He did that even before 96 on a breakaway against the Kings I saw on another video although the goalie poke checked him. I honestly watched everything I could back in the day, which was around 20 or so games a season, and the rest was radio. It was basically torture lol. I tried to stay up and watch the extremely limited highlights when I could.
There is this great highlight where he picks up the puck in his zone and flies down the wing crossing over a couple times and blows right past Nick Lidstrom to score, that's my favourite Bure highlight but I only see it in long compilations.
Had he not suffered that knee injury early in his career, and three surgeries in total (which ultimately shortened his career), he would have been considered an all-time great in the manner of Ovechkin. As fast as Bure was, the knee injuries robbed him of some of his speed, if you can imagine.
@@beyond_thebench I also remember the exact reason for his knee injury, and it's a defensemen who used to play for the Edmonton Oilers named Brian Marchment who did an Ulf Samuellsen on Cam Neely style knee lock on Bure. I was watching the game on TV when it happened and knew right away that was going to ruin the Russian Rocket's Career. It did. That's something that needs to be talked about when talking about Bure's knee problems, as they were not a birth defect or an innocent injury from bad luck, but the malicious or reckless act of a player who made a conscious decision to go knee hunting.
Bure was faster and more skilled than Ovechkin. Ovie has a better shot and is bigger, stronger, and more physical. Which is why Ovie's still playing while Bure was targetted by the NHL's cheap-shot artists and slowed down and eventually knocked out of the league by injuries.
@@Seriously_Unserious Yeah. This was a very common thing during the 80s and 90s. And it's why Lemieux called the NHL a 'garage league' for all the cheap shots he would take. The Oilers did the smart thing and kept a true goon (Semenko/McSorley) on Gretzky's wing at all times.
@@philojudaeusofalexandria9556 You might want to ask Shayne Churla how "weak" Bure was after he KO'ed the retired Star's Strongman with what Don Cherry described as "The Mother of All Elbows" and that "Gordie Howe would be proud." in the 94 playoffs. Bure was not known for his strength and physical play, but he could bench press an impressive amount and was a lot stronger then people who didn't see him play every day knew. He was injured because a dirty player targeted him with a dirty hit, plain and dimple. No different then how Eric Lindros was taken out by a dirty Scott Stevens blindside hit to the head, and Eric Lindors was one of the biggest and most talented power forwards to ever lace up skates. And Bruins star Cam Neely was no weakling either, but he too was taken out at the knees by an Ulf Samuelsson knee lock. There's a reason why those hits are penalties. They end careers and ruin lives. I guarantee you if Ovi had been brain bashed by Scott Stevens or had his knees Mafiaed by Brian Marchment or Ulf Samuelssen, he'd have been retired by now and scored only half the goals he has. Don't conflate being taken out by injurious cheap shots with a guy being "weak".
every time he was on the ice i was on the edge of my seat because he either scored or had a scoring chance. from a stand still in 3 strides he was going full speed which was faster than anybody else in the league. absolutely the most exciting player i've ever seen.
Grew up a huge Bure fan. Was having a discussion with a friends about who in the NHL today we could compare him to. Phenomenal player. Unfortunate injuries. Perfect example of a human highlight reel
You got a big part wrong. Other teams didn't skip him in the draft because they thought he wouldn't play, they thought he was ineligible for the draft. How the Canucks discovered and proved his eligibility is one of the best parts of his hockey story.
I was lucky to see him 40x during the 90s in his prime in Vancouver including the skate to stick goal against the Bruins. Everybody on the ice knew he wanted to force breakaways and he would still get like 2-3 a game, incredible first few steps with silky fast mits to boot.
I remember seeing him in his first couple of games in the NHL at the old Pacific Coliseum and honestly, I haven't experienced anything like it since. He would pick up the puck in his own end and everyone in the building would get to their feet. In all the games I have seen, I haven't seen anyone else who could inject that kind of energy into an arena. And that hit on Churla is legendary. I think even Don Cherry became a fan after that.
It was certainly great, he hit Churla so hard the guy woke up in a different time zone. Bure was no dirty player, nor a goon, but he believed in payback.
As a Leafs fan in the '94 conference finals, he made my bowels want to empty every time he got the puck with some open ice ahead. No other opposing player has ever made me feel that way.
Honestly, the way they protect the players today, Bure would have been better and crazy stats would shine upon him! His skills set was beyond imagination. Really impressive & exciting player !
I had the pleasure of watching Bure's entire career in Vancouver. Because of blackout restrictions and Zoning I didn't get to see much of the games on any of the other teams unless we played them. That man was the purest goal scorer I ever had the pleasure of watching live two separate occasions. As far as I was concerned and still am today he's one of the most underrated for his era. He could score goal make plays and boy did he love making body checks.
I just recently got an authentic white skate jersey with Bure's name and number. Its so beautiful and my favorite jersey. I get so many compliments on it.
Lifelong Canucks fan here. I remember being about 9 or 10 years old when Bure broke into the league and I resented him because he sort of (in my child-mind) stole the spot light from Linden who was my guy. But the more you watched him the more you loved him. He could do things in 1991 that elite players are just now making commonplace. I had the opportunity to see Bure and the Canucks play against the Hartford Whalers, LA Kings and Philadelphia Flyers back in the old Pacific Colosseum and he was flashy every single time he stepped over the boards. Also, his friendship with Canucks legend Gino Odjick was always cool to see. This big, tough, indigenous man and his flashy, skinny, little Russian counterpart. Pretty special.
Still stained into my mind 15 seconds to go. Whole team draped on him. he was hooked on his skate slid on his stomache and slid the puck around the goalie. Canucks arena was so loud i could not hear the next day. True Legend!
Mogilny not being in the HoF is criminal. He's one of the most gifted players ever. Everyone on the ice seemed to stop playing when he touched the puck. He put everyone in a trance.
Almo (his nick name) had some mental health (depression) issues - rough childhood can do this - and this manifested in a very binary/asperger/autistic trait which did not bode well with the HoF team.
He raised fans off his feet how many players could do this? My favorite memory was wen he was playing in the finals against the rangers, he was totally obsessed!
I feel like he was always prime. He was smart, knew his body, and bowed out before being post prime IMO. Not a Canucks or Panthers fan, but he is my favorite all time pure skill player. I scored many a penalty shot, copying his move.
Pavel’s father trained him and his brother. He was a former Olympian and a fitness coach while Pavel was with Vancouver for a few years . A tough SOB that pushed them both to their limits. Pavels father also won Stanley Cup rings with the New Jersey Devils in the early 2000s being their trainer. Most Vancouver fans never discuss how the organization did him dirty hence the trade request. Met Pavel on several occasions and he was gentleman each and every time. On and off the ice.
bure was the player that got me interested in hockey in the 90's when i came over from europe. no player electrified the whole building like the russian rocket in that era. he and gino odjick were best buds, gino always made sure nobody messes with pavel on the ice. rip gino.
Except the one time we needed our favorite Algonquin, that time Brian Marchment went knee on knee, directly causing Bure's chronic knee problems. If only Gino could have been available to protect his buddy that day!
@@Seriously_Unserious True. Marchment was one a a collection of dirty sorts of players, that got away with doing serious injuries to a lot of 1990's NHL stars. (Look at what Suter did to Kariya on purpose, right before the Nagano Olympics.) And of course, Bettman was okay with all this.
