A few comments from Sergei Zubov, provided by the KHL (more pictures here):
"When I decided to play in the KHL for SKA, I hoped that I would play at the same level I did in the NHL. Now I think I have come to the peak of my physical form. I would not like to predict, but I hope that during the season I will [play at] my former level.
"The last two weeks I just could not sleep, thinking that my career in many ways is to start all over again. For me and my family to move to Russia was a difficult step. I think I fairly quickly will cope with the pressure.
"Living in the United States, I kept my eye on Russian hockey, and therefore I have some notion of what to expect. In my opinion in recent years hockey styles from different countries have been integrated, and now there is no Russian, Swedish or Canadian hockey. This integration allows our sport to progress, and it is great to see these processes take place in the KHL."
Most points by defenceman (1994-95 to present):
| Rk | Player | GP | G | A | PTS | PTS | +/- |
| 1 | Nicklas Lidstrom | 1082 | 200 | 640 | 840 | 0.78 | 323 |
| 2 | Sergei Zubov | 941 | 132 | 519 | 651 | 0.69 | 129 |
| 3 | Sergei Gonchar | 929 | 191 | 443 | 634 | 0.68 | 58 |
| 4 | Scott Niedermayer | 1018 | 141 | 464 | 605 | 0.59 | 133 |
| 5 | Brian Leetch | 768 | 144 | 438 | 582 | 0.76 | -27 |
| 6 | Chris Pronger | 941 | 137 | 439 | 576 | 0.61 | 156 |
| 7 | Mathieu Schneider | 934 | 163 | 392 | 555 | 0.59 | 20 |
| 8 | Rob Blake | 904 | 178 | 376 | 554 | 0.61 | -27 |
| 9 | Roman Hamrlik | 1026 | 133 | 389 | 522 | 0.51 | -25 |
| 10 | Sandis Ozolinsh | 757 | 134 | 343 | 477 | 0.63 | -51 |
| 11 | Bryan McCabe | 986 | 130 | 327 | 457 | 0.46 | 36 |
| 12 | Al MacInnis | 613 | 127 | 325 | 452 | 0.74 | 132 |
| 13 | Teppo Numminen | 941 | 80 | 367 | 447 | 0.48 | 90 |
| 14 | Wade Redden | 919 | 104 | 332 | 436 | 0.47 | 154 |
| 15 | Ed Jovanovski | 903 | 118 | 315 | 433 | 0.48 | -57 |
I think that's the peer group Zubov should be remembered in. He was quietly one of the best blueliners in the game for a long, long time.
There are 15 Comments. Load Now.
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.
C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read
R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next
Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read
Comment Settings
Live comment alert: Hide it!
Comments for this post are closed.