News from August 1997

The answer in short is, nothing will change. We are Pavel fans first and foremost. Some of the members, like ourselves here in Vancouver, are blessed in that Pavel plays with the Vancouver Canucks, our next love after Pavel, as far as hockey is concerned.

We still cheer for Pavel when he plays for Russia, so why would it change if he played for another team other than the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL ?

Sure a lot of us cheer for the Vancouver Canucks, but for a lot of members that's because Pavel plays for the team. Most of the members of the fan club do not reside in Vancouver, or it's province of British Columbia. About half of our members don't even reside in Canada.

Why should some of us loyal Canuck fans stop supporting Pavel just because he might play for another team. Hockey is a business. A huge billion dollar business. Hockey players are but one integral part of it. They get traded, and move to different teams for a large number of reasons, some of which we never find out about. A good example is Jeff Brown ex Vancouver Canuck, who was traded for what Vancouver Canuck fans saw as a strange quick trade for a dubious return value player. We then find out that there were hints dropped by various sources of a matrimonial problem involving the spouse of another player on the team and Jeff brown. Obviously this is situation that could not be let be, as the two combatants had to play on the same line on the team. What we think we know, and what really goes on the in the backrooms of a hockey team is most of the time completely wrong.

Pavel and his boss, Pat Quinn, had their annual player one-on-one pre-season conversation in August. Only Pavel and Pat really know what transpired in that room, as they were the only ones present in the room. Both vowed to keep the context of that meeting private.

What the press conjures up could prove true, and then it could prove false. Only time will tell. In the meantime we will remain Pavel Bure fans, and some of us Vancouver Canuck fans as well. If Pavel is indeed traded, most of us will remain rooting for both, though it might be a test of mettle if the two play each other. Something like this happened in the World Cup '96 when Russia played Canada in the one of the warm-up games. On the Canadian team was Vancouver's captain, Trevor Linden. On the Russian team, Pavel Bure and Alex Mogilny. What we saw was hockey.

No matter what team Pavel plays for, we will continue publishing our 'members only' newsletter, with Pavel tidbits that we do not put up on the Internet, as well as the birthday of the month and fan of the month. As well, 'members only' Pavel Bure memorabilia will continue to be made available to our paid up members only, as in our current 'July-August 97' newsletter. We know players from every hockey team in the NHL, and especially Pavel Bure. If we hear news that we feel should be made public to the many Pavel Bure fans, we will continue publishing them, either on the Internet, or in our 'members-only' newsletter, 'The Rocket'.

We have no plans to interview Pavel at the present time regarding the current situation. What more can he say than what's been said in the last week or so ? If the rumors pan out to be true, then that's a different matter, and yes, we'll try to get him to tell our club some words. Till then, he's a Vancouver Canuck, and intends playing with the 'C' team in the house scrimmage games at the Vancouver Canucks training camp at Whistler on the 9th of September. The Canucks return to Vancouver on 14th September, with the first 1997-98 pre-season game scheduled for 20th September 1997.

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Quinn's trade task tough

Trading Pavel Bure shapes up as perhaps the most difficult task Pat Quinn has had in his tenure as Vancouver Canucks GM.

Not only has the Russian Rocket put Quinn in the position of having to move an asset whose value has been put to question by three seasons of un-superstar-like performance -- two of which were marred by injury -- but the GM is under pressure to get the deal done in the short term with training camp opening in just 11 days.

It's a proposition fraught with danger. No matter what Quinn gets in return, Bure could make a mockery of it all if he returns to form elsewhere. Pulling the trigger on the wrong deal could end up costing Quinn his job.

Besides time, Quinn has other constraints. Only so many NHL teams have the financial wherewithal to take on Bure's contract, which will pay him $5.5 million US this season and $5 million the next. As well, only teams that feel Bure would flourish in their mix can be serious bidders in such an auction.

But Calgary-based player agent Art Breeze says the type of player Bure is will create plenty of demand.

"Nothwithstanding the issues of his contract and his health, because of his uniqueness -- he's probably one of only a dozen players in his class in the NHL -- he will be extremely sought after," said Breeze. "He's one of the few highly marketable players in the NHL. He combines speed with goalscoring and he has an edge. I don't think the size of the contract will intimidate teams."

Another player agent predicted the deal would be done before the Canucks hit training camp in Whistler on Sept. 9.

"When you have a star player asking to be traded, he usually gets his wish," said the agent.

But not everyone is bullish on Bure's market value. A member of one Western Conference team's management said he saw a different Bure last season.

"The things I saw -- slamming his stick against the boards when something went wrong -- you didn't see those things a few years ago when he just played hard," he said. "If he can get his head straightened out, he'll be the same player again."

