Wednesday, 5 August, 1998
Time to say good-bye to Bure
By John Wawrow -- For On The Ball News Service
Maybe it's for the best. Pavel Bure has got to go. He's finally worn out
his welcome.
As much as Bure excited us with his brilliant on-ice displays of power,
fury and grace, he has frustrated us with his off-ice brooding and
petulance. It's got to the point where it wouldn't matter if he scored
100 goals in a season or a month for that matter. There's something with
Pavel and Vancouver that never did really fit.
Maybe he does have stars in his eyes. Maybe this Moscow-born grandson of
a watchmaker to the Czars is too small for this pretty and provincial
northwest setting. Maybe it's about the salary disputes from the old Pat
Quinn days. Maybe it's about all the attention he gets.
Or maybe it's a simple case of him having ants in his pants.
There are some of us who choose to stay rooted. And then there are those
who get an itch to seek out change. Whatever the case may be, it's time
to part ways. Let bygones be bygones. Thanks for the memories. We'll try
to forget the rest.
Pavel Bure always had a curious knack for making one moment special and
then spoiling the next one. It was like that from the start.
Remember that first end-to-end rush he made at the Pacific Coliseum?
Everyone was breath taken by the flash of speed that put him into the
clear. And then there was a slight gasp of disappointment when he failed
to complete the moment and score.
We all shrugged it off, awe struck by the potential this young Russian
possessed. And yet how many times have we lived through a similar Bure
display of brilliance and frustration, whether inspired by accident,
fate or lack of tact?
One minute Bure's leading the Canucks to the finals, the next there are
reports he's threatening to hold out. One minute Bure's reunited with
fellow Russian Alexander Mogilny, the next he's being carted off the ice
with a season-ending knee injury.
One minute he's being voted the Canucks most exciting player of the year
for scoring 51 goals, the next minute he's saying he's never going to
play for Vancouver again.
Here's someone that for some reason couldn't get his rhythm to adjust to
Vancouver. It was like that even in the locker room.
One day he would go on and on, answering dozens of tough questions about
his alleged ties with the Russian mafia. The next day he would give
one-word answers about what the 1994 playoffs meant to him.
Call him moody. Call him a whiner. Call him a tough nut to crack. As
much as we got to witness his great performances, I don't think we ever
really got to know what made him tick over these last seven years.
We watched him grow as a player, but not really so much as a person. No
one, I don't think, ever asked Bure what he stood for. What he believed
in. Where his responsibilities and priorities lay.And maybe we shouldn't
have to ask these questions of someone who plays hockey for a living.
But now that he's on the verge of leaving, these are things I would like
to know. Suddenly, it's not so important to ask him how he scored his
goals as to ask him what his goals are. Not that Bure would share them,
really.
He's still a naive kid in some ways, surprised, proud and perhaps
diminished by his achievements and the attention he's attracted -- and
yet very protective of them. And he's always been left demanding more
and more from others and from himself.
Who is to say what's going on in his head, whether his trade demands are
sincere. The fact is Pavel Bure's going, sooner or possibly a little
later. The fact is it's time for Bure to go. And it's time for Vancouver
to let him pursue what he feels he needs.
Nothing lasts forever. We all have to grow up sometime.
With Pavel, we're left to wonder if he ever will.
----Back to Headline List----
Wednesday, 5 August, 1998
Bure didn't specify trade destination
BY JIM MORRIS -- Canadian Press
VANCOUVER (CP) -- Disgruntled winger Pavel Bure has made no demands to Vancouver Canuck management about which NHL city he wants to be traded, his agent Mike Gillis said Wednesday.
But Gillis refused to elaborate on why the Russian Rocket wants to be launched out of Vancouver and wouldn't comment on caustic remarks Philadelphia Flyers general manager Bob Clarke directed at Bure.
Bure, a 50-goal scorer three times during his seven years in Vancouver and arguably the most talented Canuck last season, has publicly demanded a trade.
He has said Vancouver is too small and doesn't offer the privacy he craves. There is speculation Bure wants to play for a Stanley Cup contender in a large, U.S. city where he can become lost in the crowd when away from the arena.
Gillis said Bure has not told Canuck general manager Brian Burke where he wants to be traded.
"We haven't done that," Gillis said.
Bure has told his agent where he wants to play but Gillis refused to name the city.
Clarke quickly torpedoed suggestions the Flyers might deal Eric Lindros for Bure.
"If he wants to get lost, tell him to go back to Moscow," Clarke told a Philadelphia newspaper.
"I don't want his problems. If he's got a problem playing in Vancouver, he'll have a problem playing in Philadelphia."
Gillis was curt when told of Clarke's comments.
"That's Clarke's opinion," he said.
Asked if this ruled out any chance of Bure going to the Flyers, Gillis said: "Who knows."
Bure earned $5.5 million US last season. He would receive between $7.4 and $8.5 million this year under a contract demanding he be paid the average of the top three salaries in the league.
Gillis said the Canucks have not balked at the money and salary isn't an issue in Bure wanting out of Vancouver.
"There isn't one particular reason Pavel points to for being the defining reason," said Gillis, a former NHL player and one of the candidates for the Canucks job which went to Burke.
"There's a long history of events. For us to begin going through it would be completely counterproductive. Some events involved people that are no longer with the organization, different situations, different people, different ownership."
Bure decided to seek a trade even before Burke was named GM, Gillis said.
On the day of his hiring, Burke took a hardline on Bure, saying "inmates don't run the asylum" and "players aren't going to demand who gets traded."