I loved him as a Canuck, but his time at Florida isn't talked about enough. Not only did he have 58 goals in 74 games in 99-2000, but in 2000-01,he led the team by 55 points! His 92 compared to the next highest, 37. Unreal how he put those numbers on some seriously piss poor Panthers teams.
Without Bure, the Canucks might have relocated like the Jets and Nordiques. He carried the team during those tough mid 90's for Canadian teams. I live near Vancouver and he created a huge buzz for the team, suddenly everybody was watching Canucks games
@@nathanadrian7797 Actually I did think about Tanti, and he was a great player in his own right, but he wasn’t in that top echelon superstar level (not to put him down) where people (both home and away) would pay just to watch him play.
Aside from my comments on why he got his knee injuries, I have to say my fondest memories of Bure were the 94 playoffs when he absolutely dominated everyone! Thanks to him, I got to see Game 6 live in the Pacific Coliseum. That was out of this world being there in the building for some Stanley Cup hockey!
I gotta say, given the intensity, that may have been his best hockey. But, statistically, he may have been at his best with Florida. The one thing about that though, was the lack of television with them. It's difficult to know exactly what he was like, other than goals and extremely limited highlights. I mean highlights of chances or moved then were very limited. When you watch the 97-98 season, with a pretty shady Canucks team, he was arguably at his best. If he was on Detroit or Colorado then, he could have been untouchable.
Almo. Bure was gifted w power and speed. But almo also made his teammates better. Not saying Bure like ovie can't pass they just didn't really. My 3 fav players. We were gifted to have them on the same team but the ,nucks 94 team might have been better due to health and not having messier.
The 94 Canucks team was the most incredible in team history (IMHO). They were underdogs from the get go. The famous pic of Trevor Linden and Kirk McLean after they lost told the whole story of the entire team.
Thanks for the great video! It brings me so much memory as I was growing up seeing Bure and Mogilny played in Vancouver! When you mentioned Pavel was playing along the NHL superstars in Russia, I was hoping you would also mention Alex as a superstar though lol
It wasn't that the Canucks took a risk on him, the Canucks were the only team that knew he was eligible. Other teams filed protests but the Canucks ended up being able to keep him.
You are correct, sir. The Canucks selection of Bure in the 6th round of the 1989 NHL draft was controversial. At 18, he could have been selected by any one of the teams, but every team passed on him, fearing he would stay in the Soviet Union and would be a "wasted" pick. After the third round, an 18 year old could NOT be drafted, unless they had played a minimum number of games each year for the previous two years. At least one team sought clarification from the NHL and were told he was ineligible. However, the Canucks European scouting team and Mike Penny, who was the head scout of the Canucks, had compiled clear evidence he WAS eligible, and really pushed for Canuck management to select Bure. There was an outcry from the other teams, and they initially succeeded in having the NHL void the selection. However, the Canucks appealed, provided their clear evidence and eventually prevailed just before the NHL draft of 1990. Whatever they were paying their scouting staff, it was money extremely well spent. Best damned selection in team history, IMHO. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Bure
DAMN GOOD! Going in the 6th round is just plain unimaginable! And that goal he scored vs Boston is just icing on the cake! It's so sad he had so much injury trouble. Another superstar lost too soon.
Bure was the most talented player I saw live. He could do things at high speed that Gretzky couldn’t even do. Sure, he would have benefited playing with an elite passer, but he really didn’t need one. He was a one man highlight reel. He could take the puck, blow past people and have the puck in the back of the net in seconds before anyone, including his teammates, knew what was happening. With Gretzky, you could appreciate his ability to slow the game down and think things through, but with Pavel, you’d have to wait for the replay to see how he’d done it. In his early years, he was also physical and gritty. At 5’10 185, he wasn’t to be messed with. Unfortunately, he suffered the Bobby Orr Treatment and his knees went. I’ll be honest. I became less of a hockey fan after that because no talented player should have to go out like that because some goof with no skill injured them. I love physical hockey, but targeting the knees shouldn’t be part of it. Trevor Linden threw big hits but he never injured anyone.
The Red Wings nearly drafted him in the 5th round, but were told that he was ineligible. That same draft, the Wings selected Lidstrom, Fedorov, Konstantinov, Dallas Drake, Mike Sillinger, Bob Boughner, and others.
Yup, the "Detroit Red Army" era. They (well, Bowman primarily) had a hell of a knack of finding future talent, and that built the Red Wings into a powerhouse team. Konstantinov was a great find, and Lidstrom, yikes - drafted 101st or something, and look what he became.
I was at his first game against the Jets. The Jets didn't know what to do. He skated twice as fast as anyone else on the ice. They lined up 5 on the blue line and he just blew through them. He didn't happen to score or get a point. But he was the first star by a mile and recorded a ton of shots on goal which I think were all breakaways of his own creation. unbelievable.
Amazing player, simply electrifying. He along with McDavid are the two most edge of your seat exciting hockey players I have ever seen in 50 + years of watching NHL hockey (I was about 5 years too young to see Orr at his best). Watched a lot of Gretzky and Lemieux though. As great as those two legends where they were not as bring you out of your seat exciting as Bure or McDavid.
When I first saw Mcdavid play, he reminded me of Pavel based on skill set and similarity in their game. Everything done at top speed and quicker than everyone on the ice. But two totally different approach to the game. What pavel had that Mcdavid doesnt have is his mean streak. Obviously, Bure was also one-dimensional and played the wing. Greatest goal score in hockey. Put him with any 2 line mates and he will find a way to score 50 each year.
2:03 Picking Bure was risky because there were questions about his draft eligibility that year, not because of whether or not he'd come to North America.
Pavel Bure was the best player the Canucks have ever had. At his peak with the 1994 playoff team, the Canucks were also the best version of the team of all time (certainly closest to winning the cup). With him, they beat the hated Calgary Flames, smashed through Dallas, and drove a stake through the heart of the so-called Leafs nation. Yes, Bure could skate incredibly fast, had a deadly scoring instinct too, but the other thing that needs to be remembered is that he played hard, in a "do not mess with me" way that other Canucks stars like the Sedins have lacked. Sure, he had his buddy Gino Odjick, but sometimes he just decided to settle the score himself. He could be vindictive, and also woe be to any reporters who tried to throw stupid questions at him too, he would call them out for their bullshit. However, aside from the knee injuries issue, the other dark cloud over his career was that after 1994, when the American McCaw brothers took over ownership of the team, the corporate dumbfucks tried to "play hardball" with him in negotiations, and it soured him on staying in Vancouver. Bure was not the kind of person to let anyone try to strong-arm him, and those owners caused a lot of stupid disgraceful things to be done to the Canucks team in those years. Bure left the team for Florida, ostensibly for the weather and blah blah blah, but really it was the McCaw bros (who fans suspected were tanking the team with the fan base, so they could move it to Seattle). Well anyways, we Canucks fans will always remember Bure as our favourite on-ice assassin.
1994 game 7 overtime against the Flames. He won me $200. When they were down 3-1 in the series I made the bet. Oilers fan but loved the “Russian Rocket”.
