Jump to content
The Official Site of the Vancouver Canucks
Enter Search Term. Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. If no results appear, use Enter to do a full site search.
Forum Closure ×
Canucks Community
Forum Closure

Chances the "Russian Rocket" gets selected this year into the HHOF = 100%

Zach Morris

By Zach Morris
in Canucks Talk

Recommended Posts

filthycanuck Canucks Regular

filthycanuck

Posted
Posted

Bure's exit from Vancouver was the Canucks fault. Either you know and believe that our you still think the media isn't full of haters and subjective half truths. Eliminating that totally irrelevant part of the party line BS, the guy was the best skater and best player the Canucks have ever had. And he is a HHOF in waiting.

The sole one and only reason he may not make the Hall this year is the fact the NHL has a stupid "No more than 4" at a time rule.

Joe Sakic? First ballot HHOF member. No discussion, no conversation. The guy is in.

Brendan Shannahan? See "Joe Sakic"

CuJo, Roenick, Claude Lemieux, Phil Housley, Mats Sundin, Adam Oates, Kevin Lowe, Eric Lindros and Dave Andreychuk will all get in the Hall too, it is just a matter of order.

I hope for this season but expect next season to see Pavel Bure at his HHOF induction ceremony

Link to comment
Share on other sites
nuck nit Canucks First-Line

nuck nit

Posted
Posted

Imagine treating Sakic,Roenick and/or Shanahan in this manner if they were rookies going to play in the KHL?:

Let's go back to 1991. Bure had just arrived in North America. He had no equipment and no money to buy any.

"It was really hard," he said. "I thought they would be waiting for me when I got there. But there was nobody."

Finally, Brian Burke, then Quinn's assistant and now the team's GM, arrived. "We just had a quick lunch and I didn't see them again for another 10 days," Bure said.

Pavel Bure was never happy with the Canucks. He was mad at team management even before he arrived in Vancouver, when no one was in Los Angeles to greet him.

Rocket blasts off

In an exclusive interview, Pavel Bure says management's chintziness doomed relations

with Canucks from the start

Wednesday, January 20, 1999

by AL STRACHAN -- TORONTO SUN

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. -- Pavel Bure did not leave the Vancouver Canucks because the relationship turned bad. He left because the relationship always was bad.

Take the first North American meeting for example. Penniless and unsure of his status, he had left the Soviet Union and told the Canucks he was off to Los Angeles and would be staying at his agent's house.

"Then it took two weeks before somebody showed up," he said.

Ever since Bure walked out on the Canucks before training camp, there has been speculation about his reasons. Yesterday, in a Long Island hotel room with only two reporters present --Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province was the other -- Bure finally gave his explanation.

But before he started he insisted on a provision. He wanted it made clear he loved Vancouver and he loved the fans. His problem, he said, was neither with his teammates nor with coach Mike Keenan.

He hopes not to be perceived as a complainer. He merely wants to set the record straight and move on to his new life as a Florida Panther. The Vancouver fans, he said, treated him well and deserve to know the truth -- that he got sick of the way the Canucks organization made his life difficult at every turn.

He got sick of it so quickly that he first asked for a trade in 1993. General manager Pat Quinn agreed, he said, but it was 1999 before the deal was done.

Let's go back to 1991. Bure had just arrived in North America. He had no equipment and no money to buy any.

"It was really hard," he said. "I thought they would be waiting for me when I got there. But there was nobody."

Finally, Brian Burke, then Quinn's assistant and now the team's GM, arrived. "We just had a quick lunch and I didn't see them again for another 10 days," Bure said. "I was nervous. I was young."

Burke subsequently arranged a court hearing in Detroit to get Bure's release from Red Army. The cost of that release was $250,000. The club paid $200,000. Bure had to pay the other $50,000.

The day before the court judgment, Bure agreed to a contract worth $600,000 annually. But there was an understanding, he said, that if he proved he was a solid NHL player, a new deal would be written.

He scored 34 goals that season and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie, even though he didn't break in until late November. So he asked about the new deal.

"They said, 'Hold on, you have to play a little bit more. You have to prove it to us,' " Bure said with a chuckle.

Pavel Bure was never happy with the Canucks. He was mad at team management even before he arrived in Vancouver, when no one was in Los Angeles to greet him.

So he played another year. This time he scored 60 goals. "They said, 'Okay, let us think about it.' "

They thought about it during the summer and finally made an offer -- $14.7 million over five years. "I said, 'Great! I'm happy,' " Bure said. "I was ready to accept it. I was really happy." It was in line with the salaries being paid to two compatriots, Alex Mogilny and Sergei Fedorov.

When he went to sign the deal, there seemed to be a mistake. "They said, 'Sorry, it's Canadian,' " Bure recalled.

NHL stars are not paid in Canadian dollars. Fedorov and Mogilny weren't and Bure certainly wasn't about to set the precedent. He refused to sign.