Gillis shrugged off Burke's rhetoric.
"Those sort of gratutitous comments, I don't pay a whole lot of attention to and I don't think Pavel did either," he said.
Burke says he will wait until the right package before trading Bure and hinted it could take into the new season before a deal is reached.
"I hope that wouldn't be the case," said Gillis. "That would be detrimental to everybody."
Bure won't attend the Canucks training camp and is prepared to sit out the season until a trade is made, Gillis said.
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Wednesday, 5 August, 1998
John McKeachie:
Pavel was a goner before Burke even arrived
John McKeachie -- The Province
Brian Burke never had a chance.
In recent conversations with, he asked Pavel Bure: "Is there anything I could say or do to change your mind about leaving?"
The answer: No.
In fact, the answer has been no for over a year.
It was in August of 1997 Bure, at the suggestion of Geoff Courtnall, hired Mike Gillis as his agent.
Yesterday I asked Gillis if, since he's been acting for the Canucks' star, if there was anything which could have been done to change Bure's mind about leaving.
The answer was an equally explicit "No!"
So whatever damage had been done was beyond repair before a puck was even dropped this past season. Gillis reiterated what, in retrospect, is an obvious truth. "Pavel did everything I asked of him this past season."
However, what is not forthcoming is a public statement other than what you read Sunday in Tony Gallagher's Province article.
Gillis: "A press conference is not in the mix. We are not prepared to do that. He's earned enough respect to keep his matters private and there doesn't have to be a public justification of his reasons. It would lead to mudslinging and name-calling and we don't want to go there."
"We've spoken with John McCaw, Stan McAmmond, Brian Burke and Mike Keenan. We're respecting each others stance in this matter and a further report isn't necessary."
That's it, ticket-buyers and fans. You've heard all you're going to hear about Bure's reasons for leaving. Yesterday he opted not to call yours truly, even to shoot down the allegation he held the club for ransom in the spring of '94.
Mind you, Arthur Griffiths did advise Bure's name on a contract was not necessary as part of the chattel mortgage on GM Place. "I considered it important to have him signed, but it had nothing to do with the bank deal. The rink and the franchises were suffice to ensure the mortgage."
And Griffiths reaction to Bure's request "I'm not surprised."
I'd interrupted a conference-call on his cell phone while he was outside Vancouver. Continuing the questioning was not an option.
Meanwhile, Gillis said "This is not a calculated withholding of services. I think we've been quite patient given the circumstances."
As for what might be a possible destination Gillis says: "We have not suggested any teams, nor preferred teams, contenders or otherwise. An opinion as to where might be a good fit? I have none, but there will be lots of teams interested."
Finally, the financial ramifications. We've all been a year out of sync. Having reached the 50 goal plateau, it's his contract for last year which became the average of the top three salaries in the league.
October 15 is when the salaries of the top seven, five and three players will be a factor for his salary in this, the last year of his current contract.
In other words, only then will his next employer know how much Russian Rockets cost to get. To keep? That's obviously another matter.
Or more.
----Back to Headline List----
Wednesday, 5 August, 1998
If Bure wants to get lost, tell him to go back to Moscow' - Flyers GM Bob Clarke
The Province
Here's a shocker ... after Day 1 of the NHL GM meetings in Nashville, Pavel Bure is still a Vancouver Canuck.
And don't expect Eric Lindros to be trading in his Philadelphia Flyers sweater for a Canucks suit anytime soon either.
Flyers GM Bob Clarke, who fuelled trade speculation last week with tough words about his captain, was less than complimentary about Bure Tuesday.
"He (Canucks GM Brian Burke) can rule it out. It won't happen," Clarke told the Philadelphia Inquirer when asked if a Bure-Lindros deal might be in the works.
When it was suggested Philly might be a good fit because Bure could possibly enjoy more anonymity in that market, Clarke said: "If he wants to get lost, tell him to go back to Moscow."
Bure has said he wants to play in a city where he can just get lost and not be under constant scrutiny.
"Why doesn't he (Bure) just stay in Vancouver?" Clarke asked. "He's making $8 million (US). What more does he want? I don't want his problems. If he has a problem playing in Vancouver, he'd have a problem in Philadelphia."
Burke said several NHL GMs made casual inquiries Tuesday, but nothing is even close to being imminent.
"They were just asking where I could be reached and what we'd be looking for in return," said Burke. "I really hope I'm not going to have people asking me about this every day.
"These trades take time. I'd be surprised if there even was an offer before Thursday (when meetings end). I can see this thing going well into the regular season."
Burke may have his hands full trying to get equal value.
Toronto management is said to be backing off because of Bure's salary.
The New York Rangers, another potential suitor, are apparently trying to reduce their payroll from $44 to $37 million US though it's difficult to believe that money could be a crucial factor there.
Despite all of the above the rumor mill kept on churning. A new one Tuesday had Bure going to the Los Angeles Kings for defenceman Aki Berg and goalie Stephane Fiset.
Sure.
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Wednesday, 5 August, 1998
A trade for Canucks' Bure? Clarke says there's no way
By Tim Panaccio, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Canucks general manager Brian Burke said Monday a blockbuster trade that would send Flyers captain Eric Lindros to Vancouver for superstar Pavel Bure was not out of the question now that Bure has said he will never again play for the Canucks.
"I wouldn't rule something like that out," Burke replied when asked about such a deal at the NHL general managers' meeting in Nashville.