Meanwhile, Quinn was in attendance at a press conference Thursday to introduce Steve Bellringer as Orca Bay's new president and chief executive officer, but declined comment on the Bure affair.

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Kings, 'Hawks hot on Bure's trail

Los Angeles Kings' general manager Dave Taylor and Bob Murray, his counterpart with the Chicago Blackhawks, both acknowledged Thursday they have entered the Pavel Bure sweepstakes.

"I really don't want to comment but, yes, I have had discussions with Pat Quinn," said Taylor, who played for the Vancouver Canuck GM when the latter coached in L.A. "I would anticipate we will talk again."

The Kings are taking a beating at the box office as season ticket renewals are at roughly 80 per cent on a base of just 7,000, with some of those forced upon "senate seat" holders who want only to see Shaquille O'Neal and the NBA Lakers.

On Thursday, Taylor re-acquired the popular Luc Robitaille from the New York Rangers for Kevin Stevens. Robitaille is expected to sell some tickets but the Kings would appear to need another marquee player, especially since Robitaille is 31.

The Blackhawks' season-ticket base is shrinking too -- down to about 9,000 from 12,000 -- and new GM Murray is under pressure to make a dramatic move after failing to land Chris Gratton.

"I have talked to Pat Quinn but beyond that I don't want to say anything," said Murray.

In New York, Ranger GM Neil Smith was even less revealing than either Taylor or Murray. Asked to comment on whether he has had Bure discussions with Quinn, Smith replied: "I really can't . . . we have had very little conversation with the Canucks this summer."

It's also known that Washington GM George McPhee has talked to Quinn about the Russian Rocket.

Quinn, meanwhile, had virtually nothing to say on the topic when approached by reporters at Thursday's introduction of new Orca Bay president Stephen Bellringer.

The early word is that Quinn is asking for a huge return for Bure.

- Rich Winter, the agent for Washington star forward Peter Bondra, said he would welcome a Bure trade to the Capitals, mainly because he is renegotiating Bondra's contract.

"Let's see," said the impish Winter. "In the last three years, Peter Bondra has scored 132 goals and Pavel Bure has scored 49 goals."

Bondra has apparently rejected $3 million a season and Bure is scheduled to make $5.5 million this year.

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Habs re-sign Bure

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Rocket fuel

By JIM TAYLOR -- Sun Media

VANCOUVER - On Aug. 11, my favorite columnist penned the following: "If I am Pat Quinn, general manager of the Vancouver Canucks, the Russian I am wondering about is not Alexander Mogilny, it is Pavel Bure. What I'm wondering is if I should or dare pull the trigger."
Today, Quinn - in a move as orchestrated as a Broadway musical - is shopping the Russian Rocket around the National Hockey League. No applause, please. It's a gift.
But now let us pull out of Quinn's noggin and slip inside the headbones of the two general managers most likely to covet Bure: George McPhee of the Washington Capitals and Neil Smith of the New York Rangers.

There's always a rub
Both have need of a superstar attraction - the Rangers to ease the sting of losing Mark Messier, the Caps because (a) they are boring and (b) they'll need someone to fill seats in their new building. But are they willing to shell out a guaranteed $11 million over the next two seasons for what may turn out to be damaged goods?
Ah, there's the rub, and the reason why any deal for Bure likely will not occur until after pre-season exhibitions to determine whether the Rocket is finally able to spend more time in flight than in the silo.
It's not so much the reconstructive knee surgery of two years ago or the half step it seemed to have cost him. Players come back from that. But no doctor - surgeon or witch - can forecast with any accuracy the degree or time frame of something as tricky as the whiplash that Bure suffered on opening day last season.
Two months ago Bure said he was still feeling pain in his neck and shoulder. Now he says he feels fine, but admits he won't know for sure until he has a game or two under his belt. For this, a rival GM should risk $11 million plus the players given to get him?
Eventually, someone will - someone in the East, to minimize the risk of having a healthy Bure come to GM Place more than once or twice a year to humiliate the brass and remind Canuck fans of what they've lost. But this isn't the slam dunk it would have been three years ago, when rival GMs would have camped outside Quinn's door bearing frankincense and myrrh for an option on the baby boychik. This is a roll of the dice with the ever-present spectre of snake-eyes.
Now let us consider the wonderfulness of how all this fuss came about.

Who blabbed?
Bure has a meeting with Quinn. He won't say what was discussed. Quinn wouldn't speak to the reporter who broke the story if the alternative was losing his tongue. But it gets out: Bure, it's whispered, actually suggested a trade. Who blabbed?
If you were an agent for a player in search of a trade, what better move than to leak it to a media guy you know is at odds with the team? You're guaranteed big play, which puts the pressure on the team. Meanwhile, your player can scuff his toe in the dirt, say "Aw, shucks, I don't want to talk about that. I love it here." If there's no trade, his butt is covered. If there is, and the fans are upset, the GM takes the heat. Perfect.
There is, of course, the possibility that the Canucks don't want to trade Bure. Shopping him around means little. They spent much of the summer shopping Mogilny, and if they can't come to terms on a new deal for Marty Gelinas they may well shop him. It's called testing the waters.
Wouldn't it be ironic, though, if Bure's people were trying to force a trade - and trading him was what the club had planned since the day it signed Mark Messier? Hockey. It's my life.