"Ronnie (agent Ron Salcer) said, 'Okay, start to play and we'll figure it out over training camp. It was a mistake obviously.' "

But Bure got off to a slow start and two months into the season, someone from the team, probably assistant GM George McPhee, told Salcer the Canucks were having second thoughts.

"I asked for a trade in '93," Bure said, "because they said, 'Well you can't play any more. You got 60 goals, but you just got lucky. You'll be lucky to get 30 goals again.'

"I said, 'Okay. You don't trust me. Then trade me.' "

Shortly afterward, he started to roll, racking up another 60-goal season and by spring, the Canucks were heading into the Stanley Cup final against the New York Rangers. By that time, Salcer had hammered out a new contract, but Bure didn't want it. "I said, 'Listen, I asked for a trade. Don't sign me. Just trade me.' "

But it was an extremely lucrative deal, eventually costing the Canucks more than twice the one Bure cheerfully would have signed eight months earlier. Now, the average was in the $5-million range US. Also, there were astonishing bonus clauses that gave him an extra $3.5 million last year.

"Ronnie said to sign the contract, but I asked for a trade before that," Bure said.

He acceded to Salcer's wishes, but when the time came to sign the deal, Bure said, Quinn wanted no part of such a precedent-setting contract, which had been forced upon him by ownership. However, Bure refused to put pen to paper until Quinn was summoned to the room and shook his hand.

By that time the allegation already had been leaked that Bure had threatened to quit the team unless he got his deal. "That really pissed me off," he said. "That's a lie."

He's certain someone in the organization spread the story but doesn't know who, "and I don't want to say what I don't know," he said. "But I know one thing. I was promised to be traded."

That contract carried a signing bonus to be paid immediately. It was not until September that Bure got it.

Then came the lockout. Having realized a labour disruption was likely, Salcer had insisted on iron-clad guarantees that Bure would be paid whether the league operated or not. But the Canucks refused to pay.

It was not until October 1997 that Bure got his payment for that part of the 1994-95 season. And even then, it was a settlement. To save legal fees -- not to mention the acrimony caused by suing the club for which he played -- he settled for $1 million of the $1.7 million he was owed.

In the meantime, Bure was getting injured with some frequency. "So at the end of 1996-97, I went to see Pat and I said, 'I'm getting too many injuries with my knee and my back. It's time to move me on. Maybe if I go somewhere else, I'm going to play with more emotion and it's going to stretch me out and maybe I'll play better.'

"He said, 'If you really want that, we'll trade you. I understand that's what you want.' That was '97. Then I waited all of '97 and '98."

When he still hadn't been moved by the start of training camp this season, Bure walked out. Ever since, people have been asking why he did it. During his news conference on Sunday, Burke professed not to know the reasons.

Now, he does. And so does everyone else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
NLluvitorleaveit Abbotsford Regular

NLluvitorleaveit

Posted
Posted

Imagine treating Sakic,Roenick and/or Shanahan in this manner if they were rookies going to play in the KHL?:

Let's go back to 1991. Bure had just arrived in North America. He had no equipment and no money to buy any.

"It was really hard," he said. "I thought they would be waiting for me when I got there. But there was nobody."

Finally, Brian Burke, then Quinn's assistant and now the team's GM, arrived. "We just had a quick lunch and I didn't see them again for another 10 days," Bure said.

Pavel Bure was never happy with the Canucks. He was mad at team management even before he arrived in Vancouver, when no one was in Los Angeles to greet him.

Rocket blasts off

In an exclusive interview, Pavel Bure says management's chintziness doomed relations

with Canucks from the start

Wednesday, January 20, 1999

by AL STRACHAN -- TORONTO SUN

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. -- Pavel Bure did not leave the Vancouver Canucks because the relationship turned bad. He left because the relationship always was bad.

Take the first North American meeting for example. Penniless and unsure of his status, he had left the Soviet Union and told the Canucks he was off to Los Angeles and would be staying at his agent's house.

"Then it took two weeks before somebody showed up," he said.

Ever since Bure walked out on the Canucks before training camp, there has been speculation about his reasons. Yesterday, in a Long Island hotel room with only two reporters present --Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province was the other -- Bure finally gave his explanation.

But before he started he insisted on a provision. He wanted it made clear he loved Vancouver and he loved the fans. His problem, he said, was neither with his teammates nor with coach Mike Keenan.

He hopes not to be perceived as a complainer. He merely wants to set the record straight and move on to his new life as a Florida Panther. The Vancouver fans, he said, treated him well and deserve to know the truth -- that he got sick of the way the Canucks organization made his life difficult at every turn.

He got sick of it so quickly that he first asked for a trade in 1993. General manager Pat Quinn agreed, he said, but it was 1999 before the deal was done.

Let's go back to 1991. Bure had just arrived in North America. He had no equipment and no money to buy any.

"It was really hard," he said. "I thought they would be waiting for me when I got there. But there was nobody."

