Elias Pettersson | #40 | C

[Vancouver FTW :D]

EP is looking like one hell of a player and only getting better. soo nice to see a nucks prospect on the upswing and getting better! Hey so does anyone know the significance of these games he is playing? are these pre-season games EP is playing in? 

[Boudrias]

25 minutes ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Not sure he will be as solid on the puck as HZ but he does seem to already have been hands than HZ ever had in terms of tight space moves and ability to make the puck "do things".   All I know from watching this is that he looks far from out of place - if he does indeed add those needed pounds he may be one of the most offensively gifted players Vancouver has had in their system - I am too young to know what Bure looked like out of the gate but EP hitting the NHL in one or two years may be that kind of special - who knows but there are very few people in hockey that have those kinds of hands!

You knew Bure was special on his very first shift. Almost a ppg player at 20 years old.  What little I have seen of EP he does not have Bure's speed. What stands out for me about EP to date is his vision and ability to throw a pass. Very good. 

[Rob_Zepp]

25 minutes ago, Boudrias said:

You knew Bure was special on his very first shift. Almost a ppg player at 20 years old.  What little I have seen of EP he does not have Bure's speed. What stands out for me about EP to date is his vision and ability to throw a pass. Very good. 

I have only seen the film of Bure and he was sure fast and look like he was built like a brick you-know-what house.   My guess he was more than fine taking care of himself if anyone ran him.   

 

I think EP has potential to be a ppg player in NHL at 20 - throw around those kind of passes it doesn't matter how old you are, someone should be able to bury one or more of those each game.   

[Kungfudru]

1 hour ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Not sure he will be as solid on the puck as HZ but he does seem to already have been hands than HZ ever had in terms of tight space moves and ability to make the puck "do things".   All I know from watching this is that he looks far from out of place - if he does indeed add those needed pounds he may be one of the most offensively gifted players Vancouver has had in their system - I am too young to know what Bure looked like out of the gate but EP hitting the NHL in one or two years may be that kind of special - who knows but there are very few people in hockey that have those kinds of hands!

Bure out of the gate was electric and an unstoppable force. 

[Rob_Zepp]

1 minute ago, Kungfudru said:

Bure out of the gate was electric and an unstoppable force. 

Would love to have seen him play live!

[SergioMomesso]

1 hour ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Would love to have seen him play live!

I got to 5 times and will never forget him walking almost every dman wide or down the middle with ease. 

[Rob_Zepp]

1 minute ago, SergioMomesso said:

I got to 5 times and will never forget him walking almost every dman wide or down the middle with ease. 

I am jealous.   That is a cool memory bud!

[THERETOOL]

1 hour ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Would love to have seen him play live!

I remember his first home game  . When he had that end to end rush .  Everyone in the crowd looked like a jockey , riding their seats ..      

 

I think it was the most thrilling experience Ive ever had watching hockey . 

 

To say he was a special player , would only denigrate his art  .. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[stawns]

1 hour ago, Lulover88 said:

I remember his first home game  . When he had that end to end rush .  Everyone in the crowd looked like a jockey , riding their seats ..      

 

I think it was the most thrilling experience Ive ever had watching hockey . 

 

To say he was a special player , would only denigrate his art  .. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I remember it like it was yesterday

[MoneypuckOverlord]

nice to see him rebound from a bad event.  (World Junior showcase)

 

it was much needed.  sniping skills, and the drive to go to the dirty areas area are there.

[Rick Blight]

3 hours ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Would love to have seen him play live!

I've watched NHL hockey for 60 years and, in my opinion, the 3 most exciting players that I have ever seen that combined incredible skill with unbelievable speed were Bobby Orr, Pavel Bure and Connor McDavid.........he was that special.

[Rob_Zepp]

26 minutes ago, Rick Blight said:

I've watched NHL hockey for 60 years and, in my opinion, the 3 most exciting players that I have ever seen that combined incredible skill with unbelievable speed were Bobby Orr, Pavel Bure and Connor McDavid.........he was that special.

Interesting he isn't given more respect across NHL or talked about as much - is playing in Vancouver for the bulk of your career really that bad for your legacy?   I have often wondered if the Sedins had played their entire careers in Chicago or Toronto what sort of accolades they would have across the NHL.

[Rick Blight]

1 minute ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Interesting he isn't given more respect across NHL or talked about as much - is playing in Vancouver for the bulk of your career really that bad for your legacy?   I have often wondered if the Sedins had played their entire careers in Chicago or Toronto what sort of accolades they would have across the NHL.

I think it is a combination of playing on the West coast for the most productive part of your career, playing mostly on bad teams, having an injury shortened career and never winning a Stanley Cup.

[Rollieo Del Fuego]

16 hours ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Not sure he will be as solid on the puck as HZ but he does seem to already have been hands than HZ ever had in terms of tight space moves and ability to make the puck "do things".   All I know from watching this is that he looks far from out of place - if he does indeed add those needed pounds he may be one of the most offensively gifted players Vancouver has had in their system - I am too young to know what Bure looked like out of the gate but EP hitting the NHL in one or two years may be that kind of special - who knows but there are very few people in hockey that have those kinds of hands!

EP has hands that are as good as Bure's...maybe even a bit faster....but he does not have Bure's overall speed or explosiveness.