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Whiplash

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NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Canucks right wing Pavel Bure, who still has to prove he's over a whiplash injury that cost him all kinds of playing time last season, apparently wants no part of playing with Mark Messier in Vancouver _ but reportedly wouldn't mind playing for Messier's former team, the Rangers.

Yesterday's Vancouver Province, quoting a source, said Bure's financial manager has been given permission to broker a trade for the speedy scorer. The story said Serge Levin had advised the Rangers his client was available.

Neil Smith could not be reached yesterday, so his interest in obtaining Bure could not be ascertained. The GM loves having big names on his team, but his most pressing need is center, not right wing.

Bure, who has two years left on his contract and will make $5.5 million (U.S.) this season, also may be coveted by the Washington Capitals, who are moving into a new arena in December. The Capitals' new GM, George McPhee, is the former assistant GM in Vancouver, and he is looking eagerly for a big-name attraction to spark fan interest - and his team's offense.

Bure reportedly put himself on the trade market during a meeting last week with Canucks GM Pat Quinn. Quinn is believed to have given up trying to trade right wing Alexander Mogilny, in whom there apparently is very little interest. Bure should be far easier to move, although the huge contract and his history of injuries would elicit cautious responses from other clubs.

That said, the Montreal Canadiens employ Bure's brother, Valeri. They are desperate for offense and might have pieces of a package.

Surely the Rangers can afford Bure's salary, but Vancouver is looking for defensemen. Do the Rangers offer Ulf Samuelsson at a time when it appears Alexander Karpovtsev, a restricted free agent, might be headed toward a holdout?

If you're Neil Smith, do you dare offer an Alexei Kovalev ? He's a Messier favorite.

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'It's like losing a kid brother'

Gino Odjick read the story in the newspaper, but he didn't believe it until the phone rang on Wednesday at his offseason home in Ste. Rose, Que.

It was his buddy Pavel Bure on the other end of the line and it looks like the unlikely twosome are going to be going their separate ways for the first time since the Russian Rocket joined the Vancouver Canucks in November of 1991.

"Yes, I was surprised," said Odjick of the news that Bure has requested a trade from the Canucks.

"It's like losing a kid brother. We've known each other for such a long time."

Odjick wouldn't divulge what was said in the phone conversation, but he said Bure sounded like he was holding up well, since his trade request became public.

"He's OK," said Odjick. "I didn't ask him on the phone about the details. He just called to let me know what was going on."

Odjick, Bure's closest friend on the Canucks almost from the day the Russian set foot in the dressing room at the Pacific Coliseum nearly six years ago, said he had no inkling that a trade request might be brewing.

"Not really, but it's been a tough couple of years for Pavel," said Odjick. "Maybe he just wants a fresh start somewhere else."

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Bure the shop talk of league

Pavel Bure is being shopped all over the NHL and the New York Rangers are first in the checkout line.

Serge Levin, Bure's sometime financial advisor and player agent, confirmed Wednesday the Russian Rocket wants a trade. Levin said he got the OK from Canucks general manager Pat Quinn to court potential trading partners.

"I believe (Bure) wants to be in the Eastern Conference, but first of all it must be a good team," Levin said from his L.A. office Wednesday. "I believe the Rangers like him. But Pavel probably won't have a choice. It's up to Pat. It depends on what the other side can give."

A source with the Rangers said Wednesday Levin had contacted assistant GM Don Maloney and Maloney passed the word along to GM Neil Smith. The source also said the Rangers are interested, and it's believed Levin has touched base with virtually every team in the league.

"I believe, yes, Pavel has asked to be traded, but the reasons are his own," said Levin, as he blew the lid off of a day's worth of non-denials by Bure and Canucks management on the Rocket's request to leave the team.

For his part, Bure was again keeping those reasons to himself.

Reached at his west-side mansion Wednesday and told of Levin's comments, Bure refused to budge from his position of the previous day and tried to distance himself from his associate.

"All I can say is he (Levin) is not working with me," said Bure.

Although the Rangers' No. 1 priority is a centre to replace Mark Messier, a chance to snare a talent such as Bure -- even if the last two seasons have raised doubts about his health -- is hard to resist. Names in the trade rumor mill include Jeff Beukeboom or Ulf Samuelsson and Adam Graves or Alexei Kovalev.