Yesterday Bob Clarke did rule it out when Burke's statement caught up to the Flyers general manager. Clarke decided to remain in Voorhees this week and skip the general managers' meetings.
" [ Burke ] can rule it out. It won't happen," Clarke said of having the Russian Rocket wear a Flyers sweater. One of the reasons that Bure wants to be traded is that he can't find peace and quiet in Vancouver, he said last weekend. He said the
market is too small and he is bothered wherever he goes. He wants to be dealt to a larger market where he can blend in and not be recognized.
Clarke laughed at that idea.
"If he wants to get lost, tell him to go back to Moscow," Clarke said.
Clarke has long been on the record about his disdain for Russian players. He views Bure, the multitalented right winger, much the same as he does Bure's teammate, Alexander Mogilny -- as a whiner.
"Why doesn't [ Bure ] stay in Vancouver?" Clarke asked. "He's making $8 million. What more does he want? I don't want his problems. If he's got a problem playing in Vancouver, he'll have a problem playing in Philadelphia."
Given that the Flyers need a right winger and that Bure is a legitimate superstar with two 60-goal seasons and 51 last year on a horrid Canucks club, this is a potential deal that might interest the Flyers in terms of getting substantial value for Lindros.
----Back to Headline List----
Wednesday, 5 August, 1998
Leafs cool on dealing for Bure
By TIM WHARNSBY -- Toronto Sun
Any rumors regarding disgruntled Pavel Bure's arrival on the Maple Leafs' doorstep are pure speculation at this point.
"We haven't talked to any teams about trades yet," associate GM Mike Smith said yesterday.
Last weekend, Bure's agent Michael Gillis said his client has demanded to be traded by the Vancouver Canucks.
While Smith wouldn't comment specifically on the Leafs' interest in Bure, one Leaf insider said Bure's salary, in excess of $8 million US, would be too expensive.
But, obviously, the Leafs would listen if Canucks GM Brian Burke rings.
Although Bure doesn't control his destination, he prefers to go to a big-city team in which hockey is not the No. 1 hot ticket, a profile Toronto doesn't fit.
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Tuesday, August 4th, 1998.
Bye, Bye Bure
Thomas Benjamin
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.
----Back to Headline List----
Tuesday, August 4th, 1998.
Bure's request for privacy confusing
Don Taylor, The Province
I'm confused. On one hand, Pavel Bure claims one of the reasons he wants to leave Vancouver is because of the hundreds of thousands of hockey-crazed people in this city won't leave him alone. They hound him for autographs at GM Place. They want to take pictures of him at restaurants. They show up uninvited at his home. It's not a comfortable situation.
And yet, on the other hand, I hear that Bure wants to be traded to a contender. He wants no part of the Canucks' rebuilding program. He's 27 years old and would like another shot at the Stanley Cup while he's still in the prime of his career.
That's what confuses me. If Bure doesn't like dealing with fans, why would he want to play for a contender?
Let's say the Canucks trade Bure to the Philadelphia Flyers. If he dazzles the fans in Philly the way he dazzled the fans in Vancouver, Bure won't be able to go out for a loaf of bread without getting mobbed. And if he goes on to lead the Flyers to the Cup he'll be mounted on a wooden cross and placed on display next to the Liberty Bell. Bure would be more popular than ever. His privacy would take a bigger beating than it did in Vancouver.
That's the price a person pays for achieving success in the public eye. And it doesn't' matter where that success takes place, Vancouver, Philadelphia or Chilliwack, people are going to want a piece of you.
I can't believe Bure hasn't figured that out yet. Why hasn't Bure's agent, or someone in his circle of family and friends, sat him down and explained that as long as he's an NHL superstar, he's not going to escape the adoring masses? Sure some people are rude and obnoxious. But the majority of fans who approach Bure, or any other big-time athlete, just want a brief moment with someone who has touched their lives in a special way. In return, those fans buy tickets that help put millions of dollars in Bure's pockets. It's a pretty good trade-off.
I understand Bure's frustration. I know what it's like to get recognized in public. For 15 years, I've been a host of Vancouver's most popular local sports television show. Every once in a while, a stranger will approach me and start asking questions about the Canucks, Grizzlies or Lions. At first, I hated the intrusion. But after a year or two, I realized that dealing with inquisitive viewers was an inescapable part of what I think is the best job in the world. I learned to smile and enjoy the unexpected company.
Now, I know my miniscule crumb of fame can't compare with the onslaught of humanity Bure has to put up with. But fact is that as long as Bure is coming up with breathtaking end-to-end rushes and 50-goal seasons, fans are going to flock to him. He should either accept that or use some of his money to hire bodyguards. If Bure thinks a move to another NHL city is the solution to his people problems he's dead wrong.
----Back to Headline List----
Tuesday, August 4th, 1998.
No rushin' Rocket
Canucks boss Brian Burke isn't in a hurry to trade Pavel Bure.
Wayne Leidenfrost, The Province
No, Brian Burke and Pavel Bure won't be duking it out on the Jerry Springer Show anytime soon.
Speaking to the media for the first time since Bure told Vancouver Province columnist Tony Gallagher about his trade demands on Saturday, Burke made his position clear on Monday.
The newly hired president and general manager says he's not angry with Bure or his agent Mike Gillis, but he insisted that he'll trade Bure only if the deal benefits the Canucks. There is no deadline. Burke says he'd even let the Russian Rocket sit out part of the regular season rather than make a bad deal.
"There'll be no fire sale, no deadline," said Burke, who was speaking via conference call from Nashville where the NHL general managers meetings take place today.
