Dainius Zubrus is a banger, creating havoc on the ice to open up space for Devils linemates Jaromir Jagr and Travis Zajac.

So it might seem incongruous to picture the 6-foot-5, 225-pound winger gently dropping the needle on a vinyl Miles Davis LP he has just carefully removed from its cover, and then relaxing in front of the fireplace to the sounds of classic jazz before dinner.

But that is Zubrus, whose love for music began when he was a pre-teen growing up in Lithuania listening to a cheap, plastic Russian-made cassette player, and continues today as an avid vinyl record collector with a state-of-the-art home stereo system.

It should come as no surprise that the 35-year-old veteran provides the soundtrack in the Devils’ dressing room with his iPod. His music sets the mood, the role of dressing room DJ starting soon after he joined the Devils.

"In Philly, at the start of my career, I was way too young to even go near the stereo there," Zubrus reflected. "Montreal was kind of the same. I don’t remember who was playing the music there.

"In Washington, we had a pretty young team, so a bunch of guys would rotate their iPods. But here, I don’t think anybody was really doing it much.

"When we were in the gym working out, we had country music playing. That doesn’t get me very pumped up, so I asked if it was okay for me to bring my iPod. Of course some guys liked it and some guys didn’t. You can’t please everybody. I don’t even try."

The room does not lack critics.

"It’s been all right. It’s been steady this year," goalie Martin Brodeur said of Zubrus’ song selections. "He hasn’t come up with too many bad ones — so far."

Admittedly, his playlists lack country, a staple of many NHL dressing rooms.

"Nothing wrong with it. Some of it I don’t even mind it," Zubrus said. "And I understand why guys like it. They grew up with it. If I put on music that I grew up with, they’d say, ‘What the heck is this?’ They’d walk out of the room."

Zubrus has a few playlists, ranging from more contemporary dance tunes to ’80s and ’90s rock — think Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC and Metallica — and numbering between 50 and 100 songs each.

"A lot of times I put it on shuffle and whatever plays, plays," he said. "If guys don’t like it they just fast forward."

CASSETTES START IT



Zubrus first developed his love for music as an 8-year-old, growing up in Lithuania. At the time, it was 1986 and his home country was four years from declaring independence from the Soviet Union.

"My mom bought this Russian-made piece of plastic with a cassette tape in it. I learned how to record off the radio and I started making my own mixes for my dad," he recalled. "It was rare at that time that he had a cassette player in his car (a Lada). There were a few tapes that he played over and over. Years later, when we got together, I found those tapes. It was Italian music, a lot of Al Bano with Romina Power.

"When I went to Ukraine to play hockey when I was 12 in 1990, my mom let me bring that cassette player with me. So I had it there. I was living with the billets (family that takes in hockey players) doing the same thing."

It was, in fact, a Bon Jovi album that helped Zubrus learn English, much the way former Devils winger Jan Ludvig, a Czech, learned it by listening to Bob Dylan records.

"Once I started coming to the States, I was living with a family and they gave me a cassette of Bon Jovi’s "New Jersey" album," Zubrus remembered. "It was a real cassette that you buy at the store, so it had a piece of paper inside with all the songs listed.

"That was a big part of how I started learning English better because I loved the music. I started getting curious. I picked up a dictionary and tried to translate and understand the words and what he was singing about. I’m sure I tried to sing in the shower when nobody was listening."

Zubrus has listened to music in all formats — cassettes, CDs, mini-discs and mp3s. Vinyl has become his latest passion.

"I was always kind of curious because I would read and people talked about how good the sound is," he explained. "I wanted to try it, but I was a little bit scared because I didn’t know enough about how to set up a turntable and how to take care of the cartridges (needles)."

That changed on a visit back to Lithuania, when an architect named Alvydas Seibokas invited Zubrus to his office in Vilnius to see a collection of vinyl that numbers between 700 and 800.

"He’s an older guy, so he had Frank Zappa records," Zubrus said. "We started playing U2, things more from my generation, and I thought, ‘I can’t believe I haven’t done this yet.’ I love how vinyl kind of slows things down. You’re not clicking a remote from one song to another. You’re sort of forced to listen to the whole album, and I like that."

His music collection includes 400 to 500 CDs and 150 vinyl LPs and 45s, a decent number since he started collecting vinyl less than two years ago.

"I like going back and listening to Bon Jovi or U2. Last summer I went to a Depeche Mode concert and that kind of got me back into listening to them again. I have all of theirs on vinyl. My wife likes music as well," Zubrus said. "I like new music a lot. Lorde’s whole album is awesome. I have it on vinyl, as well as Arcade Fire’s ‘Reflektor.’ "

His first vinyl purchase was the limited edition of U2’s "Achtung Baby." His favorite is Metallica’s "S&M" with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra limited edition on 45.

"It’s still sealed and I’m going to keep it that way," Zubrus was quick to point out.

Zubrus has made suggestions for the pregame music played at Prudential Center.

"I asked them to play something a little more upbeat," he said. "Don’t get me wrong, I like ‘Welcome to the Jungle,’ but I’ve been hearing it for 15 years now. You need newer stuff. You go on the road and hear stuff. I think most guys hear it. They give me little jabs. They’ll say, ‘The DJ in this town is better than you, Zubie.’ Which is fine."

Begrudgingly, most like his music.

"It’s not bad. He’s got that European input," forward Patrik Elias said.

One influence Zubrus hasn’t introduced into the Devils’ dressing room? Jazz. Perhaps that’s because Zubrus is still exploring the genre.

"I’ve never been that big on jazz but I’m trying to introduce myself," Zubrus said. "Of course Miles Davis and John Coltrane’s ‘Blue Train.’ And I have a Sonny Rollins. It’s not Coldplay. I have all the Coldplays, but it’s not Coldplay.

"I’m still not at the stage where I can’t wait to listen to it. But I like to throw some wood in my fireplace, throw on a little jazz and get ready for dinner."