Levin said he didn't see Detroit or Philadelphia -- two other top clubs that have the wherewithal to take on the two years and $10.5 million US remaining on Bure's contract -- as being likely fits.

"Philadelphia's style doesn't fit Pavel. Detroit already has enough Russian forwards," Levin said.

Why does Bure want out? It's probably a culmination of several things rather than one big one. Bure has had two well-documented scraps with Canuck management -- over a contract in the 1994 playoffs and about money owed him during the lockout in 1995. It's also known to those close to him he's not a fan of Tom Renney, the Canuck coach's defensive philosophy not terribly conducive to Bure's freewheeling style. As well, and contrary to what he says when asked, Bure has never been particularly thrilled about living in Vancouver. He rarely spends time here in the offseason, preferring the action in Moscow or L.A.

Levin said it might be simply time for a change.

"After his first three years, his best years, he had tough times," said Levin. "He got injured and didn't play for a year and then last year more problems.

"He needs to change something. This is the kind of feeling I believe he has. I think this is the main point. He needs to be the same Pavel Bure again and new players will make him score more goals."

Bure's agent, L.A.-based Ron Salcer, didn't return phone calls to his office on Wednesday, while Quinn continued to decline comment on the subject.

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Gary Mason: Trading Bure is best

He says the best times of his life have been here. In a city that once embraced him, made him its biggest sports star.

He can still get shivers when he thinks back, to happier times, when his hockey team made an improbable journey to the Stanley Cup and his magic powers were at their greatest.

But 1994 is a long time ago now for Pavel Bure. His bright star has only dimmed since then. And now, it would seem, the Russian Rocket is looking for a new start, in a place where he is once again the central figure in any plans for Cup glory.

Bure wasn't saying much Tuesday about a report that he's asked to be traded, the request apparently being made in a meeting with Canuck GM Pat Quinn. Bure says the meeting was confidential. Fair enough.

But when I spoke to him it was pretty clear he's out of here. Or at least wants to be. And the sooner the better.

"Have you asked to be traded, Pavel?" I asked.

"Well, I can tell you one thing. I'm just another player and I can be traded. It's like Wayne Gretzky was traded a few times.

"This is just the kind of business we're in. One day you can be here and the next you can be somewhere else. I don't know what else I can say."

He hasn't skated that well in a couple of years.

I persisted.

"Would it be better for you to play for another team next year?"

"It's hard to tell because probably the best time of my life has been right here in Vancouver."

And then Bure began to talk about how the Canucks' win in game six of the Stanley Cup final in 1994 might have been the highlight of his life. When a city went crazy. When cars were honking and white towels were waving.

And Pavel Bure was a hockey god.

But that was then and this is now. Those cheers have long since faded. And by not denying that he's asked for a trade, Pavel Bure was of course confirming it.

Bure doesn't know if playing somewhere else is the answer to whatever it is he's looking for. Whether it will help him find what he's lost. He just knows the time is right. For him. He says it's not because centre stage is getting crowded with Alexander Mogilny and now Mark Messier around. But who knows?

It's irrelevant anyway.

Whether Bure asked to be traded or not, the team made a decision this summer he'd be on the market. Many had speculated that the enigmatic Mogilny would be the Russian the team moved.

But Canuck owner John McCaw is a Mogilny fan. And there is a feeling that with Messier's arrival, the No. 1 centre Mogilny had been asking for, that the right winger will rebound from a disappointing season and return to superstar form.

Canuck coach Tom Renney, contrary to widespread opinion, is also said to be a bigger fan of Mogilny than Bure.

Orca Bay is so serious about re-signing him that McCaw lieutenant John Chapple, who played a pivotal role in the Messier signing, will handle the Mogilny negotiations with his agent, Michael Barnett.

There have also been emerging questions about Bure's commitment to hockey both on and off the ice. Sources in the Canuck organization have said there are "lifestyle" issues that concern the team.

The question now is what can the Canucks get in return?

Beyond his $5 million US a year salary, other teams are as aware as the Canucks about the question marks that hang over the faltering superstar's head.

Is he completely healed from the injury he suffered at the beginning of last season, not to mention the knee injury the season before?

Does he still possess the brilliant breakaway speed that allowed him to so easily slip past defenders and which gave him his best years?

Last season, that speed was nowhere to be found. Was it injury? Or has he lost it -- forever?

With his play declining, Canuck management realized that the once unthinkable -- trading their popular superstar -- would likely be applauded by fans if the team came away with the right deal.

There will be diehard Bure fans who will say trading him is the worst thing the team could do. But in the end it is likely the best thing -- for the team and for the player.

"I love this city so it's hard to tell if I'm going to feel better somewhere else or not," Bure told me.

My betting is he will.