"If the deal's not there, we'll wait. If he misses a month (of the season) we save $1.2 million (US). I'm not promising to trade Pavel Bure. In fact, it's the exact opposite. I'm promising not to trade Pavel unless it's the right deal."
Bure has a year left on his five-year contract and Burke said fines for not playing are an option, and that Gillis and Bure have been made aware of that.
This may all sound like tough talk.
But it's really all Burke can say at this point. Would any Canucks fan be happier if a panicked Burke said his hands were tied and that he'll dump Bure to the first bidder?
Burke said the Bure camp "would not dictate the trade." Asked if he'd been given a list of teams that Bure would or would not report to, Burke said: "No, and I would not even entertain that. If they started saying (it has to be) a big market or a contender, I'd hang up the phone."
Burke, who continues to say the team's biggest need is goaltending, said he has had no offers for Bure.
"There are no offers on the table," Burke said. "Up to this weekend when teams have called about Pavel Bure I've said I'm not sure if I'm going to trade him."
So what kind of a deal will it be? Burke refused to be pinned down on whether he'll go for a one-for-one and acquire an impact player like Eric Lindros -- he said that's not out of the question -- or accept a package involving veterans, draft picks or picks and cash.
"You're all asking if I'm going to dance with the blond or the brunette and I haven't seen either one of them yet," he said.
"My philosophy on trading is that you have to take the best package even if it leads to a second deal."
Burke insists he's not angry about the situation. Though he doesn't agree with or understand Bure's feelings, he does feel Bure is sincere.
"I'm not angry about his demands," Burke said. "We haven't been blind-sided or surprised by this and it (making it public) doesn't reduce his trade value.
"I would categorize Pavel's feelings as sincere," Burke said. "He feels his reasons are legitimate. I don't understand or agree with it but it's sincere.
"Pavel played hard here. He's a great player and a great kid. He filled seats. Anyone who is angered by his decision should keep that in mind."
WHAT PAVEL SAID
In a revealing interview with Province sports columnist Tony Gallagher, Canucks sniper Pavel Bure made it clear he no longer wants to play here:
- "I'm not going to play for the Canucks for personal reasons. The reasons are my own and everyone has personal reasons for doing things and I don't really want to discuss them."
- "I love the fans here and I love the city. I'm going to keep my house here for a few years because I want to spend some time here in the summer. It's a beautiful place and the fans have treated me really well. I really want to thank them for the seven years they supported me. But I really feel it's time to move."
- "I have no problems with (head coach) Mike Keenan. He's not the reason I'm leaving."
----Back to Headline List----
Tuesday, August 4th, 1998.
Bure is gone - sooner or later
Vancouver Sun Files / PAVEL BURE: reasons still unknown.
After a month of trying to appease malcontent Pavel Bure, Vancouver Canuck general manager Brian Burke has agreed to trade the mysterious Russian superstar and will open bidding today at NHL meetings in Nashville.
Burke made it clear, however, that if he does not receive a satisfactory offer by the start of the regular season Oct. 12, he will suspend Bure without pay .
"Every fibre in me says this is a player we should not trade - and I'm not going to trade him unless there is a deal on the table that makes sense for our hockey club," Burke said Monday from Nashville.
"I've made it very clear to Pavel and his agent that he will be suspended if there is no deal in place before the regular season begins. There is no firesale here, there are no deadlines. Before the regular season begins, in my mind, is an optimal time because it avoids distractions that this type of situation brings to a hockey club.
"But if a deal is not there, guess what? We're going to wait. And if he misses a month of the season, it's going to save us over $1 million US. I've made it abundantly clear what the consequences are."
Bure, 27, joined the Canucks in 1991 and is undoubtedly the greatest and most exciting player in franchise history. He twice scored 60 goals and last season netted 51. He was NHL rookie of the year in 1992 and a first-team all-star in 1994, the only Canuck ever to accomplish that feat.
He helped fill both the Pacific Coliseum and GM Place and was adored by Vancouver hockey fans. He was well paid - he signed a five-year, $24.5 million US deal in '94 - but began battling the club during those contract negotiations and again following the lockout of 1994-95. He eventually soured on the organization and began to resent his lack of privacy in a Canadian city where hockey is king.
He has privately told reporters of his desire to get out and finally went public on the weekend, after breaking a promise to do so following the conclusion of the regular season.
Bure, who did not return calls Monday, has never fully explained his unhappiness in Vancouver and even Burke admitted he doesn't comprehend the moody Russian's reasons for wanting out.
"I would categorize his feelings as sincere but I also want to state clearly that I do not understand fully, nor do I agree with his reasons," Burke said. "He offered a number of factors but I don't fully understand how those factors add up to this request. I had offered to help try and cure some of the problems he cited and he reiterated he would like to be traded. I said: 'Is there anything at all I can do or say that would want to make you stay in Vancouver?' and he said 'no.'
"Our reluctance to trade this player should be obvious to everybody. We go to sleep at night dreaming of getting players like Pavel Bure."
Bure has indicated strongly he would prefer to be moved to a large American city, specifically in the east, and to a team that is a contender. Burke said he will trade Bure to the team offering the best package regardless of Bure's desire. If Bure doesn't like the destination, that will be his problem, and that of his new team.