EP does have decent speed though and the weight room may get him closer....what he does have is more speed, by far, then the Sedin's had and more then they have now,

he also has better hands in close to the net where the Sedins can sometimes get flustered or just not as quick with the Hand-eye co-ordination.

 

Elias will be a star for sure. 

[Rob_Zepp]

47 minutes ago, Rollieo Del Fuego said:

EP has hands that are as good as Bure's...maybe even a bit faster....but he does not have Bure's overall speed or explosiveness.

EP does have decent speed though and the weight room may get him closer....what he does have is more speed, by far, then the Sedin's had and more then they have now,

he also has better hands in close to the net where the Sedins can sometimes get flustered or just not as quick with the Hand-eye co-ordination.

 

Elias will be a star for sure. 

I would be nervous saying that at this stage for any 18 year old who needs to physically mature before playing in NHL but he seems to be putting up points (even if preseason) at SEL level at rate similar to what he did last year and that bodes incredibly well.   If nothing else, he will be very topical for a long while with the tantalizing prospect of him becoming a star and given his breakaway/shootout moves perhaps someone people my age can see play live and those who saw Bure say "think this kid plus more speed" and we can simply wonder what that would have been like to see live.

[higgyfan]

I don't see any comparable between Pettersson and Bure, other than they are/were able to load up on points.  Pettersson will never have the speed, strength or 'nastiness of Bure and will likely never compile the massive #s (60 goals -it's a different game today).  Bure was simply 'one of a kind'. 

 

That said, I can see that Pettersson has terrific potential and I am hoping he can become the player that some fans are raving about.  It will be fun watching him develop over the next few years.

[Boudrias]

12 hours ago, Rick Blight said:

I've watched NHL hockey for 60 years and, in my opinion, the 3 most exciting players that I have ever seen that combined incredible skill with unbelievable speed were Bobby Orr, Pavel Bure and Connor McDavid.........he was that special.

Same time frame as yours but I would put McDavid in the pending file as he does not have enough games yet. Who I add is Bobby Hull. His speed was every bit as good but his shot dominated and would likely do so in today's game as well. 

[elvis15]

42 minutes ago, higgyfan said:

I don't see any comparable between Pettersson and Bure, other than they are/were able to load up on points.  Pettersson will never have the speed, strength or 'nastiness of Bure and will likely never compile the massive #s (60 goals -it's a different game today).  Bure was simply 'one of a kind'. 

 

That said, I can see that Pettersson has terrific potential and I am hoping he can become the player that some fans are raving about.  It will be fun watching him develop over the next few years.

Bure's standout ability that very, very few have been able to match was his ability to stickhandle at top speed. He was exceptionally strong (dedicated to fitness and weights unlike anyone else in that era, even if it seems commonplace now), had elite quickness, vision, a great shot, was willing to stand up for himself - he had it all, but his ability to think and physically execute at speed put him as the most electrifying player ever in my books.

 

Petterson definitely has skill - he can stickhandle in a phone booth, has great vision, a deceptive/accurate shot, etc. - but he lacks the physical attributes of Bure and isn't at Bure's level for being able to do it all while skating top speed. As others have said, that's not a knock on his speed or handling, just that you're comparing to possibly the best of all time in that category. We still have a possible gem on our hands, but he'll have a little longer development path and will need good players around him to achieve that greatness vs Bure being able to dominate all on his own.

[Rick Blight]

15 hours ago, Lulover88 said:

I remember his first home game  . When he had that end to end rush .  Everyone in the crowd looked like a jockey , riding their seats ..      

 

I think it was the most thrilling experience Ive ever had watching hockey . 

 

To say he was a special player , would only denigrate his art  .. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kirk McLean skated behind his net toward a sliding puck. He reached out and stopped it. For a moment, he waited

The goalie had done so countless times during his career in hockey, an unremarkable and routine play. But what happened on this night, Nov. 5, 1991, he would never forget. After a beat, McLean’s newest teammate on the Vancouver Canucks came rushing toward him. In one motion he swooped in, received the puck from his goalie and was off. McLean returned to his crouch in front of the net, but never took his eyes off the prized rookie, one of the most hyped imports in NHL history, as he disappeared into the other end.

A sea of fans inside the Pacific Coliseum began to rise, their roar cresting in anticipation as the Canucks winger whirred up the ice, leaving even his teammates in awe.

“The crowd was anticipating something,” McLean said. “Everybody was mesmerized. Most of the guys on the bench, as well, watching to see what would happen.”

His speed, McLean can still recall, was something to behold, almost unseen in the NHL at the time, and when paired with his inhuman agility seemed unfair to those he skated by. The result of the play, the kid’s first shift in the NHL, almost didn’t seem to matter. “He didn’t score, but certainly it showed what he was capable of doing at high speeds handling the puck,” McLean said. “Like a Connor McDavid does now.”

This, 25 seasons ago, was Pavel Bure.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/remembering-pavel-bure-25-years-after-his-standout-rookie-season

Edited August 26, 2017 by Rick Blight

[PuckYa]

15 hours ago, Lulover88 said:

I remember his first home game  . When he had that end to end rush .  Everyone in the crowd looked like a jockey , riding their seats ..      

 

I think it was the most thrilling experience Ive ever had watching hockey . 

 

To say he was a special player , would only denigrate his art  .. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of a kind.

Approx 40 seonds in, enjoy.

 

 

Edited August 26, 2017 by CoolCanucklehead