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Rocket has his eyes on Rangers

Russian Rocket's desire to leave Vancouver is not clear although some feel he never intended to make West Coast his permanent home.

Pavel Bure is likely to be traded before the NHL season opens Oct. 1 and the New York Rangers are his preferred destination, said a source close to the Russian's family.

The source confirmed Bure's desire to play elsewhere although Bure himself deftly stickhandled through the subject when reached at his Vancouver's home Tuesday afternoon. At no time, however, did Bure deny telling general manager Pat Quinn that he wanted out.

"Well, it's a business and there's nothing I can do about it," Bure replied, failing to directly answer the question of his trade request. "They can trade me. Wayne Gretzky was traded a few times. Today I'm a Canuck and I'm just getting ready for the season."

Bure denied specifically requesting a deal to the Rangers claiming "I never said I want to go there" and he also admitted the possibility of having a veto never crossed his mind.

"I never thought about that," Bure said. "I haven't thought about any teams I would not want to go to. Honestly. I'm a Canuck now and I think I'll start the season a Canuck but I don't think anybody can be 100 per cent confident. Trades happen every day. It's not up to you, you're just a player. It's part of the business.

"So many ifs can happen," continued Bure. "You can say what if a car can hit me should I go out of my house? That's why I really don't want to talk about 'if, if.' Right now, I'm here and I'm a Canuck."

Quinn did not talk to the media Tuesday while his assistant, Steve Tambellini, spoke only in vague generalities when asked if the team would accommodate Bure.

"Pat and our ownership have sent a strong message to our team and fans with the significant signing of Mark Messier so there is a commitment both in the short term and long term," said Tambellini. "Pat will make a trade if he feels it will upgrade our team and, with any player, if there is an opportunity to enhance our team you have to consider it."

Bure's desire to leave Vancouver is not clear although some feel he never intended to make Canada's West Coast his permanent home. Despite owning a million-dollar house on Vancouver's west side, Bure spends little off-season time in the area and makes almost no public appearances.

The Russian Rocket has had two well documented disputes with Canuck management since 1994, at one time threatening to withdraw his services during the '94 playoff run if his contract demands weren't met. (They were.)

The following January, he reported late following the lockout, this time demanding backpay on the assumption his guaranteed contract covered work stoppages. He played poorly during that shortened campaign, which were followed by two injury plagued and disappointing seasons.

The Washington Capitals fit the profile of a team seeking a marquee name and having the financial resources to handle the two years and $11 million US remaining on the 26-year-old Bure's contract. A Capitals official said Tuesday "anything is conceivable" while at the same time admitting "there have been no negotiations, no talks, no nothing."

The Los Angeles Kings are another possibility as they, too, desperately need a box-office attraction. The Kings have already pursued, without success, Jaromir Jagr and Chris Gratton. It's believed the Kings would be willing to part with captain Rob Blake but not with highly regarded young defenceman Aki Berg.

Canuck coach Tom Renney, who was cited as one reason for Bure's discontent, was reluctant to discuss the Bure trade request but did state he felt his relationship with the Russian was solid.

"Contrary to the report, I think our relationship is excellent," Renney said.

Asked if it would be easier to coach with one less high-maintenance superstar, Renney replied he would enjoy the challenge of handling Bure, Mark Messier and Alexander Mogilny, assuming the latter re-signs with the Canucks.

"Sure I'd like to have them all given what they're capable of," said Renney. "I would like to work with Pavel as much as I would like to work with Alex and show people we can get the job done."

Canuck captain Trevor Linden said Bure, his teammate for six years, gave him no indication Monday of the drama that was about to unfold.

"I skated with Pavel yesterday but he didn't say anything so I can't really say a whole lot myself," Linden remarked. "I do know this, though. If Pat can upgrade the team he's going to do it whether that involves Pavel, myself or anybody else. I guess when you look at the team's pay structure, I'm not sure it falls into line but that doesn't necessarily mean Pavel or Alex has to go, it might be someone else."

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Bure plays coy after trade talk

Given a chance to douse the fire, Pavel Bure came up with an empty bucket.

The Vancouver Canucks weren't saying much, either, but one senior team executive reiterated Tuesday that no player is untouchable.

While Bure would not confirm a Province report that he had approached Canucks general manager Pat Quinn about a trade, the Vancouver superstar forward didn't deny the story.

Columnist Tony Gallagher reported Tuesday that Bure was on the trading block, after a meeting last week with Quinn to discuss Bure's future. Sources said that Bure himself brought on the trade talk, and that the Canucks had contacted at least two teams -- the New York Rangers and possibly the New York Islanders -- regarding their interest in the Russian Rocket.

"It was a private meeting between the two of us and we talked about lots of different things," Bure said Tuesday of his meeting with Quinn. "It was just man to man."