I saw only bits and pieces, but Bure was one the fastest skaters. He'd practically skate through the end boards. He would get a shot off and then run straight into the end boards, the coach had teach him how control all that speed he possessed. I think he's one of the greats. Even though Don Cherry would bully him via videotape (Rock 'em,Sock 'em hockey) he was always on those tapes.
"The Russian Rocket" Pavel Bure vs. "The Finnish Flash" Teemu Selanne! Incredible what draft steals both the Canucks and the Jets did as both men was passed by the Top 5 selections in there drafts of 1988 & 1989, and Bure a freakin 113th overall pick (But there was nasty politics that made that happen). Both was incredible speedy goal scorers.
@@wyldhowl2821 Indeed! Imagine if Bure, Mogilny & Fedorov had continued to be same line in NHL like in Soviet - no team would be able to stop there offense.
@@Mulder-ScullyI've watched Bure play in person. Their has been nobody that can "stop and go" they way Bure could. Not even McDavid. Their was a reason why Bure was called The Russian Rocket. 🚀
As a Canucks fan it was obvious from his first shift that he would be a superstar. He was the reason I started watching hockey religiously as a youngster from Vancouver. On another side note Wayne Gretzky almost signed with the Canucks in 1996 but the deal was botched. Imagine Bure playing with Gretzky. We were robbed.
Pavel was the best hockey player I've ever seen live. 94 Pat Quin said they were robbed by BS mark messier stepping on Linden's stick blade OT game 7 should never be called. They were Stanley Cup Champions in 94. The BS league says otherwise. Pavel and Gino were magic out there.
My dream 5 men would have been : Lemieux on center Lindros on the Left Bure on the right Lidstrom left defense Larry Robinson on right defense. You have everything a hockey fan needs on the ice.
Stylistically, Pavel Bure was McDavid but three decades ahead of schedule. Watching him back then looked like a player from the future, but it turns out he actually was. On pure entertainment value, I don't think he has any peers. Unfortunately he would have had a much bigger impact in this era because back then there weren't many safeguards to encourage and protect his style of play. Other than having to do a few flying elbows of his own to get a point across. But in the end he had to play recklessly it demolished both knees and the future of one of the best ever. Hard to overstate how special he was.
@@yeon723 yes he is. in terms of pure entertainment and explosiveness. He is not however the playmaker that Mcdavid is. Bear in mind the difference in the way the games was played then compard ton today and extrapolate how Bure could have dominated today"s game.
As a canucks fan, Bure is the 1 player, besides Gretzky, that I wish I got to watch play live. From what I’ve seen, Connor McDavid is arguably a modern Bure, contrary to being compared to the great one. When you look at their speed combined with stick skills, Bure and Mcdavid are similar. Mcdavid is of course a much better passer as well, and career numbers will far surpass bure- that being said. It’s kind of crazy to think, mcdavid went first overall and Bure went in the 6th round. from the old games i’ve watched Bure was one of the fastest and best goal scorers to play the game.
Your wrong about the reason he wasn't drafted until the 6th round. He wasn't drafted because nobody thought he was eligible. Because of the lack of game footage of that time they needed game sheets to prove he was eligible to draft .
Watching him live was a whole different story. I know so many people who had seen all the greats play, but nobody was like Bure. He was like THE ROCK of the league. The most electrifying player ever, and is a legend even with a short prime
If Pavel Bure had never suffered any injuries throughout his career, here’s a simulation of what his career might have looked like: Vancouver Canucks (1991-1998): Explosive Start: Bure would have continued to dominate the NHL with seasons of 60 goals or more, as he did during his peak years with the Canucks. Playoff Contributions: With his consistent presence, the Canucks might have enjoyed more playoff success, potentially reaching the Stanley Cup Final more than once in the 1990s. Florida Panthers (1999-2003): Sustained Performance: Without injuries, Bure would have continued to be a top performer, potentially increasing his offensive statistics each season. Team Impact: The Panthers could have seen more playoff success with Bure leading the offensive charge. New York Rangers (2002-2003): Extended Career: Bure would have continued to play with the Rangers, bringing his scoring talent and experience to the team. Trophy Potential: With an extended career and fewer injuries, Bure would have had a better chance at winning individual awards like the Maurice Richard Trophy (leading goal scorer) and the Hart Trophy (most valuable player). Retirement: Career Statistics: Bure would likely have reached or exceeded 600 goals and 1,200 points in his career. Recognition: He would have had a stronger case for early induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame and would be considered one of the greatest players of all time. Without injuries, Bure's career would have been even more remarkable, with a longer duration and continued impact on the game. His records and influence on hockey would have been even more significant.
Pavel Bure is one of the few players where when you watch old clips, he looks like he is plucked straight from modern hockey and dropped in his era. His speed, shooting, fast hands, and silky dekes were waaaaay ahead of the time. No hate to Gretzky or Lemieux, but I don't think they could even play on the 3rd line with the current talent in the NHL, but when you watch Bure play - I think he would still be a superstar today.
In 1994 a 33 year old Gretzky destroyed a prime Bure in scoring (130 points vs 107 points) to win his 10th Art Ross Trophy. Gretzky also destroyed prime Jagr that season (130 points to 99 points). This was 33 year old Kings Gretzky with a herniated disc back injury. A 37 year old Gretzky (set to retire the next season) also tied prime Bure in points in 1997/98 with 90 points each. This was Gretzky as a shadow of his former self in a lower scoring league than today (dead puck era).
Gretzky and Lemieux were both great players. Different eras, sure, but consider that a version of them growing up today would be benefiting from the kind of nutrition, training techniques, sports medicine and so on, that you see developing guys like Crosby, McDavid or Bedard. It's always a case of seeing how much better someone is compared to their peers in the same era. Also team vs. team comparison - imagine if Bure had been winger to Mario Lemieux, or for that matter what if the Canucks' top line had been something like Kariya/Yzerman/Bure, that sort of thing.
@@wyldhowl2821- that’s just it though: in 1993/94, a 33 year old post-prime Gretzky destroyed prime Bure (130 points to 107) while Gretzky was on a horrible Kings team that missed the playoffs and Bure was on a team that went to the Cup finals that same season.
What if I didnt have weak knees.. What if I had more talent.. What if I hadnt stopped playing at 19 yrs in low level swedish hockey. Hypothetically, I would be the second highest goalscorer in the NHL. 😂 Jokes aside, I liked the video and I loved to watch Bure play. He was always my first trade and put in the same line as Peter Forsberg when i played NHL videogames
Those "what if" stats don't even take into account the fact that Bure lost some of his blazing speed from the knee injuries, which had to have slowed his scoring pace down a bit. I'd estimate he probably lost about 5-10% of his goals per season post injury. I'll also remind people who may have forgotten exactly why Bure had chronic knee problems, Brian Marchment then of the Edmonton Oilers took Bure out with a knee lock (same type of dirty hit that Ulf Samuelssen used to take out Cam Neely, another who could have been one of the best goal scorers of all time). That part of why Bure's knees bothered him for much of his career is lost to most people because for some odd reason, it's never talked about. I saw that hit as I was watching the game it took place in and knew right away it was bad news. The refs didn't even bother to call a penalty on what should have been a 5 minute match penalty and automatic game misconduct, nor did the NHL head office issue ANY supplementary discipline after the fact. To this day, I can't think of any good reason for the head office not to suspect Marchment a long, long time for that hit, as it deprived the league of what could have been its biggest draw of the dead puck era and just helped to make the dead puck era more dead by taking out the one guy who could have dominated that era if possessed of his full speed and his full ability to blow past guys and make dead pucking The Russian Rocket impossible. You can't make the puck dead when it's on the stick of one of the fastest guys to lace up skates and who could dangle into his skates with full control at those speeds, where most guys would be just shoveling the puck ahead to avoid overskating it!
