Dainius Zubrus

Early career

In the summer of 1989, Zubrus moved to Kharkiv, Ukraine to train under Ivan Pravilov on the Druzhba-78 squad. He continued to develop his play there until the end of 1995. Like Darius Kasparaitis, Dainius trained with Aleksey Nikiforov.

Professional

Dainius Zubrus was drafted 15th overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers from the Caledon Canadians of the Metro Junior A Hockey League. As of the 2006 draft, Zubrus was the highest drafted Tier II Junior "A" player since the Canadian Junior A Hockey League's 1993 inception (since surpassed by Kyle Turris at 2007 NHL Entry Draft). Prior to being traded to Caledon, Zubrus played for the Pembroke Lumber Kings of the Central Junior A Hockey League. He made his NHL debut on October 5, 1996, scoring a goal against the Florida Panthers. In his rookie season, he helped the Flyers reach the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals. The Flyers traded him to the Montreal Canadiens on March 10, 1998 with a pair of draft picks for Mark Recchi. He registered his first career hat-trick on October 14, 2000, against the Chicago Blackhawks, and was traded by the Canadiens to the Washington Capitals along with Trevor Linden for Richard Zedník and Jan Bulis on March 13, 2001.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Zubrus decided to play abroad with Washington Capitals teammate Alexander Semin. He played 42 regular season games for HC Lada Togliatti, tallying 19 points on eight goals and 11 assists. He also appeared in ten playoff games while in the former Russian Superleague (RSL), scoring three goals and one assist.

Zubrus returned to the Capitals the following 2005–06 season and posted a career-high 57 points playing alongside star rookie Alexander Ovechkin. In the 2006–07 season, Zubrus continued his impressive form posting 52 points in 60 games before he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres, along with Timo Helbling, for Jiří Novotný and a first round draft pick on February 27, 2007.

On July 3, 2007, as a free agent, Zubrus signed a six-year, $20.4 million contract with the New Jersey Devils.

On November 23, 2008, Zubrus had one of the best offensive games in Devils history. Zubrus tied a team record with four goals to help New Jersey win its season-high fourth straight game, 7–3 over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Four years later, Zubrus got to his second Stanley Cup decision, losing the 2012 finals to the Los Angeles Kings.

On July 29, 2015, after 8 seasons with the Devils, he was placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating the final year of his contract.

On October 27, 2015, it was announced that Zubrus was invited to Professional Tryout (PTO) with the St. Louis Blues. However, on November 6, 2015, Zubrus was released from his Professional Tryout after Blues decided to sign Martin Havlat to a one-year deal.

On November 16, 2015, Zubrus was invited to a professional tryout by the San Jose Sharks. Eight days later, he signed a contract with the Sharks, reuniting with former Devils coach Peter DeBoer. Zubrus got to his third Stanley Cup final, which the Sharks lost. He retired during the off-season.

International play

Originally, Zubrus had suited up for the Russian national team during the World Cup of Hockey in 2004. But since then, he has played internationally for Lithuania, most notably in the 2005 World Championships. He had told the press that, "Lithuania needs me more than Russia." Because of the existence of the Soviet Union, players born during its time as a nation were able to choose to play for any of the newly formed countries after the breakup, and even considered representing Ukraine due to his training there.

Personal life

He is married to Canadian model Nathalie Sanschagrin. They have a son, Thomas, and a daughter, Emma.

Zubrus holds dual citizenship and is the citizen of Lithuania and the United States.