"He will not have any input into the trade at all," Burke declared. "I would not entertain a request from a player to be traded to a contender only, or to a U.S. team only, or to a big market. It's one thing for a player to make a trade request but had the agent put any strings on this at all, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
"I think we'll get a spectrum of offers on him," Burke continued. "I think you're talking about a very special player. I expect teams to line up but I'm perfectly willing to start the season without him if the right deal doesn't show up."
With Bure's salary expected to be between $8-10 million US depending on the interpretation of the escalator clause in his contract, not every team in the league can afford him. Others won't have the package, which surely must include either a front-line goalie, a No. 1 defenceman, or a marquee forward (Eric Lindros?) in return.
"Nothing is out of the realm," Burke replied when asked about Lindros, the Philadelphia captain recently chewed out by Flyer GM Bob Clarke. "It's a blank canvas. Our best offer may be a one-for-one with a marquee player. Our best offer may be a package of veterans and kids, or maybe a package of veterans and high draft picks.
"I wouldn't rule out picking up part of his salary but I would describe that as very unlikely. I have opposed that very vigourously in my past tours of duty and it would take a really exceptional deal for us to even talk about that."
The Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers are the obvious destinations for Bure, the Kings needing a scorer and a gate attraction for their new arena that opens in 1999, and the Rangers needing a crowd-dazzler to restore their shattered credibility on Broadway.
----Back to Headline List----
Tuesday, August 4th, 1998.
It's all up to Burke
My first rule at press conferences is never to ask a question I want
answered.
Often times, this has caused fellow journalists to check my pulse or
place a mirror in front of my nostrils while trying to recall how to spell
911. But there is madness in my method.
Ask something pertinent, and a dozen radio/tv types with live
microphones and tape recorders beat you to your own story by 16 hours.
Ask something dumb, and they laugh as soon as they hear another print
guy laugh so they know it was funny.
Same thing applies in a post-game dressing room. Why ask the coach
anything that matters? You'll hear the answer on the radio before the
sports page hits the press.
There are ways around it. Once I warned a football coach in advance
so he wouldn't punch my lights out, then sprinkled every question with
profanity that took the paper off the walls.
Anchorpersons blanched. Fingers stabbed at off switches. Gee, that
was fun.
Point being, for a print wretch there is no upside to pack journalism.
Which is why I spent 45 minutes yesterday afternoon glued to the phone
like a heavy breather, listening to Brian Burke explain from Nashville the
Vancouver Canucks' reaction to Pavel Bure's trade demand.
Once we got past interruptions caused by various electronic whizbangs'
inability to turn off news feeds from Quebec (last winter's ice storm has
really played hell with the grape crops) or unhook speaker phones, the
short version goes like this:
He didn't promise Bure he'd trade him. He promised he WOULDN'T
trade him unless the deal made sense for the hockey club. There is no
time frame. Getting a deal done before the season would be nice, but "if
he sits out a month we save $1.2 million US."
If no deal is made by training camp and Bure doesn't report, as his
agent says he won't, then he will be suspended without pay.
There was no suggestion by Bure's camp of teams to whom he would
or wouldn't report or a stipulation that he go to a contender. If that
happened, Burke said, he'd have hung up the phone.
The dealing starts at the GM's conference today and Burke expects
teams to be lining up. If he doesn't get what he wants, there will be no
deal until he does, no matter how strong Bure’s wishes. "I do not
answer to Pavel Bure," he said.
And that, after the same questions had been asked a half-dozen times
and Burke had repeated his answers for assorted electronic media who
hadn't gotten them the first time round due to the speaker phone, the
Quebec grape crisis and the clearing of broadcast throats so the
question would sound professional, was that.
For now.
Burke made it clear that he hated the idea of trading Bure, that GMs
dream of signing a player of such skill, that while he doesn't understand
some of Bure's problems and doesn't buy his contention that getting to a
bigger city will get him the privacy he craves, he believes Bure to be
sincere.
Burke genuinely likes and respects Bure, on and off the ice.
In his previous tour with the Canucks he was instrumental in getting the
Russian Rocket signed.
But this is business, and in business only the club's wishes count. "My
boss's name is (team owner John) McCaw," he said, "not Bure."
From now on, it's Burke across the bargaining table from anyone who
wants to deal, whether it be contender, rebuilder or expansion team, big
city or small. Bure wants out, but it's Burke who'll pick the door.
----Back to Headline List----
Tuesday, August 4th, 1998.
Canucks not giving in easily to Bure
CBS SportsLine wire reports
The Canucks won't let Bure skate away without something very good in return. ©(Allsport)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Pavel Bure, who has said he'll never again play for the Vancouver Canucks,
isn't going anywhere and might have to sit and stew until the right deal comes up, general manager said Brian Burke
Monday.
While acknowledging that he believes the reasons behind his star player's
trade demands to be "sincere," Burke said he's not going to be pressured into
a corner.
"I do not answer to Pavel Bure. ... My boss' name is not Bure, it's (owner
John) McCaw," the Canucks president and GM said during a telephone press
conference from Nashville, where the NHL general managers are meeting.
"He's an employee of the Vancouver Canucks and therefore to me at this
point he is no more than an asset. And I today will not promise to move him. In
fact, I'm going to make the opposite promise, that I will not move him unless
I'm offered a deal which makes sense to our hockey club and improves our hockey
club."
BURKE SAID BURE WILL FACE fines and a suspension without pay if he refused
to play for the team or fails to show for training camp.
"If we start the regular season and we haven't made a deal, then a
suspension is not an option, it's going to happen."
Burke said that Bure has already informed him that he will not be at camp.
