Sergei Zubov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sergei Zubov
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2019
Zubov in 2014
Born	(1970-07-22) 22 July 1970 (age 55) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Right
Played for	CSKA Moscow New York Rangers Pittsburgh Penguins Dallas Stars SKA Saint Petersburg
Current KHL coach	HC Sochi
National team	Soviet Union,  Unified Team and  Russia
NHL Draft	85th overall, 1990 New York Rangers
Playing career	1988–2010
Coaching career	2011–present

Sergei Alexandrovich Zubov (born July 22, 1970) is a famous Russian ice hockey coach and a former player. He played as a defenceman, which is a player who helps protect their team's goal. Today, he coaches HC Sochi in the KHL.

Sergei played for several big teams like the Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL. He also played for SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL. Many people think he was one of the best offensive defencemen ever in the NHL. He won the Stanley Cup, ice hockey's biggest prize, two times! He won with the Rangers in 1994 and with the Stars in 1999. He was added to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019, which is a huge honor for hockey players.

Playing Career Highlights

Early Days in Russia and the NHL Start

Sergei Zubov was chosen by the New York Rangers in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. Before that, he played for HC CSKA Moscow, a famous team in Russia. He continued playing for them until 1992.

When Sergei first joined the Rangers, he also spent some time with their minor league team, the Binghamton Rangers. But he quickly became a key player for the New York Rangers. In his first full season, he scored 31 points, which was really good for a defenceman.

Winning the Stanley Cup with the Rangers

Zubov kept scoring lots of points. During the 1993–94 NHL season, he scored 12 goals and made 77 assists, leading his team in scoring. He also helped the Rangers win the Stanley Cup in the playoffs. He and three other Russian players became the first Russians to have their names on the Stanley Cup.

After playing well for the Rangers, Zubov was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995. He only played one season there. Some people said he and team captain Mario Lemieux didn't always agree on how to play, especially during power plays. In 1996, he was traded again, this time to the Dallas Stars.

Success with the Dallas Stars

Zubov with the Dallas Stars in 2007

Even though Zubov didn't score as many points as he did with the Rangers, he was still a top player for the Dallas Stars. The Stars played a more defensive style, but Zubov still had 11 years in a row where he scored over 40 points and made over 30 assists.

He was also very good at playing defense. He was known for his smart positioning and for getting the puck away from opponents. He was a regular player on the penalty killing team, which is when a team has fewer players on the ice. He rarely had a negative plus/minus rating, which shows how good he was at preventing goals.

For many years, Zubov was a great player but didn't get much attention for big NHL awards. However, in the 2005–06 NHL season, he had 71 points, his highest in over ten years. This earned him his first nomination for the Norris Trophy, which is given to the best defenceman in the NHL.

Towards the end of his career, Zubov faced some injuries. He missed many games in the 2007–08 NHL season and most of the 2008–09 NHL season due to hip problems.

Playing in Russia and Retirement

On July 30, 2009, Zubov decided to leave the NHL and signed a contract with SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL. He was also chosen as a backup player for Team Russia for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

On April 18, 2011, it was announced that Zubov would officially retire from playing hockey because of his ongoing hip injuries.

International Play

Medal record
Representing  Unified Team
Ice hockey
Winter Olympics
Gold	1992 Albertville
Representing Soviet Union
World Junior Championship
Gold	1989 United States
Silver	1990 Finland

Sergei Zubov played for the Soviet Union junior team. He won a gold medal in 1989 and a silver medal in 1990 at the World Junior Championship.

He also won a gold medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics while playing for the Unified Team.

Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Zubov became a coach. On July 20, 2015, he joined the coaching staff of the Russian national team as a defensive assistant.

He later became the head coach of HC Sochi for the 2017–18 KHL season. He coached them until 2019.

Today, he works as a Senior Consultant for Hockey Operations for the Dallas Stars.

Legacy and Honors

Sergei Zubov left the NHL as one of the top-scoring Russian-born defencemen of all time. He is now second only to Sergei Gonchar in points among Russian defencemen.

On January 28, 2022, the Dallas Stars honored Zubov by retiring his jersey number, 56. This means no other player on the Stars will ever wear that number again, showing how important he was to the team.

Personal Life

Sergei Zubov is married to Irina, and they have two children.