Searching for Sergei Zubov

Reprinted from 2014 - my piece on how a stud dman is THE GAME CHANGER if you're looking to win a championship, and why NO MIRO... probably means... NO CUP.

Sergei Zubov

He fell to us from the gods, a unique bounty that comes around once in a generation, and not to everyone, and only if your luck substantially exceeds your intellect and hard work.

The timing of his arrival coincided with the franchises burgeoning roster solidity, and yet with all those other most significant pieces, I’m going to make the case that without Sergei Zubov, the degree to which the riches were reaped, the grand scale on which the attention was garnered and the near embarrassment of successes that were accrued, none of it would not have happened. The seismic shift for the Dallas Stars was felt immediately upon his arrival and throughout his time here, and when he left, it was as if the Stars literally fell into the deep black hole created by his departure. And nearly 6 years later, we’re still climbing out.

The most compelling part of the argument is that the numbers used here are not really his. There will be only cursory mentions of Zubov’s personal statistics. That he is the only defenseman in NHL history to lead a Cup Champion in scoring (New York Rangers, 1993-94 Regular Season), or the only power play specialist to lead three different teams to the NHL’s top ranked power play (New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Dallas Stars) or that he left the game as the NHL’s highest scoring Russian Born defenseman are mere sidebars.

Stanley Cup champions and contenders by rule have one of these. Detroit had Lidstrom for 20 years and grabbed 4 cups, LA has Doughty and they’ve won 2 of the last 3, Chicago’s won twice in the last 5 years with Keith. Boston has Chara - Anaheim had Pronger and Niedermeyer. There are so few exceptions.

The year before Zubov got to Dallas, the Stars had Mike Modano, they had Jere Lehtinen, they had Joe Nieuwendyk and Darian Hatcher and Richard Matvichuk and Darryl Sydor and Guy Carbonneau. Ken Hitchcock took over behind the bench mid-season. And that team won 26 games and accumulated a paltry 66 points, and finished last in the Central Division. They gave up 53 more goals than they scored. Their special teams were woeful. Andy Moog’s GAA was 2.99 and his Save % was .900. The Stars used 5 goalies that season who combined for 2 shutouts.

The following season the Stars won 48 games, amassed 104 points and won the Central Division. Look to the rafters next time you’re at the American Airlines Center. It is the first of 15 team banners lifted during the Zubov era. None have been hoisted since he left.

That season, Andy Moog, a year older, saw his GAA drop to 2.15 (almost a full goal a game) and his Save % go to .913. Stars goaltenders recorded 6 shutouts and the Stars outscored the opposition by 54 goals (a swing of an astonishing 107 goals from the previous season). Special teams improved to mid-pack.

The next season, the Stars won 49, put up 109 points, won the Central Division again, outscored the opposition by 75 goals and had the NHL’s best power play, and the leagues 2^nd ranked penalty kill. Ed Belfour joined the party, and put up eye-popping numbers; 1.88 GAA/.916 Save %. Stars goaltenders had 10 shutouts, and the backups accounted for 12 wins (Roman Turek had 11) and a combined 2.22 GAA and .901 Save %.