I was born in 1997, so I don't ever remember seeing Bure in real time. My Dad told me about Bure, and I've watched many highlights. I can't believe he's not more appreciated and well known. Imagine he played with some serious talent in his early days. Not to take anything away from the likes of Linden, Ronning or even Moginly, but imagine he played with a bonafide playmaking center, like Oates, Lafontaine or obviously Fedorov. If I could pick a center for Bure, it would be Sakic or Forsberg though. I'm picking players from Bure's timeline, and I know the obvious picks would be Lemieux or Gretzky, but I'd still go with Sakic or Forsberg, they were just too good in the mid to late 90's.
The big ‘what if’ you failed to mention was the dead puck era he played in. Place Bure in the 1980s or even in the modern NHL and these numbers could look drastically different.
I remember just moving up to whistler in 96 and went for a walk down to the village for some beers and the most gorgeous blond I have ever seen was walking down the path towards me. It was Anna Kournikova and I didn't realize until they were right beside me the guy she was walking with was Pavel Bure grinning from ear to ear watching us checking out his girlfriend.
Pavel Bure was the best Russian goal scorer of the 1990's. He was blazin' fast and had a ridiculous pair of hands. He could deke goalies out of their jockstrap and had an incredible touch around the net. He could even go end-to-end or coast-to-coast and blow by defenders like they were pylons. If he caught you flat-footed, good night, it's all over!
@beyond_thebench They didn't call him the "Russian Rocket" for nothing! He was more exciting than OV, in my opinion. During the late 80's, for the Soviet Union, Bure played with Alexander Mogilny and Sergei Fedorov.
He played at trap era , hooking , slashing , tripping , hit from behind and crossing check almost anything goes era , he sure can score more and play more in current era as players are extremely protected
It was such a shame that the Canucks were unable to keep Larionov on the team beyond the 91-92:season. Igor had refused on principle to extend any contract that would let the corrupt Soviet Union hockey federation extort money from players. I don’t know if people remember the way Igor, Pavel , and Greg Adams would on occasion completely dismantled teams during that one season together as line. They just owned the puck and made it look way too easy. They didn’t just beat teams. They humbled them. Igor was a great personal influence on Pavel too as a mentor and friend which the young star really needed. Who knows what could have been had Igor stuck around. Watching him have great years in San Jose after his trade, and then later in Detroit really underlined the point.
Larionov "the professor" was a great player, and he helped Bure adjust to life as a Russian rookie in the NHL. Certainly he also helped Detroit out once he went there, too.
The reason he was drafted so late is because there was some discrepency as to whether he was even elidgible for the draft. The Canucks.had travelled to Russia and confirmed that he qualified ans beat the market to what was without a doubt a top 5 talent.
If only Gretzky had signed with Vancouver in 1996/97 instead of the Rangers. Imagine the line of Bure - Gretzky - Mogilny. Bure would have scored 80+ goals and Mogilny 70+. Gretz would have scored 140-150 points at ages 36 and 37 and won back to back Art Ross Trophies.
Bure was our first superstar and he was magnificent.
Mogilny was a better player in my opinion...
My favorite player of all time! The deke where he kicked the puck to his stick was my favorite move.
So nasty
He did that even before 96 on a breakaway against the Kings I saw on another video although the goalie poke checked him.
I honestly watched everything I could back in the day, which was around 20 or so games a season, and the rest was radio.
It was basically torture lol. I tried to stay up and watch the extremely limited highlights when I could.
There is this great highlight where he picks up the puck in his zone and flies down the wing crossing over a couple times and blows right past Nick Lidstrom to score, that's my favourite Bure highlight but I only see it in long compilations.
Had he not suffered that knee injury early in his career, and three surgeries in total (which ultimately shortened his career), he would have been considered an all-time great in the manner of Ovechkin. As fast as Bure was, the knee injuries robbed him of some of his speed, if you can imagine.
Absolutely! Numbers would have been up there with the best all-time
@@beyond_thebench I also remember the exact reason for his knee injury, and it's a defensemen who used to play for the Edmonton Oilers named Brian Marchment who did an Ulf Samuellsen on Cam Neely style knee lock on Bure. I was watching the game on TV when it happened and knew right away that was going to ruin the Russian Rocket's Career. It did. That's something that needs to be talked about when talking about Bure's knee problems, as they were not a birth defect or an innocent injury from bad luck, but the malicious or reckless act of a player who made a conscious decision to go knee hunting.
Bure was faster and more skilled than Ovechkin. Ovie has a better shot and is bigger, stronger, and more physical. Which is why Ovie's still playing while Bure was targetted by the NHL's cheap-shot artists and slowed down and eventually knocked out of the league by injuries.
@@Seriously_Unserious Yeah. This was a very common thing during the 80s and 90s. And it's why Lemieux called the NHL a 'garage league' for all the cheap shots he would take. The Oilers did the smart thing and kept a true goon (Semenko/McSorley) on Gretzky's wing at all times.
@@philojudaeusofalexandria9556 You might want to ask Shayne Churla how "weak" Bure was after he KO'ed the retired Star's Strongman with what Don Cherry described as "The Mother of All Elbows" and that "Gordie Howe would be proud." in the 94 playoffs. Bure was not known for his strength and physical play, but he could bench press an impressive amount and was a lot stronger then people who didn't see him play every day knew.
He was injured because a dirty player targeted him with a dirty hit, plain and dimple. No different then how Eric Lindros was taken out by a dirty Scott Stevens blindside hit to the head, and Eric Lindors was one of the biggest and most talented power forwards to ever lace up skates. And Bruins star Cam Neely was no weakling either, but he too was taken out at the knees by an Ulf Samuelsson knee lock. There's a reason why those hits are penalties. They end careers and ruin lives.
I guarantee you if Ovi had been brain bashed by Scott Stevens or had his knees Mafiaed by Brian Marchment or Ulf Samuelssen, he'd have been retired by now and scored only half the goals he has.
Don't conflate being taken out by injurious cheap shots with a guy being "weak".
He might actually be the single most electrifying player I’ve ever watched.
He was special
Biggest cherry picker I have ever seen.
@@4.0.7.7 He definitely is.
@waynethera2712 it paid off. Nothing wrong with that
Dude penalty killed.
every time he was on the ice i was on the edge of my seat because he either scored or had a scoring chance. from a stand still in 3 strides he was going full speed which was faster than anybody else in the league. absolutely the most exciting player i've ever seen.
Absolutely electric!
Grew up a huge Bure fan. Was having a discussion with a friends about who in the NHL today we could compare him to. Phenomenal player. Unfortunate injuries. Perfect example of a human highlight reel
I worked 5 years for the organization and watched him play live. He is without a doubt an all time great!