Bure, who broke into the NHL with the Canucks in 1991, is a two-time 60-goal
scorer and last season had 51, one of only four players to break the 50-goal
plateau. The Russian right winger has one year left on a five-year contract
which, through contract incentives which he has met, will reportedly pay him
over $8 million.
Burke's comments came in response to an article in Sunday's Vancouver
Province newspaper which quoted Bure's agent Mike Gillis as saying, "Pavel has
told Brian Burke he will never play for the team again."
BURKE, WHO TOOK OVER HIS POST in late June, said he has known of Bure's
intentions since meeting with him on July 5.
"I'm not operating with any artificial timeline and I'm not making any
promises. ... If (a trade is not made) he better have a good TV set," Burke
said
Since his conversation with Bure, Burke said he has tried to appease his
star player in an effort to change his mind. Bure, however, has not budged.
"I said, `Is there anything, anything at all that I could do or say that
would make you want to stay in Vancouver?' And he said, `No,"' Burke said.
Burke said he has yet to receive any trade offers since the story came out,
and will "jump into it tomorrow."
Bure was not available for comment.
THE NEWSPAPER QUOTED BURE AS citing "personal reasons" for no longer
wanting to play for the Canucks.
"The reasons are my own and everyone has personal reasons for doing things,
and I don't really want to discuss them," said Bure, who said he will keep his
Vancouver home to spend parts of his summers in town. "I love the fans here
and I love the city. ... I really want to thank them (fans) for the seven years
they supported me. But I really feel it's time to move."
Among the reasons that he would discuss included not wanting to stick around
during the Canucks' rebuilding phase. The club has missed the playoffs for two
straight seasons and underwent a wholesale shakeup of its roster and
front-office staff since last November, including the arrival of Burke and
coach Mike Keenan.
BURE SAID KEENAN'S PRESENCE is in no way connected to his intentions to
leave.
His dealings with the previous management group, headed by then GM Pat
Quinn, might be closer to why he wants out.
Bure's contract battles began from almost the minute he first signed his
current five-year deal in the summer of 1994. Despite guarantees in his
contract, Bure was forced to battle the Canucks for the money they failed to
pay him during the NHL lockout that gutted half of the 1994-95 season.
He has also been unhappy with the Canucks' travel schedule, and is also
frustrated by the amount of attention he attracts in the city from fans, some
of whom hang out in front of his posh home.
BURE RAN INTO INJURY PROBLEMS, missing most of the 1995-96 season with a
knee injury. He then played most of the 1996-97 campaign despite headaches and
dizzy spells resulting from a concussion before the season.
Gillis, who Bure hired as his agent at the start of last season, said he and
his client wanted to meet with Burke before announcing their intentions to give
Burke time to consider his options.
"We've had discussions about this for about a year now since I've come on
board and we haven't made a statement publicly out of courtesy to the team,"
Gillis said.
----Back to Headline List----
Monday, August 3rd, 1998.
Canucks GM Burke to grudgingly entertain Bure trade offers
Vancouver Canucks general manager Brian Burke tonight said he expects teams to "line up" with offers for All-Star winger Pavel Bure, who told a newspaper Sunday he will never again play for the Canucks.
But Burke, who has been on the job just over a month, said he will entertain those offers reluctantly and will trade Bure only if the deal "makes sense" for the Canucks.
"We all go to sleep and dream of finding players like Pasha," Burke said from Nashville, where NHL general managers will meet tomorrow. "Every fiber in me says this is a player we should not trade. ... This is a player who did great things in a Canucks' sweater."
Bure, in a story in Sunday's Vancouver Province, cited personal reasons for demanding a trade.
"The reasons are my own and everyone has personal reasons for doing things and I don't really want to discuss them," he said. "I love the fans here and I love the city. ... It's a beautiful place and the fans have treated me really well. I really want to thank them for the seven years they supported me. But I really feel it's time to move."
Burke said he spoke recently with Bure but does not fully understand the factors behind his request. While he would not elaborate, Burke said one of the reasons was the "fishbowl effect," confirming speculation that Bure believes he has become a victim of his own celebrity.
"I think he's going to have this problem wherever he goes," Burke explained. "He thinks he can go to another city and be anonymous. I told him, `I don't believe that, I don't believe a player of your caliber is ever going to be anonymous.'
"I think he's a good kid and I think his request is sincere," he said. "I do not understand fully nor agree with his reasons. But he's not one that's motivated by the wrong reasons."
Burke has known of Bure's desire to be traded for almost a month, noting the situation has nothing to do with money. Bure made $5.5 million last season and has one year remaining on a contract that contains an escalator clause ensuring he will be among the three highest-paid forwards in the NHL.
"I've been racking my brain for a way to solve the problem. I tried to buy time, to solve (our) goaltending problem. If the team was more competitive, perhaps Pavel would want to stay. I want to make clear our reluctance to trade this player," Burke said.
"I will not move him unless I'm offered a deal that makes sense to our hockey club and improves our hockey club. I'm not going to beg anyone to play for our hockey club, not even a player of this caliber. I think this city has a lot to offer, I think this team and this ownership have a lot to offer. If a guy wants out, I'll try to get him out. But my boss' name is not Bure, it's (owner John) McCaw."
The trade offers should begin at Tuesday's general managers' meeting. Possible destinations, according to Sunday's report in the Province, include the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Also expected to make bids for the flashy, two-time 60-goal scorer are the Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders.
Burke said he expected any package to include players who can step right into the Canucks' lineup, although he will entertain "a whole spectrum" of offers.
