It’s been a little more than a week since Sergei Zubov was announced as one of the newest inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame. It’s been a long overdue recognition for arguably the second most influential player in Dallas Stars history since the team moved to Dallas:
Trading for Zubov mobilized the Stars’ defensive core and legitimized Dallas as a contender. [Mike] Modano’s life, in particular, became easier with a player like Zubov delivering tape-to-tape passes, and the whole team’s lives improved when, according to Gainey, free agents Brett Hull and Ed Belfour pointed to Dallas’ trade for Zubov as a reason they’d take their talents to Texas.
During his playing career, Zubov was a man who marched to the beat of his own drum. He’d rarely interact with the media or his teammates after the game, instead opting for a smoke while showering. Not your typical post-game routine, but his teammates rarely complained:
“We’re all seeing the smoke come out of the shower,” said Craig Ludwig. “But he just played 35 minutes that night, probably set up the game-winning goal. Shut down (Joe) Sakic or some other great player. So we just let him do what he wanted.”
You can read more in Sean Shapiro’s piece on the Russian defenseman here.
Stars Stories
Newest Star Joe Pavelski hopped on the radio the other day to explain why he chose Dallas:
Joe Pavelski joined BaD Radio on @dfwticket to talk about why he chose Dallas, and how Dude Perfect played a part in his decision to join the Stars #GoStars https://t.co/VHZQuD2ZUh
— SportsDayDFW (@SportsDayDFW) July 4, 2019
Speaking of which, time to start ordering your Pavelski jerseys!
New season, new numbers. #GoStars
5 – Andrej Sekera
10 – Corey Perry
11 – Andrew Cogliano
16 – Joe Pavelski
18 – Jason Dickinson— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) July 3, 2019
(Who am I kidding — we all know Corey Perry’s #10 is going to be the most popular.)
Mike Heika answered some questions about the Stars Free Agency moves:
Hey Heika: Why did Stars sign Pavelski over Zuccarello? https://t.co/jdpfKDyhsX via @NHLdotcom
— Mike Heika (@MikeHeika) July 3, 2019
Former prospect Philippe Desrosiers didn’t have to wait long to find a new home:
Philippe Desrosiers signed a one year deal with the @FlaPanthers at $700 000 (2 way)
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) July 3, 2019
Vernon Fiddler is leaving the Stars organization to become an assistant coach for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets:
@DallasStars 🙏🏒🥅 pic.twitter.com/DZzw6AnZl7
— Vernon Fiddler (@TheFiddler38) July 3, 2019
Around the League
Happy belated July 4th! To celebrate, here is one of DownGoesBrown’s signature “top secret transcript” pieces:
From @DownGoesBrown‘s army of spies, the top secret transcript of Gary Bettman’s Fourth of July party: https://t.co/5KJZUyxRsQ
— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) July 5, 2019
Also from Sean is a grieving process I hope Stars fans didn’t have to go through on Monday:
From earlier: We’ve all been there. The 20 stages of watching your team make a horrible free agency mistake. https://t.co/FOrDpeqIoq pic.twitter.com/Go7sh5lBCO
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) July 4, 2019
There are still plenty of RFAs who have not signed, and the deadline for filing for arbitration is right around the corner:
Who will you be keeping an eye on heading into tomorrow’s arbitration deadline?https://t.co/5rkbJx6ZwW
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) July 5, 2019
The Colorado Avalanche might be good next year. Like really good. Perhaps too good…
Just how good can the @Avalanche be next season? 🤔 #NHL https://t.co/kwlINIEUqk pic.twitter.com/kgCklPjyyY
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 3, 2019
Finally…
Never forget July 4th, 2013…
THIS DATE IN 2013: @DallasStars acquired @tseguinofficial in a 7 player trade w/ BOS. More TDIH: https://t.co/X0YL1VJO3k
Seguin has five 30-goal seasons w/ DAL. Only Modano (9x), Bellows (7x), Ciccarelli (7x) & Gagner (6x) have more 30-goal seasons w/ the franchise. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/FCxYDmzjly
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 4, 2019