Berlin. Check out today’s schedule.

Is this cool or not? I can’t tell.

Finally

One more shot for the books. Enjoy.

Talking Points