It was pointed out to Bure that to stop short of denying the reported trade discussion lent it credence. But Bure reiterated that the meeting was private, even though a denial presumably wouldn't compromise what he told Quinn.

"People have to understand that I'm not trying to hide something," said Bure. "Everybody has private meetings. I just don't want to get into what was going on in it."

Quinn couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday, but Canucks vice-president Steve Tambellini offered some intriguing statements.

Asked if the Canucks were shopping Bure around the NHL, Tambellini said the team has no untouchables.

"Our ownership and Pat have sent a strong message to the team and to the fans with the acquisition of Mark Messier that they've made a short-term and long-term commitment to success," Tambellini said. "If an opportunity came up to enhance the team that involved Pavel or anybody else, Pat would have to consider that.

"If you are asking me today if Pavel's going to be traded, I'd say I expect to see him at training camp (Sept. 9 in Whistler)."

Teams reportedly interested in acquiring Bure were also dancing around the issue.

"I won't comment because of my relationship with Pat Quinn," said Washington Capitals GM George McPhee, who was Quinn's assistant until this summer.

And a New York Rangers spokesman would only say, "The Rangers are always mentioned when a major player's name comes up."

Bure said on Tuesday that while he's happy in Vancouver, being traded is part of the life of a professional athlete.

"From the time I got to the NHL I got used to the idea of being traded," he said. "It's part of the business. I never think about it. I've had lots of great times in Vancouver and I've got lots of friends here."

There has been speculation that Bure's ego may have been bruised by his bumping to second-fiddle status as the Canucks' marquee player after the team acquired Messier last month. Messier, with his $6-million US annual salary, has made Bure (at $5.5 million this season) the second-highest paid player on the roster, and the Canucks have been building their off-season marketing push around the former New York Rangers captain.

But Bure said his nose wasn't out of joint.

"I never even thought about that," said Bure. "Mark is one of the greatest players ever to play the game. It's an honor to play with him and I'm looking forward to that."

If the Canucks do intend to move Bure, it makes the signing of restricted free agent Alex Mogilny a priority. But as of Tuesday all was quiet on that negotiating front.

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Pavel writes foreward for book

Were you aware that Pavel wrote a foreward for a book put out by Vancouver Canuck strength and condioning coach, Peter Twist ?

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Tony Gallagher:Bure sparks block talk

Rocket broached trade with Quinn

While there may be the traditional denials from the Vancouver Canucks when these matters arise, at least two NHL teams have been contacted by Vancouver regarding their interest in trading for the Russian Rocket.

Bure and Vancouver's general manager Pat Quinn had a meeting some time last week to discuss the fully recovered winger's future here in Vancouver. Both John Chapple, outgoing Chief Operating Officer with Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment, and Ron Salcer, Bure's Los Angeles-based agent, confirmed the meeting.

Quinn, who won't talk to me, wasn't available to anyone for comment on Monday, and Bure has refused to return calls for three days when normally he doesn't hesitate to do so. Still, two separate sources have indicated Bure has brought on the trade talk himself.

An excellent source close to the discussions says that Bure told Quinn he doesn't mind finishing the two remaining years on his contract in Vancouver, but that he would find it difficult to guarantee scoring goals here and it might be best for everyone if he were traded.

According to the source, Quinn responded that he would make an effort to move Bure, but that it would take some time. The source also says that L.A.-based Serge Levin, Bure's financial manager and the Russian-speaking associate of Salcer, had been given permission by the Canucks to shop a deal around the NHL. Levin would neither comment on the meeting nor on his role within the Bure camp.

Permission or not, Levin has contacted at least one team: The New York Rangers. According to sources within the Rangers organization, Levin has let it be known the Canucks would be willing to part with his client, but New York GM Neil Smith had not spoken to Quinn on the matter as of late Saturday. But on Monday, at least one other team, perhaps the Islanders, admitted they had been in contact with Quinn about acquiring Bure.

Another source close to the Bure family described Bure's remarks to Quinn in much the same way, but differed on the GM's response. According to the source, Quinn responded by saying he didn't know what could be done and that he would talk it over with ownership before making an appropriate response. In light of the telephones ringing around the NHL, though, that response is obvious.

Given it's in the best interests of both parties, Quinn and Bure could easily contend they were discussing the weather last week. It's happened before: After the 1994 playoffs, Salcer, Bure, Quinn and then-Canucks owner Arthur Griffiths got together and denied that Bure had threatened to withdraw his services if he wasn't rewarded with his present contract, when in fact the threatened holdout was well-known by Canucks players and generally accepted as fact around the NHL.

The Rangers no doubt will be interested in acquiring Bure, but the leading contender is said to be Washington. Desperately seeking another star to attract fans to its new building, the Capitals ownership is willing to buck up and add a big salary to the payroll. In addition, the Caps have the young players to allow the Canucks to remake their team with one good deal.

