"I will forever be proud to call myself a Dallas Star," Zubov said before his No. 56 was raised to the rafters prior to a 5-0 loss to the Washington Capitals.
Zubov played his final 12 NHL seasons (1996-2009) with the Stars, helping them win their first Stanley Cup championship in 1999. He is the Stars/Minnesota North Stars leader among defensemen in games played (839), goals (111), assists (438), points (549), rating (plus-103), power-play goals (60) and shots on goal (1,694). He is tied with current Stars player John Klingberg for most game-winning goals (20) by a Dallas defenseman. Among all Stars/North Stars, Zubov is third in assists, fifth in games played and seventh in points.
"We really enjoyed playing together and just spending time together," Zubov said after the ceremony of his Dallas teams. "We all became one big family, and that was big part of success. Just glad that it happened to me and truly enjoyed it."
His number is the sixth to be retired in franchise history, joining Bill Masterton (No. 19), Bill Goldsworthy (No. 15), Neal Broten (No. 7), Mike Modano (No. 9), and Jere Lehtinen (No. 26). Zubov was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019.
Zubov's wife, Irina, and daughter Anastasia were in attendance, as were former Stars teammates Modano, Derian Hatcher, Marty Turco, Ed Belfour, Pat Verbeek, Trevor Daley and Brenden Morrow.
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.
"A great moment to spend with the people that really made this team, made this city and organization special," Zubov said afterward. "All of those guys, and some of them I didn't see for some years, it's just a nice moment to enjoy."
The ceremony opened with a video chronicling Zubov's NHL career. It included video messages from two Hall of Fame defensemen: Bob Gainey, who was Stars general manager when they acquired Zubov in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins prior to the 1996-97 season; and Kevin Lowe, Zubov's teammate with the New York Rangers.
Zubov delivered prepared remarks and injected a bit of levity.
"I also want to thank my goalies, Marty and Eddie, for covering up all my mistakes," he said.
To a round of laughter, Zubov followed up with, "And there were many."
Turco, Zubov's teammate for nine seasons (2000-10), said that was not the case.
"He was just so darn good," Turco said prior to the ceremony, "and as unappreciated as he was, even though he's a Hall of Famer, and his number's going up in the rafters, and has his name's on Cups, he made everybody better. Every time he was on ice, he never once made someone worse. He made everybody better. Just me, selfishly, nothing gave me more confidence than Sergei Zubov playing with them. I owe him a debt of gratitude, and I had a really great seat for a lot of it."
Zubov was given gifts throughout the game Friday, including a limited-edition Rolex watch presented by Dallas owner Tom Gaglardi.
"He's deserving of this," said Modano, a Hall of Fame forward who was Zubov's teammate 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 played three seasons for the Rangers (1992-95), winning the Stanley Cup in 1994, and played one season for the Penguins (1995-96).
"Sergei Zubov is an icon, Hall of Famer, deservedly so," Stars chairman Jim Lites said beforehand. "… The fact that we were able to work with him for all that time is just fantastic. Couldn't be better. Great for us."