"If the package you get is the right package, even if it doesn't address your positional needs, you've got to take that package, even if it leads to a second move," he explained.
Coming off back-to-back injury-plagued seasons, Bure was one of only four Canucks to play all 82 games in 1997-98. He was third in the NHL in scoring with 90 points and tied for third with 51 goals. Bure shared the league lead with six shorthanded tallies and topped the NHL with 329 shots.
One of hockey's fastest skaters, the 27-year-old Bure has scored a host of highlight-film goals. He broke into the NHL with Vancouver in 1991 and won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year after collecting 34 goals and 26 assists in 65 games.
In 1992-93, he became the first 50-goal and 100-point scorer in club history, finishing with 60 goals and 50 assists. Bure also scored 60 goals the following season, helping Vancouver reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time. He led all scorers with 16 playoff goals, including the double-overtime tally that won Game Seven of the Western Conference quarterfinals against Calgary.
----Back to Headline List----
Monday, August 3rd, 1998.
Reality check for poor Pavel
He still looks like Ron Howard playing Opie.
He is 27, handsome, single and rich beyond the wildest dreams of the kid who made 120 rubles ($20 US) in Russia only a decade ago and now gets by on $8 million per year.
He is arguably the most-talented and beyond argument the most exciting man in his profession. He has the big house in one of the posh districts of Vancouver, an apartment downtown, a luxury sports car. He is living and playing in a city he claims to love, a city that unequivocally has loved him back.
But Pavel Bure says he never again will play for the Vancouver Canucks. He is unhappy, he says. He no longer lives in the posh house because he'd been harassed there too often. He's too recognizable when he goes out, so he stays in so much the apartment feels like a prison. He longs to play in a bigger city, where he can get lost.
Here's a thought, Pavel: Try another line of work.
Let's see: You're 27 with no college degree and no training at anything but skating and hitting a piece of rubber with a stick. With that on your resume, how can you miss? And what an adventure it will be.
Feel the thrill of having no one know or care who you are.
Experience the peace of mind that comes with knowing when someone thrusts a piece of paper at you to sign, it's the breakfast cheque at I-HOP.
Run a jackhammer and feel your kidneys being vibrated to jelly. Drive an 18-wheeler through the mountains when one skid puts a container car up your butt.
Balance a budget when the take-home barely covers the outgo. Learn the difference between riding the LRT and walking into a Mercedes showroom and saying "I'll take that one."
Live a life where trading cards means swapping driver's licences with some clown who's just blind-sided you coming out of a parking lot and you can't just send a flunky to buy another one.
Try a year of not being Pavel Bure.
Phone the promoters to say you want six in front of the stage for the Eric Clapton concert. See how many secretaries you get past.
You want to get lost in a bigger city? No problem. There are thousands of lost souls in any city you'd care to name. Walk the streets with them. Listen to them discuss the new star on the hockey team they see only on television through the department store window.
Mind you, you'd have to take a pay cut. Something along the lines of, oh, $7.95 million per year.
But that's OK, right?
Money clearly hasn't bought the happiness you seek, so what good is it?
If this is a hockey thing, Pavel, that's fine.
You want out because you've done seven years as a Canuck and can't see them getting anywhere near the Stanley Cup without visiting the Hall of Fame, fair enough. You want to go to a team where you've got a legitimate shot at a ring, good on ya.
But that seven years cuts two ways.
The customers did their time, too, and nobody paid them squat.
They're the reason you're a millionaire instead of Pavel Citizen getting by in post-collapse Russia. You owe them more than a kiss-off, "I'm not going to play for the Canucks for personal reasons. The reasons are my own and everyone has personal reasons for doing things, and I really don't want to discuss them."
The Pavel Bure they want to remember is the electrifying kid they loved from the start, the one who could put their hearts in their throats. The one I want is the kid from two years ago, the one who described coming here, 20 years old and scared stiff.
"English?" you said. "When I got here, none. If I don't know the word I would ask. Like 'What is that? Fork? What is fork?' And they show me, and I say `Fine, that is fork.' Sometimes I would write them down to remember. I learn sometimes three words a day, sometimes five."
Learn another word, Pavel.
Learn the right way to say 'Goodbye.'
----Back to Headline List----
Sunday, August 2nd, 1998.
PAVEL: I'LL NEVER PLAY FOR THE CANUCKS AGAIN
Bure and agent confirm Vancouver's franchise player won't be there when the puck is dropped
Tony Gallagher, Vancouver Province
The Russian Rocket is blasting off - permanently.
Pavel Bure has played his last game for the Vancouver Canucks, and the bidding war for his services gas begun.
Pavel has told (Canucks general manager) Brian Burke he will never play for the team again," said Bure's Kingston, Ont., agent Mike Gillis.
"We've had discussions about this for about a year now since I've come on board and we haven't made a statement publicly out of courtesy to the team.
We felt in fairness we needed to wait for the new general manager to be appointed, and then we sat down face-to-face with Brian and told him our plans
in order to give him some time to consider his options and be in a position to react. That's exactly what we've done."
"I'm not going to play for the Canucks for personal reasons," said Bure. "The reasons are my own and everyone has personal reasons
for doing things and I don't really want to discuss them."
"I love the fans here and I love the city. I'm going to keep my house here for a few years because I want to spend some time here in the summer."
"It's a beautiful place and the fans have treated me really well."
"I really want to thank them for the seven years they supported me. But I really feel it's time to move."