You got a big part wrong. Other teams didn't skip him in the draft because they thought he wouldn't play, they thought he was ineligible for the draft. How the Canucks discovered and proved his eligibility is one of the best parts of his hockey story.
Ya few people have mentioned that in the comments! Crazy!
florida calling ovechkin name for 6 rounds the year before his draft was hilarious. canadian team are smart. american teams are bozos
Detroit actually tried to draft him the round before but was denied by the league.
@@beyond_thebenchLiterally any knowledge hockey fan knows this. It’s not crazy. You need to do better research.
@@sh0765
Imagine Fedorov and Bure on the same line (as adults in the NHL)
I was lucky to see him 40x during the 90s in his prime in Vancouver including the skate to stick goal against the Bruins. Everybody on the ice knew he wanted to force breakaways and he would still get like 2-3 a game, incredible first few steps with silky fast mits to boot.
Pure talent 🔥💨
I remember seeing him in his first couple of games in the NHL at the old Pacific Coliseum and honestly, I haven't experienced anything like it since. He would pick up the puck in his own end and everyone in the building would get to their feet. In all the games I have seen, I haven't seen anyone else who could inject that kind of energy into an arena. And that hit on Churla is legendary. I think even Don Cherry became a fan after that.
It was certainly great, he hit Churla so hard the guy woke up in a different time zone. Bure was no dirty player, nor a goon, but he believed in payback.
He will always be my favorite player. It’s impossible to be a Canucks fan and not love Bure
Just imagining Pavel playing in today's NHL holy man he would dominate even way more
Would have thrived!
@@beyond_thebench I still think in his prime and without his injuries he's faster then mcdavid
As a Leafs fan in the '94 conference finals, he made my bowels want to empty every time he got the puck with some open ice ahead.
No other opposing player has ever made me feel that way.
😂 love it haha
Honestly, the way they protect the players today, Bure would have been better and crazy stats would shine upon him!
His skills set was beyond imagination. Really impressive & exciting player !
I had the pleasure of watching Bure's entire career in Vancouver. Because of blackout restrictions and Zoning I didn't get to see much of the games on any of the other teams unless we played them. That man was the purest goal scorer I ever had the pleasure of watching live two separate occasions. As far as I was concerned and still am today he's one of the most underrated for his era. He could score goal make plays and boy did he love making body checks.
Awesome! He was special 🔥
I just recently got an authentic white skate jersey with Bure's name and number. Its so beautiful and my favorite jersey. I get so many compliments on it.
The white skates 🔥
Used to watch him as a kid on Hockey Night in Canada. Was so fun to watch out there!
Lifelong Canucks fan here. I remember being about 9 or 10 years old when Bure broke into the league and I resented him because he sort of (in my child-mind) stole the spot light from Linden who was my guy. But the more you watched him the more you loved him. He could do things in 1991 that elite players are just now making commonplace.
I had the opportunity to see Bure and the Canucks play against the Hartford Whalers, LA Kings and Philadelphia Flyers back in the old Pacific Colosseum and he was flashy every single time he stepped over the boards.
Also, his friendship with Canucks legend Gino Odjick was always cool to see. This big, tough, indigenous man and his flashy, skinny, little Russian counterpart. Pretty special.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Still stained into my mind 15 seconds to go. Whole team draped on him. he was hooked on his skate slid on his stomache and slid the puck around the goalie. Canucks arena was so loud i could not hear the next day. True Legend!
Mogilny not being in the HoF is criminal. He's one of the most gifted players ever. Everyone on the ice seemed to stop playing when he touched the puck. He put everyone in a trance.
It’s insane!! Should have been in loooong ago
Almo (his nick name) had some mental health (depression) issues - rough childhood can do this - and this manifested in a very binary/asperger/autistic trait which did not bode well with the HoF team.
@@boundaryzeroOh come on... Men back then weren't such p*ssies like 'men' today are.
He raised fans off his feet how many players could do this? My favorite memory was wen he was playing in the finals against the rangers, he was totally obsessed!
He was honestly better against the Stars and Leafs though.
I feel like he was always prime. He was smart, knew his body, and bowed out before being post prime IMO. Not a Canucks or Panthers fan, but he is my favorite all time pure skill player. I scored many a penalty shot, copying his move.
Pavel’s father trained him and his brother. He was a former Olympian and a fitness coach while Pavel was with Vancouver for a few years . A tough SOB that pushed them both to their limits. Pavels father also won Stanley Cup rings with the New Jersey Devils in the early 2000s being their trainer. Most Vancouver fans never discuss how the organization did him dirty hence the trade request. Met Pavel on several occasions and he was gentleman each and every time. On and off the ice.
bure was the player that got me interested in hockey in the 90's when i came over from europe. no player electrified the whole building like the russian rocket in that era. he and gino odjick were best buds, gino always made sure nobody messes with pavel on the ice. rip gino.
Electic times! RIP gino 🕊️
Except the one time we needed our favorite Algonquin, that time Brian Marchment went knee on knee, directly causing Bure's chronic knee problems. If only Gino could have been available to protect his buddy that day!
@@Seriously_Unserious True. Marchment was one a a collection of dirty sorts of players, that got away with doing serious injuries to a lot of 1990's NHL stars.
(Look at what Suter did to Kariya on purpose, right before the Nagano Olympics.) And of course, Bettman was okay with all this.
Play in my favorite teams and he scored five goals against Finland in Nagano.
Bure was elite skill, as a Flames fan I was always truly terrified when he touched the puck, the guy was absolutely amazing to watch.
🔥🔥🔥
I loved him as a Canuck, but his time at Florida isn't talked about enough. Not only did he have 58 goals in 74 games in 99-2000, but in 2000-01,he led the team by 55 points! His 92 compared to the next highest, 37. Unreal how he put those numbers on some seriously piss poor Panthers teams.
Ya totally!
i saw his very first game and lots more games after that WOW nobody will ever come close to his excitement that has put on a Canuck jersey
Without Bure, the Canucks might have relocated like the Jets and Nordiques. He carried the team during those tough mid 90's for Canadian teams. I live near Vancouver and he created a huge buzz for the team, suddenly everybody was watching Canucks games
Bure was Canucks’ first true superstar.
Sure was! So fun to watch
😂😅😂
Bure was better, but Tanti was their first superstar.
@@nathanadrian7797 Actually I did think about Tanti, and he was a great player in his own right, but he wasn’t in that top echelon superstar level (not to put him down) where people (both home and away) would pay just to watch him play.
Correction.. TONY TANTI WAS THE 1ST! Linden the 2ND, BURE THE 3RD
As a Canuck fan he was so fun to watch. By far the most entertaining player ever. Even listening to him play on the radio.
He was certainly a character yes haha
Aside from my comments on why he got his knee injuries, I have to say my fondest memories of Bure were the 94 playoffs when he absolutely dominated everyone! Thanks to him, I got to see Game 6 live in the Pacific Coliseum. That was out of this world being there in the building for some Stanley Cup hockey!
Amazing!
I gotta say, given the intensity, that may have been his best hockey. But, statistically, he may have been at his best with Florida.
The one thing about that though, was the lack of television with them. It's difficult to know exactly what he was like, other than goals and extremely limited highlights.
I mean highlights of chances or moved then were very limited.
