Pavel Bure began playing hockey at the age of 16, representing the Soviet Red Army Team. The Russian Rocket was the nickname given to him due to the tremendous speed and skill with which he played the game.
He was picked 113th overall in the sixth round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. November 5, 1991 saw the debut of No. 10 against the Winnipeg Jets. On that first shift, the Russian took the puck in his own zone and went through the Jets team to get a good scoring chance.
There wasn't a goal on that shift, or even in the entire game for that matter. However, Bure gave the people a little taste of things to come. Racking up 60 points (34g, 26a) in 65 games that year, Pavel won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the rookie of the year.
Next season, he registered 110 points (60g, 50a), and 107 points (60g, 47a) the following. "Sophomore slump" wasn't a part of his vocabulary, I guess. This kid was the real deal.
In the 1993-1994 season (in which he totaled 107 points in the regular season), Bure led the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Finals.
It appeared as though Vancouver was going to get burned in the first round against the Calgary Flames. Down 3-1 in best-of-seven series, the Canucks stormed back to force a seventh game. Overtime was needed, and the Russian Rocket came to life once again.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Bure got a breakaway on Mike Vernon, faked backhand, went forehand, and won the series for the Canucks. Sadly, Vancouver lost the Cup Final to the New York Rangers in seven games. Pavel did all he could, racking up 31 points (16g, 15a) in 24 playoff games, but it wasn't enough.
Injuries in the next three seasons slowed the Russian down a bit, but in the 1997-1998 season the world saw the greatness return. Bure played the whole season, putting up 90 points (51g, 39a).
It was his last season in the orange and black. Refusing to play any longer with Vancouver, the Russian Rocket was traded to the Florida Panthers on January 17, 1999.
From the cold streets of Moscow, to the warm beaches of Miami, Bure seemed to have it all. Florida felt the heat in Pavel's first two seasons. He scored 58 goals (1999-2000), and 59 goals (2000-2001), capturing the Rocket Richard Trophy on each occasion.
The old injury bug returned for him the next season, limiting him to 56 games. He managed 49 points (22g, 27a), but it was his last year as a Panther.
Bure made the move to Broadway with the New York Rangers for the last two years of his career. Only 51 games were played in those two seasons, but he still put up nearly a point per game.
With six All-Star Game appearances, two Rocket Richard Trophies, and a Calder Memorial, the Russian Rocket made his mark in the time he was given. Without injuries, God only knows how much longer Bure could have dominated the league. It's a shame too, because the post-lockout NHL is built for a player exactly like the Russian Rocket.
Still, he left us with plenty of highlight reel goals, pretty dangles, and speedy rushes to remember. Bure dazzled us from the first time he stepped onto an NHL rink, and won't be forgotten anytime soon.
Why isn't his number retired in the Canucks' organization? Why hasn't he been inducted to the Hall of Fame?
Who knows. But they can't ignore his name forever.
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2 months ago
One of my favorite players ever, he definitely belongs in the hall of fame his stats speak for themselves.
2 months ago
Greatest Canuck ever.
2 months ago
The first NHL game I ever attended happened to be game 3 of the 1994 Stanley Cup finals. On his first shift Bure scored and the crowd at Pacific Coliseum went crazy! Unfortunately later in the period Pavel hit and cut Jay Wells and was tossed out for the game. It was like a death knell for the crowd, they all went silent in unison and the team lost 5-1. That's how much Pavel meant to that team.
While the infraction was certainly worthy of a double minor it is was called a major by Andy (I hate the Canucks Van Hellemond) and Pavel was done for the game. It's likely that the over reaction by Van Hellemond was in part due to an earlier series when Bure knocked out Shane Churla from Dallas (after being pummelled mercilessly) with what I can only described as a hit that made Steve Downie's seem amateurish.
Without doubt Pavel was one of the most exciting players I have ever had the pleasure to watch, he did everything at top speed, was a pure goal scorer and had a nasty streak. The complete player.
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