Bure has wanted out of Vancouver for at least two full seasons, as first reported in the Province. Now for the first time Gillis has chosen to hint at
some of the reasons why the most exciting player in the game wants out. And even Burke has said many of his reasons are legitimate.
"We'd like to make it clear to the fans," said Gillis. "For the most part they have treated him with respect and have been very gracious."
"It's like a marriage gone bad, really, that's the best way to describe it. A number of things have built up over the years."
"Right from the start of his present contract four years ago some of the provisions which made him an asset of (then) Northwest sports impacted on the relationship and have bought him to this position."
In reality, right near the top of the list is the fact that the team needs to enter into a rebuilding phase and Bure,
at the pinnacle of his career, has already put in three 50-goal-plus seasons here and doesn't feel it's reasonable to ask him to stay on for more fruitless years.
"Having taken the team to a Cup final once in '94, Bure would like to spend the next couple of seasons with a chance to win while he's in his prime and he knows his trade could speed Vancouver's rebuilding endevors.
"I have no problem with Mike Keenan," said Bure when asked of their relationship. "He's not the reason I'm leaving."
It is here where Bure may have the best grasp of reality, realizing the team's needs and what his trade could mean to a significant redesign of the club.
Some of the personal reasons are that Bure feels there is no way he can please people here, no matter what he does.
When he scores 50 or 60 goals, he is accused of being selfish. When he doesn't he is a malingerer, as was the case two
seasons ago when he was slowed by the neck and back pain.
Because of his recognizability in town, he feels a virtual prisoner in his apartment. He no longer spends much time in the house he owns on Southwest Marine Drive because he has
been harassed there so many times he quietly moved out. He would like to move to a city big enough for him to get lost in.
Then there are contractual dealings Gillis alluded to that have long annoyed him.
He has frequently had to battle tooth and nail for considerations which were guaranteed to him in his contract, the lockout pay dispute the best known but hardly the only squabble.
All last year after Quinn promised he would seek to move him, no serious effort was made despite the fact Bure kept his part of the agreement by playing his guts out.
There will no doubt be huge interest. Burke said this week a number of teams have already contacted him about Bure and the interest is likely to build at this week's GM meetings.
There has already been speculation the Devils might put together a package with offensively skilled restricted free agent defenceman
Scott Niedermayer as the central figure to inject some life into their non-existent offence.
But Bure, who is slated to make in excess of $8 million US a year for the foreseeable future, would seriously upset the Jersey pay scale with Scott Stevens
Martin Brodeur in the $4 million range for the next four seasons. This may or may not impact New Jersey's interest.
The Rangers could put together a lowcost package with young goaltender Dan Cloutier and flashy Alexei Kovalev, the latter offsetting the departure of Bure with his entertaining moves.
But GM Neil Smith might have to be talked into that one because of the pinch to his payroll. Lots of other teams, including notoriously cheapos like Chicago and Anaheim, could be interested
as well as Toronto, L.A., Philadelphia, the Islanders and maybe even Washington.
Burke says he hasn't yet decided to move Bure, but given he's known for a couple of weeks the Rocket will not return, to sit him out for any period of time becomes counter-productive
to everyone but the club accountants.
So it is likely Burke will be all ears at this week's meetings in Nashville. It will be a tough move for the GM emotionally.
He was instrumental in the landing of Bure, but a good move for young players can help the Canucks along the road to recovery, something that will take some time.
----Back to Headline List----
Sunday, August 2nd, 1998.
Burke's now on deal hot-seat
Vancouver Province
So how would you like to be in Brian Burke's shoes today?
Push has finally come to shove. Pavel Bure says he wants out of Vancouver
and it means Canucks president and GM Burke becomes B.C.'s biggest
deal-maker since Glen Clark sat down with the natives.
With Bure due to make more than $8 million US this season, penny-ante
suitors need not apply, although there will certainly be considerable interest.
Here are a few midsummer day's dreamings about what might happen:
Don't bet on this one, but Burke could always call Flyers GM Bob Clarke in
Philadelphia and ask about centre Eric Lindros. The situation there has
acrimony written all over it, with Clark telling the world last week that No. 88
had better start playing like the NHL's top player if he wants to be paid that
way.
Lindros has a contract extension at $8.5 million US for 1998-99, but both
sides want to do a long-term deal. Clarke has said he'd consider trading him if
it doesn't happen.
Bet on the Canucks going after a goalie or a defenceman or both in a
package.
Interesting, then, that Burke's first trade could well be with his ex-boss Pat
Quinn-coached Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs, heading into their new rink
next winter, could afford Bure and they have goalie Felix Potvin to offer in a
package.
New Jersey might be a fit. They have Cranbrook resident Scott Niedermayer
who, we've heard, wouldn't mind at all bringing his superb speed to the
Canucks blueline.
The New York Rangers always come up in trade talks for snipers because
Wayne Gretzky wants to play with someone -- anyone -- who can score.
The Los Angeles Kings -- a major market team in need of a star -- might be
intrigued. Defenceman Rob Blake would be a nice addition here but head
coach Larry Robinson rebuilt the Kings with a defence-first mantra.
Keith Tkachuk is wearing out his welcome in Phoenix and Islanders' Ziggy Palffy is still unsigned. The Canucks could also deal for some young, cheap
players with an up side and use the money saved on Bure to go after a
restricted free agent. That's unlikely, though, because teams have a habit of
matching offers made to Group 2's.
It's no easy job for Burke. But at least he doesn't have to worry about a
referendum.
----Back to Headline List----
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