Zubov has number retired by Stars

DALLAS -- Sergei Zubov had his number retired by the Dallas Stars before their game against the Washington Capitals at American Airlines Center on Friday (9 p.m.; BSSW, NBCSWA, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).

"I will forever be proud to call myself a Dallas Star," the Hall of Fame defenseman said.

Zubov played the final 12 (1996-2009) of his 16 NHL seasons with the Stars, helping them win the Stanley Cup in 1999. He is the Stars/Minnesota North Stars leader among defensemen in games played (839), goals (111), assists (438) and points (549). Among all Stars/North Stars players, he's third in assists, fifth in games played and seventh in points.

His No. 56 is the sixth retired number in franchise history, joining Bill Masterton (No. 19, 1987), Bill Goldsworthy (No. 15, 1992), Neal Broten (No. 7, 1998), Mike Modano (No. 9, 2014), and Jere Lehtinen (No. 26, 2017).

The ceremony opened with a video chronicling Zubov's NHL career. He then delivered prepared remarks and injected a bit of levity. 

"I also want to thank my goalies, Marty [Turco] and Eddie [Belfour] for covering up all my mistakes," he said. 

To a round of laughter, Zubov followed up with, "And there were many." 

Prior to the ceremony, members of the 1999 championship team, former teammates, front office personnel and other guests made their way into the arena across a green carpet.

"He's deserving of this," said Modano, who was a teammate of Zubov's for the defenseman's entire Stars career. "He's done everything we've ever asked as a player for this organization. He made us a very good team and for a long time. He had a great impact for us, as a person, a player, a teammate. Very deserving."

Zubov also played for the New York Rangers (1992-95) and Pittsburgh Penguins (1995-96), winning the Cup with the Rangers in 1994. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.