With Quinn and new Caps GM George McPhee having a solid relationship, the Canucks could ask for defenceman Sergei Gonchar, power forward Steve Konowalchuk and perhaps another young player. The one snag is Bure could refuse to report, as New York would be his first choice. He may have even given Quinn a wish list of destinations.

The Canucks had been trying to move Group 2 free agent Alexander Mogilny to a select few teams, but this has not brought any verwhelming offers. So if Bure does indeed wish to move on, it might well play into the hands of a team that probably wouldn't mind relieving itself of a $5.5 million US salary.

Bure has always claimed to be happy in Vancouver, but it's well known he is not a great fan of coach Tom Renney. And although he genuinely does feel it's a player's job to play and not worry about the head man, his relationship with Quinn when he coached and when they were haggling 17 months over his present deal was not always ideal. Hockey-wise, Bure may feel that he, Mogilny and Mark Messier will all want the puck, will all want to steam up that right side and that it simply might work out best for he and Vancouver if he were dealt.

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Toasting the Pride of Russia

SATURDAY the Stanley Cup arrived in Moscow. This prestigious trophy, for the first time in its history, left North America and crossed the ocean. Such an unusual journey was a sign of respect for the grand masters of world hockey: Vyacheslav Fetisov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Igor Larionov, Vyacheslav Kozlov, Sergei Fedorov - the famous Russian Five, the Detroit Red Wings' offense, winners of the 1997 Stanley Cup.

The winners returned to their capital to complete their small victory parade - and this victory was much more meaningful and multifaceted than the win in the Cup final over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Theirs is a victory over the Soviet sports functionaries who for decades denied our players access to the National Hockey League.

Generations of talent were first used up and then abandoned when no longer needed, without enough money to survive.

Theirs is a victory over the skepticism and not always benevolent attitude of the North American public and hockey experts who couldn't believe Russians could play a leading role in their national sport.

But their victory is first and foremost a victory of their human and professional dignity.

Without diminishing the merits of other Russian winners of the Cup, I'd like to say something particularly about Fetisov and Larionov. They were the first Russians to break a window through to the NHL. At the time, all the power, albeit weakened, of the Soviet machine came down on their heads.

Provocations, threats, disqualification - all were used to prevent their departure. But times have changed. Fetisov and Larionov managed to overcome all obstacles and leave Russia to play in the NHL absolutely legally. This was their guiding principle. Dozens of times they could have stayed in the West after one of their foreign tours. But it was important for them to create a precedent of legal departure and mark out a path for their younger, less famous colleagues.

The functionaries never forgave them. They still accuse Russian players of a lack of patriotism, of not wanting to defend their country's interests, of being interested only in money.

This is not true. First, the players represent Russia not only when they play on the Russian team, but also in each game they play in the NHL. When 15,000 people in Montreal or New York stand up and applaud Fedorov's dribbling or long shot, they are applauding a Russian man, who does, better than anyone else in the world, something they see as important and interesting.

For my generation, the triumph of the Detroit five goes far beyond the bounds of sports or professional hockey.

Hockey in Russia was always more than just hockey. The authorities tried to use this most popular sport for political ends. It's no accident hockey was managed by a unit of the ideological wing of the Communist Party's Central Committee. Victories in modest amateur championships were touted as yet another confirmation of the triumph of the socialist idea and the wisdom of Party policies. Successes in sports, space and ballet were used as a means for trying to legitimize the regime.

For the rebellious intelligentsia, the sport was similarly politicized and served to clarify its complicated relationship with the authorities and nation.

"I love the Fatherland, but with a strange love!" wrote the famous poet Mikhail Lermontov 150 years ago, before we had hockey or television. How many generations of Soviet intellectuals remembered those words when, gathering around their televisions in their kitchens, they rooted for Czechoslovakia's or Canada's team against the Soviet team?

In his recent best-seller, "Men," Viktor Yerofeyev remembers, "During the Soviet period, I couldn't root for the Russians. I always rooted against them, for anyone, so long as it was against them. But after 1991, it happened naturally: Suddenly I started rooting for our team."

Yerofeyev is surprisingly accurate from a psychological point of view in describing the mechanism of our nation's love for the Fatherland and its athletes. Love in sports is like love in life - it's elemental. You don't decide, "Today I'll root for those; tomorrow, for someone else." It comes naturally, suddenly. "Suddenly I started rooting for our team." It's an ingenious formula of the soul's release from an internal contradiction.

I finally felt this release when I caught myself wondering, during the last Stanley Cup, how our team was doing in Detroit.

Welcome to Moscow, Igor and the two Vyacheslavs. Get well soon, Vladimir. We, the Russians, love you. We're proud of you. You are the best in the world.

