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Dallas Stars Daily Links: The Legend of Sergei Zubov

One of the most impactful athletes in DFW’s history, Zubov will finally be inducted into the HHOF. Plus, why Joe Pavelski came to Dallas, the horrors of UFA signings, and more.

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:

Speaking of which, time to start ordering your Pavelski jerseys!

(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:

Former prospect Philippe Desrosiers didn’t have to wait long to find a new home:

Vernon Fiddler is leaving the Stars organization to become an assistant coach for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets:

Around the League

Happy belated July 4th! To celebrate, here is one of DownGoesBrown’s signature “top secret transcript” pieces:

Also from Sean is a grieving process I hope Stars fans didn’t have to go through on Monday:

There are still plenty of RFAs who have not signed, and the deadline for filing for arbitration is right around the corner:

The Colorado Avalanche might be good next year. Like really good. Perhaps too good...

Finally...

Never forget July 4th, 2013...

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