Finally, Brian Burke, then Quinn's assistant and now the team's GM, arrived. "We just had a quick lunch and I didn't see them again for another 10 days," Bure said. "I was nervous. I was young."

Burke subsequently arranged a court hearing in Detroit to get Bure's release from Red Army. The cost of that release was $250,000. The club paid $200,000. Bure had to pay the other $50,000.

The day before the court judgment, Bure agreed to a contract worth $600,000 annually. But there was an understanding, he said, that if he proved he was a solid NHL player, a new deal would be written.

He scored 34 goals that season and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie, even though he didn't break in until late November. So he asked about the new deal.

"They said, 'Hold on, you have to play a little bit more. You have to prove it to us,' " Bure said with a chuckle.

Pavel Bure was never happy with the Canucks. He was mad at team management even before he arrived in Vancouver, when no one was in Los Angeles to greet him.

So he played another year. This time he scored 60 goals. "They said, 'Okay, let us think about it.' "

They thought about it during the summer and finally made an offer -- $14.7 million over five years. "I said, 'Great! I'm happy,' " Bure said. "I was ready to accept it. I was really happy." It was in line with the salaries being paid to two compatriots, Alex Mogilny and Sergei Fedorov.

When he went to sign the deal, there seemed to be a mistake. "They said, 'Sorry, it's Canadian,' " Bure recalled.

NHL stars are not paid in Canadian dollars. Fedorov and Mogilny weren't and Bure certainly wasn't about to set the precedent. He refused to sign.

"Ronnie (agent Ron Salcer) said, 'Okay, start to play and we'll figure it out over training camp. It was a mistake obviously.' "

But Bure got off to a slow start and two months into the season, someone from the team, probably assistant GM George McPhee, told Salcer the Canucks were having second thoughts.

"I asked for a trade in '93," Bure said, "because they said, 'Well you can't play any more. You got 60 goals, but you just got lucky. You'll be lucky to get 30 goals again.'

"I said, 'Okay. You don't trust me. Then trade me.' "

Shortly afterward, he started to roll, racking up another 60-goal season and by spring, the Canucks were heading into the Stanley Cup final against the New York Rangers. By that time, Salcer had hammered out a new contract, but Bure didn't want it. "I said, 'Listen, I asked for a trade. Don't sign me. Just trade me.' "

But it was an extremely lucrative deal, eventually costing the Canucks more than twice the one Bure cheerfully would have signed eight months earlier. Now, the average was in the $5-million range US. Also, there were astonishing bonus clauses that gave him an extra $3.5 million last year.

"Ronnie said to sign the contract, but I asked for a trade before that," Bure said.

He acceded to Salcer's wishes, but when the time came to sign the deal, Bure said, Quinn wanted no part of such a precedent-setting contract, which had been forced upon him by ownership. However, Bure refused to put pen to paper until Quinn was summoned to the room and shook his hand.

By that time the allegation already had been leaked that Bure had threatened to quit the team unless he got his deal. "That really pissed me off," he said. "That's a lie."

He's certain someone in the organization spread the story but doesn't know who, "and I don't want to say what I don't know," he said. "But I know one thing. I was promised to be traded."

That contract carried a signing bonus to be paid immediately. It was not until September that Bure got it.

Then came the lockout. Having realized a labour disruption was likely, Salcer had insisted on iron-clad guarantees that Bure would be paid whether the league operated or not. But the Canucks refused to pay.

It was not until October 1997 that Bure got his payment for that part of the 1994-95 season. And even then, it was a settlement. To save legal fees -- not to mention the acrimony caused by suing the club for which he played -- he settled for $1 million of the $1.7 million he was owed.

In the meantime, Bure was getting injured with some frequency. "So at the end of 1996-97, I went to see Pat and I said, 'I'm getting too many injuries with my knee and my back. It's time to move me on. Maybe if I go somewhere else, I'm going to play with more emotion and it's going to stretch me out and maybe I'll play better.'

"He said, 'If you really want that, we'll trade you. I understand that's what you want.' That was '97. Then I waited all of '97 and '98."

When he still hadn't been moved by the start of training camp this season, Bure walked out. Ever since, people have been asking why he did it. During his news conference on Sunday, Burke professed not to know the reasons.

Now, he does. And so does everyone else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bd71 Abbotsford Star

bd71

Posted
Posted

Bure should be a no-doubt sure fire Hall of Famer. Maybe he didn't have longevity but he was as explosive a player that there has ever been. By far the most exciting player I've ever seen play live. Gretzky was the most talented but when Bure got the puck the whole building went silent! He's awesome and should be in Toronto.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TheCammer Canucks Regular

TheCammer

Posted
Posted

Neely got in with a "shortened career" and no Stanley Cups. I think Bure deserves the same.

Also, I wish so-called Canucks fans would stop bringing up that he asked to be traded from here. His trade request came after Canucks management at the time decided not to fulfill some promises made to arguably the greatest talent our team has ever had. They drove him to ask for the trade.

He should be in the Canucks rafters as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...