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Pavel begins training

It would appear that Pavel's pre-season on-ice training has begun in earnest. He can be seen skating at Burnaby's 8-Rinks ice-rink for about an hour every morning.

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By JIM TAYLOR -- Sun Media

CHRONIC INJURY POSSIBLE

Messier has Stanley Cup rings. The words "greatest leader in team sport" have long been carved into his ever-expanding forehead. Pavel Bure has back-to-back 60-goal seasons on his resume, but injuries have dogged him for the past two seasons. His 1995-96 season lasted 15 games.
Last year he was crunched on opening day, came back too soon, played in great pain despite repeated denials, and was basically ineffective despite 23 goals in 63 games.
Now, despite all the confidence shown in the off-season and repeated assurances that the Rocket is primed and ready for re-launch, the Canucks must consider the haunting possibility that the injury is chronic.
Which brings us back to Quinn and the many whispered suggestions that the Canucks are not through in the marketplace, that the package being put together will be much more of a blockbuster than the shipping out of goalie Corey Hirsch and a couple of found-ins, triggered by the signing of free-agent goalie Arturs Irbe.
He needs another centre and an experienced defenceman who can bring the puck out and put the long breakout pass on the stick instead of in someone's beer 15 rows up. They do not come in the arena just to buy popcorn. To get big, you have to give big, and Quinn is limited in the big cards he has to play.
Trevor Linden? Unlikely.
Mogilny? Maybe. Certainly there is some concern about the on-again, off-again motivation of the poker-faced Russian who spent much of last season demanding that the team find a centre who could get him the puck.
But there's also a sense that Messier would never have signed on without assurance that the operative word in the game plan was "now," and you don't begin a run for the Cup by ditching one of the game's finest snipers. Mogilny has a year left on his contract and you can bet that he and agent Michael Barnett will be pulling an Oliver Twist ("Please, sir, I want some more!") The likelihood is that he will get it, and an extension.

FANTASY MANAGEMENT

Bure? Who knows?
The joy of playing fantasy general manager is that you never have to live with the fruits of your mistakes. Quinn has to play for keeps, and the ghost of the Cam Neely trade - made two years before he got here and still rankling the customers 11 later - might be scary enough to turn that trigger finger to spaghetti.
But if there was someone out there who wanted to make a splash and was willing to gamble on Bure's annual $5-million salary, it might at least be worthy of consideration. Because if now IS the watchword, getting a couple of wills for a might could be tempting.
And if it happens, and the Rocket comes back and scores 60 for someone else? No problem. This is fantasy management, remember? For everybody but Pat Quinn.

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Bye, Bye Bure

It is very hard to be a Vancouver Canuck's fan these days. The team is a disaster. Fan favourites Trevor Linden and Martin Gelinas were sent packing. They have no goaltender. Mark Messier has been terrible as a player and captain. And now this. The greatest player in Vancouver history and one of the best players in the NHL wants out. We're going to miss him a lot.

Why does he want out? Because he does not think he can please anyone in Vancouver. "Not the fans," said agent Mike Gillis. "They have been great to Pavel." But as Bure pointed out, he can't please some people in Vancouver. When he scores 50 or 60 goals he is called selfish and a poor team player. When he does not play well because he is hurt he is a malingerer with a bad attitude.

It is hard to blame Pavel. When he escaped from the Soviet Union, he landed in Vancouver as a frightened 20 year old boy who spoke no English. He was realizing a dream. He was made rich beyond his dreams. The only problem was that the Vancouver media doubted him from the beginning blasted him with the white hot media klieg lights. Bure was caught, frozen like a defenseless frightened deer. It has been downhill ever since. He has done absolutely nothing wrong except have two consecutive seasons ruined by injury. He is tired of it and wants out.

I don't blame him, because most of the things you read about Bure are simply not true. He is a dazzling player. After 40 years of watching the game, I cannot name 20 better players. Never mind the talent. After 40 years of watching the game, I cannot name 20 hockey players with a better attitude. Nobody in the NHL comes to training camp in better condition or better prepared for the season. Nobody in the NHL works harder. He has grit and determination and he is a wonderful team player. He had two consecutive seasons ruined by injury, but he is surely one of the best five players in the NHL. He may even be the best player in the world.

(Note to hockey poolsters: if he goes East, watch his point total jump. He will be a much stronger and better player on a team that does not have the Vancouver travel problems.)

Pavel deserves a fresh start. We don't want to have to put a soft floater who never backchecks into the Hall of Fame, do we? If he stays in Vancouver, we will. Wouldn't that be amazing? Fans of his new team are going to be very surprised by this guy.

I wish him luck, and I will hope that he does well, but as a fan of the Canucks, my heart is broken.

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