When you watch the 97-98 season, with a pretty shady Canucks team, he was arguably at his best.
If he was on Detroit or Colorado then, he could have been untouchable.
He was so fun to watch! Sucked his career was cut so short but at least I was lucky enough to see him play.
At around the 2:52 mark, I never seen a goal like that before! Impressive.
I was very lucky to see him play in Vancouver, I attended 5 games with him on ice, alongside mogilny, babych, lumme, linden, McLean, and even messier
Nice! What a time!
Favourite memory unquestionably the OT goal against Calgary in game 7, 94 playoff run
The goal in the playoffs vs the flames is one of the all-time best goals I have ever seen
He's my all-time favorite player, nobody was as exciting to watch as Bure was.
Almo.
Bure was gifted w power and speed. But almo also made his teammates better. Not saying Bure like ovie can't pass they just didn't really. My 3 fav players.
We were gifted to have them on the same team but the ,nucks 94 team might have been better due to health and not having messier.
Fedorov did the same thing and he was also a beast defensively.
He won both the Hart and the Selkie in the same year which has never been done before.
Had the pleasure of seeing him score 50 in 50 as a Panther, and 61 too. Besides Mike Bossy, no one else was as electrifying!
Amazing!
The 94 Canucks team was the most incredible in team history (IMHO). They were underdogs from the get go. The famous pic of Trevor Linden and Kirk McLean after they lost told the whole story of the entire team.
Epic shot!
@@beyond_thebench Gives me chills every time I see it. And then makes me sad that they weren't able to get that one last win.
@@Viking8888maybe this year…
The best Canucks team.
Thanks for the great video! It brings me so much memory as I was growing up seeing Bure and Mogilny played in Vancouver! When you mentioned Pavel was playing along the NHL superstars in Russia, I was hoping you would also mention Alex as a superstar though lol
No prob thank you for watching!
He was my fav back in the day
Bure is that one guy who would probably be the best player in todays soy era of hockey where players can move freely!
Soy era lol
Bure was awesome that’s who a lot of players growing up in that era wanted to be… I did forsure.
It wasn't that the Canucks took a risk on him, the Canucks were the only team that knew he was eligible. Other teams filed protests but the Canucks ended up being able to keep him.
You are correct, sir.
The Canucks selection of Bure in the 6th round of the 1989 NHL draft was controversial. At 18, he could have been selected by any one of the teams, but every team passed on him, fearing he would stay in the Soviet Union and would be a "wasted" pick. After the third round, an 18 year old could NOT be drafted, unless they had played a minimum number of games each year for the previous two years. At least one team sought clarification from the NHL and were told he was ineligible. However, the Canucks European scouting team and Mike Penny, who was the head scout of the Canucks, had compiled clear evidence he WAS eligible, and really pushed for Canuck management to select Bure. There was an outcry from the other teams, and they initially succeeded in having the NHL void the selection. However, the Canucks appealed, provided their clear evidence and eventually prevailed just before the NHL draft of 1990.
Whatever they were paying their scouting staff, it was money extremely well spent. Best damned selection in team history, IMHO.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Bure
DAMN GOOD! Going in the 6th round is just plain unimaginable! And that goal he scored vs Boston is just icing on the cake!
It's so sad he had so much injury trouble. Another superstar lost too soon.
Amen!
Bure was the most talented player I saw live. He could do things at high speed that Gretzky couldn’t even do. Sure, he would have benefited playing with an elite passer, but he really didn’t need one. He was a one man highlight reel. He could take the puck, blow past people and have the puck in the back of the net in seconds before anyone, including his teammates, knew what was happening. With Gretzky, you could appreciate his ability to slow the game down and think things through, but with Pavel, you’d have to wait for the replay to see how he’d done it. In his early years, he was also physical and gritty. At 5’10 185, he wasn’t to be messed with. Unfortunately, he suffered the Bobby Orr Treatment and his knees went. I’ll be honest. I became less of a hockey fan after that because no talented player should have to go out like that because some goof with no skill injured them. I love physical hockey, but targeting the knees shouldn’t be part of it. Trevor Linden threw big hits but he never injured anyone.
He was special!!
he was an upgrade version of Guy Lafleur,unstoppable once in stride
I'm not a big hockey guy but who is comparable to Bure in speed today?
@@yeon723 Mackinnon in full stride id say
The Red Wings nearly drafted him in the 5th round, but were told that he was ineligible. That same draft, the Wings selected Lidstrom, Fedorov, Konstantinov, Dallas Drake, Mike Sillinger, Bob Boughner, and others.
Ya many teams passed on him to due to that uncertainty. What a haul for the wings tho!
Yup, the "Detroit Red Army" era. They (well, Bowman primarily) had a hell of a knack of finding future talent, and that built the Red Wings into a powerhouse team. Konstantinov was a great find, and Lidstrom, yikes - drafted 101st or something, and look what he became.
Canucks vs Dallas stars, Bure layed a brutal blindside on one of the hatcher Brothers. It was either Darian or Kevin that got the blindside.
I loved watching him.
I was at his first game against the Jets. The Jets didn't know what to do. He skated twice as fast as anyone else on the ice. They lined up 5 on the blue line and he just blew through them. He didn't happen to score or get a point. But he was the first star by a mile and recorded a ton of shots on goal which I think were all breakaways of his own creation. unbelievable.
Thats awesome!
Amazing player, simply electrifying. He along with McDavid are the two most edge of your seat exciting hockey players I have ever seen in 50 + years of watching NHL hockey (I was about 5 years too young to see Orr at his best). Watched a lot of Gretzky and Lemieux though. As great as those two legends where they were not as bring you out of your seat exciting as Bure or McDavid.
He was something special!
When I first saw Mcdavid play, he reminded me of Pavel based on skill set and similarity in their game. Everything done at top speed and quicker than everyone on the ice. But two totally different approach to the game. What pavel had that Mcdavid doesnt have is his mean streak. Obviously, Bure was also one-dimensional and played the wing. Greatest goal score in hockey. Put him with any 2 line mates and he will find a way to score 50 each year.
1994 playoffs against the Flames. Never forget that goal.
he was the oone that I was trying to be on the ice. This guy make me the player I was younger, .
Every time he touched the puck, all of the pacific coliseum would be on their feet. Absolutely amazing!!
He was special to watch!
One of the Best Skaters, i have ever seen, he was Fast and could handle the puck at high speeds.
So fast and shifty with the puck
2:03 Picking Bure was risky because there were questions about his draft eligibility that year, not because of whether or not he'd come to North America.
Ya some people have pointed that out. Crazy situation right!
Ya some people have pointed that out. Crazy situation right!
He was amazing I loved him and Gino Gino had his back my fave two Canucks ever
Legends!
He was awesome!
Pavel Bure was the best player the Canucks have ever had. At his peak with the 1994 playoff team, the Canucks were also the best version of the team of all time (certainly closest to winning the cup). With him, they beat the hated Calgary Flames, smashed through Dallas, and drove a stake through the heart of the so-called Leafs nation.
Yes, Bure could skate incredibly fast, had a deadly scoring instinct too, but the other thing that needs to be remembered is that he played hard, in a "do not mess with me" way that other Canucks stars like the Sedins have lacked. Sure, he had his buddy Gino Odjick, but sometimes he just decided to settle the score himself. He could be vindictive, and also woe be to any reporters who tried to throw stupid questions at him too, he would call them out for their bullshit.
