About Dainius Zubrus
Dainius Gintas Zubrus (born June 16, 1978) is a Lithuanian former professional ice hockey player. He played as forward in the National Hockey League (NHL), the first Lithuanian to have played 1,000 games in the NHL. Drafted 15th overall in the 1996 NHL entry draft by the Philadelphia Flyers, Zubrus played for the Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils and San Jose Sharks. == Playing career == === Early career === In the summer of 1989 at 11 years of age, Zubrus moved to Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, to train under Ukrainian coach Ivan Pravilov, with whom he became close as he played for him for six years, on the Druzhba-78 squad, where he played until the end of 1995. As a youth, he played in the 1992 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with them. Pravilov was arrested in 2012 for sexual abuse of a teenage student, and committed suicide by hanging in prison. Zubrus said: "Since learning of the terrible accusations against my former coach, all my thoughts and concerns have been for the children. I have reached out to the children, and assured them that I am, and will continue to be, there for them." === Professional === The Philadelphia Flyers selected Zubrus 15th overall in the 1996 NHL entry draft from the Caledon Canadians of the Metro Junior A Hockey League, making him the highest drafted Tier II Junior "A" player since the inception of the Canadian Junior A Hockey League in 1993 (a record later surpassed when Kyle Turris was selected third at 2007 NHL entry draft). Prior to being traded to Caledon, Zubrus played for the Pembroke Lumber Kings of the Central Junior A Hockey League. Zubrus made his NHL debut on October 5, 1996, scoring a goal against the Florida Panthers. In his rookie season, he helped the Flyers reach the 1997 Stanley Cup Final.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.