However, aside from the knee injuries issue, the other dark cloud over his career was that after 1994, when the American McCaw brothers took over ownership of the team, the corporate dumbfucks tried to "play hardball" with him in negotiations, and it soured him on staying in Vancouver. Bure was not the kind of person to let anyone try to strong-arm him, and those owners caused a lot of stupid disgraceful things to be done to the Canucks team in those years. Bure left the team for Florida, ostensibly for the weather and blah blah blah, but really it was the McCaw bros (who fans suspected were tanking the team with the fan base, so they could move it to Seattle).
Well anyways, we Canucks fans will always remember Bure as our favourite on-ice assassin.
Unreal breakdown! Nailed it!
1994 game 7 overtime against the Flames. He won me $200. When they were down 3-1 in the series I made the bet. Oilers fan but loved the “Russian Rocket”.
Always fun video. Please make one for Ray Bourque!
Ooo great idea!
Bure’s elbow on Shane Churla will forever be the nastiest thing I’ve ever seen.
Oh ya! That was nasty, forgot about that.
Bure was not one to just sit there and take it passively. Someone messed with him, they would rue it.
It’s a crime he retired just before the shootout was introduced
He woulda dominated!
I saw only bits and pieces, but Bure was one the fastest skaters. He'd practically skate through the end boards. He would get a shot off and then run straight into the end boards, the coach had teach him how control all that speed he possessed. I think he's one of the greats. Even though Don Cherry would bully him via videotape (Rock 'em,Sock 'em hockey) he was always on those tapes.
Rock em sock em VHS’s were the beeeest
Explosive speed
Great talent
🔥🔥🔥
"The Russian Rocket" Pavel Bure vs. "The Finnish Flash" Teemu Selanne! Incredible what draft steals both the Canucks and the Jets did as both men was passed by the Top 5 selections in there drafts of 1988 & 1989, and Bure a freakin 113th overall pick (But there was nasty politics that made that happen). Both was incredible speedy goal scorers.
Two of the best!
@@beyond_thebench Amen !!!!
Bure, Mogilny, and Selanne were all such talented scorers, all from roughly the same era.
@@wyldhowl2821 Indeed! Imagine if Bure, Mogilny & Fedorov had continued to be same line in NHL like in Soviet - no team would be able to stop there offense.
He was one of the best 10 ever
Literally, McDavid before McDavid :D
You could say that! Imagine him in todays NHL 💨
As talented as McDavid is i still don't think he has the explosive speed from "stop to go" that Bure had.
came here to say this!
Faster and better hands then McDavid
@@Mulder-ScullyI've watched Bure play in person. Their has been nobody that can "stop and go" they way Bure could. Not even McDavid. Their was a reason why Bure was called The Russian Rocket. 🚀
As a Canucks fan it was obvious from his first shift that he would be a superstar. He was the reason I started watching hockey religiously as a youngster from Vancouver. On another side note Wayne Gretzky almost signed with the Canucks in 1996 but the deal was botched. Imagine Bure playing with Gretzky. We were robbed.
Everything and more.
The hit on Churla (spelling?) was good as well !
'94 Shane Churla elbow was da boooomb thanks for all the greatness Pavel.
on a 1600 games career that would be around a 1000 goals rate.
Ya, bonkers!
Pavel was the best hockey player I've ever seen live. 94 Pat Quin said they were robbed by BS mark messier stepping on Linden's stick blade OT game 7 should never be called. They were Stanley Cup Champions in 94. The BS league says otherwise. Pavel and Gino were magic out there.
Forgot about that!!
My dream 5 men would have been :
Lemieux on center
Lindros on the Left
Bure on the right
Lidstrom left defense
Larry Robinson on right defense.
You have everything a hockey fan needs on the ice.
That's very solid!
@@beyond_thebench Thanks !! Merci pour le magnifique vidéo ! Bure was an idol.
Stylistically, Pavel Bure was McDavid but three decades ahead of schedule. Watching him back then looked like a player from the future, but it turns out he actually was. On pure entertainment value, I don't think he has any peers.
Unfortunately he would have had a much bigger impact in this era because back then there weren't many safeguards to encourage and protect his style of play. Other than having to do a few flying elbows of his own to get a point across. But in the end he had to play recklessly it demolished both knees and the future of one of the best ever. Hard to overstate how special he was.
Absolutely! Was a head of his time
I'm not a big hockey guy but Bure speed is comparable to mcdavid? That's insane
@@yeon723I think Mackinnon is a good comparison. Could wind it up real fast, crazy hands at full speed, shifty.
@@yeon723 yes he is. in terms of pure entertainment and explosiveness. He is not however the playmaker that Mcdavid is. Bear in mind the difference in the way the games was played then compard ton today and extrapolate how Bure could have dominated today"s game.
@@yeon723 Yes and in those old flimsy skates. Incredible! Both players really are about high speed while handling the puck which is a rare skill.
skates and stick handles like McDavid but scored 60 every year and his focus was on scoring goals and deking everyone on the ice.
As a canucks fan, Bure is the 1 player, besides Gretzky, that I wish I got to watch play live.
From what I’ve seen, Connor McDavid is arguably a modern Bure, contrary to being compared to the great one.
When you look at their speed combined with stick skills, Bure and Mcdavid are similar. Mcdavid is of course a much better passer as well, and career numbers will far surpass bure-
that being said. It’s kind of crazy to think, mcdavid went first overall and Bure went in the 6th round. from the old games i’ve watched Bure was one of the fastest and best goal scorers to play the game.
Your wrong about the reason he wasn't drafted until the 6th round. He wasn't drafted because nobody thought he was eligible. Because of the lack of game footage of that time they needed game sheets to prove he was eligible to draft .
Oh ya? Good to know thank you!
Watching him live was a whole different story. I know so many people who had seen all the greats play, but nobody was like Bure.
He was like THE ROCK of the league. The most electrifying player ever, and is a legend even with a short prime
An electric factory!
If Pavel Bure had never suffered any injuries throughout his career, here’s a simulation of what his career might have looked like:
Vancouver Canucks (1991-1998):
Explosive Start: Bure would have continued to dominate the NHL with seasons of 60 goals or more, as he did during his peak years with the Canucks.
Playoff Contributions: With his consistent presence, the Canucks might have enjoyed more playoff success, potentially reaching the Stanley Cup Final more than once in the 1990s.
Florida Panthers (1999-2003):
Sustained Performance: Without injuries, Bure would have continued to be a top performer, potentially increasing his offensive statistics each season.
Team Impact: The Panthers could have seen more playoff success with Bure leading the offensive charge.
New York Rangers (2002-2003):
Extended Career: Bure would have continued to play with the Rangers, bringing his scoring talent and experience to the team.
Trophy Potential: With an extended career and fewer injuries, Bure would have had a better chance at winning individual awards like the Maurice Richard Trophy (leading goal scorer) and the Hart Trophy (most valuable player).
Retirement:
Career Statistics: Bure would likely have reached or exceeded 600 goals and 1,200 points in his career.
Recognition: He would have had a stronger case for early induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame and would be considered one of the greatest players of all time.
Without injuries, Bure's career would have been even more remarkable, with a longer duration and continued impact on the game. His records and influence on hockey would have been even more significant.
Ya sad the injuries got him!
he was my favorite player , so sad that injuries f u c k e d his career
Yup!
Back to back 60 goal seasons with the two line pass in effect.
Yup!
Pavel Bure is one of the few players where when you watch old clips, he looks like he is plucked straight from modern hockey and dropped in his era. His speed, shooting, fast hands, and silky dekes were waaaaay ahead of the time. No hate to Gretzky or Lemieux, but I don't think they could even play on the 3rd line with the current talent in the NHL, but when you watch Bure play - I think he would still be a superstar today.
He’d be naaaasty in todays game 🔥
In 1994 a 33 year old Gretzky destroyed a prime Bure in scoring (130 points vs 107 points) to win his 10th Art Ross Trophy. Gretzky also destroyed prime Jagr that season (130 points to 99 points). This was 33 year old Kings Gretzky with a herniated disc back injury. A 37 year old Gretzky (set to retire the next season) also tied prime Bure in points in 1997/98 with 90 points each. This was Gretzky as a shadow of his former self in a lower scoring league than today (dead puck era).
Gretzky and Lemieux were both great players. Different eras, sure, but consider that a version of them growing up today would be benefiting from the kind of nutrition, training techniques, sports medicine and so on, that you see developing guys like Crosby, McDavid or Bedard. It's always a case of seeing how much better someone is compared to their peers in the same era.
Also team vs. team comparison - imagine if Bure had been winger to Mario Lemieux, or for that matter what if the Canucks' top line had been something like Kariya/Yzerman/Bure, that sort of thing.
@@wyldhowl2821- that’s just it though: in 1993/94, a 33 year old post-prime Gretzky destroyed prime Bure (130 points to 107) while Gretzky was on a horrible Kings team that missed the playoffs and Bure was on a team that went to the Cup finals that same season.
What if I didnt have weak knees..
What if I had more talent..
What if I hadnt stopped playing at 19 yrs in low level swedish hockey.
Hypothetically, I would be the second highest goalscorer in the NHL. 😂
Jokes aside, I liked the video and I loved to watch Bure play.
He was always my first trade and put in the same line as Peter Forsberg when i played NHL videogames
We need a video on Prime Sedins now.. 👀
Thats a great idea!
Those "what if" stats don't even take into account the fact that Bure lost some of his blazing speed from the knee injuries, which had to have slowed his scoring pace down a bit. I'd estimate he probably lost about 5-10% of his goals per season post injury.
I'll also remind people who may have forgotten exactly why Bure had chronic knee problems, Brian Marchment then of the Edmonton Oilers took Bure out with a knee lock (same type of dirty hit that Ulf Samuelssen used to take out Cam Neely, another who could have been one of the best goal scorers of all time). That part of why Bure's knees bothered him for much of his career is lost to most people because for some odd reason, it's never talked about. I saw that hit as I was watching the game it took place in and knew right away it was bad news. The refs didn't even bother to call a penalty on what should have been a 5 minute match penalty and automatic game misconduct, nor did the NHL head office issue ANY supplementary discipline after the fact. To this day, I can't think of any good reason for the head office not to suspect Marchment a long, long time for that hit, as it deprived the league of what could have been its biggest draw of the dead puck era and just helped to make the dead puck era more dead by taking out the one guy who could have dominated that era if possessed of his full speed and his full ability to blow past guys and make dead pucking The Russian Rocket impossible. You can't make the puck dead when it's on the stick of one of the fastest guys to lace up skates and who could dangle into his skates with full control at those speeds, where most guys would be just shoveling the puck ahead to avoid overskating it!
Totally! So he could have had even more points. Great points!
I was born in 1997, so I don't ever remember seeing Bure in real time. My Dad told me about Bure, and I've watched many highlights. I can't believe he's not more appreciated and well known. Imagine he played with some serious talent in his early days. Not to take anything away from the likes of Linden, Ronning or even Moginly, but imagine he played with a bonafide playmaking center, like Oates, Lafontaine or obviously Fedorov. If I could pick a center for Bure, it would be Sakic or Forsberg though. I'm picking players from Bure's timeline, and I know the obvious picks would be Lemieux or Gretzky, but I'd still go with Sakic or Forsberg, they were just too good in the mid to late 90's.
The 90s were a fun time!
The big ‘what if’ you failed to mention was the dead puck era he played in. Place Bure in the 1980s or even in the modern NHL and these numbers could look drastically different.
Totally!!
I remember just moving up to whistler in 96 and went for a walk down to the village for some beers and the most gorgeous blond I have ever seen was walking down the path towards me. It was Anna Kournikova and I didn't realize until they were right beside me the guy she was walking with was Pavel Bure grinning from ear to ear watching us checking out his girlfriend.
Haha great story!
Pavel Bure was the best Russian goal scorer of the 1990's. He was blazin' fast and had a ridiculous pair of hands. He could deke goalies out of their jockstrap and had an incredible touch around the net. He could even go end-to-end or coast-to-coast and blow by defenders like they were pylons. If he caught you flat-footed, good night, it's all over!
Oh ya he was indeed naaasty
@beyond_thebench They didn't call him the "Russian Rocket" for nothing! He was more exciting than OV, in my opinion. During the late 80's, for the Soviet Union, Bure played with Alexander Mogilny and Sergei Fedorov.
He played at trap era , hooking , slashing , tripping , hit from behind and crossing check almost anything goes era , he sure can score more and play more in current era as players are extremely protected
You’d think ya!
It was such a shame that the Canucks were unable to keep Larionov on the team beyond the 91-92:season.
Igor had refused on principle to extend any contract that would let the corrupt Soviet Union hockey federation extort money from players.
I don’t know if people remember the way Igor, Pavel , and Greg Adams would on occasion completely dismantled teams during that one season together as line. They just owned the puck and made it look way too easy. They didn’t just beat teams. They humbled them.
Igor was a great personal influence on Pavel too as a mentor and friend which the young star really needed. Who knows what could have been had Igor stuck around. Watching him have great years in San Jose after his trade, and then later in Detroit really underlined the point.
Larionov "the professor" was a great player, and he helped Bure adjust to life as a Russian rookie in the NHL. Certainly he also helped Detroit out once he went there, too.
He didn't come close to being one of the greatest players ever, he was one of the greatest players, lets get that straight!
Ok okkkk! We like it!
The reason he was drafted so late is because there was some discrepency as to whether he was even elidgible for the draft. The Canucks.had travelled to Russia and confirmed that he qualified ans beat the market to what was without a doubt a top 5 talent.
Ya crazy story right!
I saw Pavel play against Temmu and with Mogliny 6-7 times and was in AWE ,if Bure was healthy he would have been top 10 EVER 🇨🇦💪
Thats awesome! Ya he woulda been up there statistically with the greats!
Pavel Bure was one of my favorite players. Even he didn't
If only Gretzky had signed with Vancouver in 1996/97 instead of the Rangers. Imagine the line of Bure - Gretzky - Mogilny. Bure would have scored 80+ goals and Mogilny 70+. Gretz would have scored 140-150 points at ages 36 and 37 and won back to back Art Ross Trophies.
By far the fastest player I've ever seen