News from February 1997

Thursday, February 27, 1997.

Gelinas Glows

Martin Gelinas recorded his first career four-goal game and linemate Russ Courtnall added a goal and three assists as the Vancouver Canucks made the most of their shots in a 6-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.

Gelinas got his third career hat trick and second this month before the second period was 12 minutes old. He also picked up an assist for a career-high five points. Gelinas' four-goal game was the ninth in team history and the first since Pavel Bure performed the feat against Winnipeg on October 12th, 1992.

The Canucks scored five times on their first nine shots and were outshot for the game, 33-17.

Many shots, but.......

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Tuesday, February 25, 1997

Slow start buries Canucks

Mark Recchi had two goals and an assist and Jocelyn Thibault made 28 saves for the Montreal Canadians in a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

Alexander Mogilny and Martin Gelinas scored for Vancouver, which has lost three straight, falling one point behind the Calgary Flames for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Canuck goaltender Kirk McLean, who stopped 24 shots, has dropped six of his last eight starts.

After Malakhov gave Montreal a 1-0 lead, on a assist from Valeri Bure, Recchi scored on the power play 4:54 into the second. The puck went around the boards on a dump in and squirted past Vancouver defensman Jyrki Lumme to Saku Koivu, who hit Recchi in front of the goal. Recchi cashed in by flipping the puck over McLean's glove for a 2-0 advantage.

Vancouver closed within a goal when Gelinas tallied with 6:44 left. There was a scramble in front of the Montreal net and rookie center Darcy Tucker tried to chip the puck out but it hit Gelinas in the back. Gelinas swirled around with the puck on his forehand and shot it off Thibault's blocker and into the net, giving Pavel an assist on the goal.

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Sunday, February 23, 1997

Canucks blow it in the last two minutes

Teemu Selanne's acrobatic goal with 2:41 left in regulation snapped a 2-2 tie and lifted the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to their fourth straight home victory, a 5-2 defeat of the Vancouver Canucks.
Steve Rucchin won a faceoff in the right faceoff circle and tapped the puck to the left of the goal. Selanne lunged forward and managed to get enough of the puck to wrist it between the pads of Vancouver goaltender Kirk Mclean.
Kevin Todd and Paul Kariya added insurance tallies over the final two minutes as the Ducks won for the third time in their last four games. Goaltender Guy Hebert, playing in his 200th game for Anaheim, stopped 37 shots as the Ducks won for the fourth time in their last six games.
Bret Hedican and Mike Ridley had goals for the Canucks, who have dropped eight of their last 11 games. The Canucks, who fell out of the eighth playoff spot with the loss, were 0-for-4 on the power play.

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Saturday, February 22, 1997

Canucks lay the Royal Goose Egg for the Kings

Stephane Fiset recorded his third shutout of the season and Vladimir Tsyplakov set up the first three goals as the Los Angeles Kings blanked the Vancouver Canucks, 4-0, to post consecutive wins for the first time in more than a month.
The Canucks have lost seven of their last 10 games and were shut out for the fifth time this season.
"I think the biggest challenge that enough of them now are having a tough time dealing with is being a consistent, responsible hockey team," said Vancouver coach Tom Renney. "I discussed it with the 24 guys in there. I thought (the Kings) came out and played hard, they skated hard and they beat us to the loose pucks -- they outworked us. We thought we were able to go through it and get it done, but we were ill-prepared. Not enough people wanted it bad enough to start the game."
The Canucks thought they scored with 14 minutes to go in the third period when Mike Sillinger jammed the puck and Fiset across the goal line. Referee Bill McCreary waved it off, however, ruling he whistled play dead.
"The puck was definitely in the net before the whistle, but what he said was that when I was going to whack the puck out of the air or off (Fiset's) chest when he was falling back, he said that I pushed him into the net," Sillinger said. "That's the only reason it wasn't a goal.
"It's almost like we were just sitting around there waiting for the next guy to do something," he added. "It's too late in the year to do that, especially when you're battling to make the playoffs."

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Thursday, February 20, 1997

Canucks special teams score a victory

Alexander Mogilny had two goals and an assist and Corey Hirsch turned aside 27 shots for his first win in two months as the Vancouver Canucks coasted to a 6-1 rout of the San Jose Sharks.
Martin Gelinas and Trevor Linden each added a goal and an assist and Pavel Bure and Russ Courtnall also scored for Vancouver, which won for just the third time in nine games. The Canucks, who converted three of five power-play opportunities, have won three of four meetings with the Sharks this season.
Hirsch carried a shutout into the third period before Tony Granato's fluke power-play goal at 3:52 pulled San Jose within 4-1. Granato's centering pass from the right corner hit defenseman Adrian Aucoin's skate and deflected past Hirsch.
After Granato's tally got San Jose on the board, Bure, who was voted as the third star of the game, capped a breakaway with his 23rd goal, making it 5-1. It was his first goal in seven games. Mogilny's second of the contest, a power-play marker with 5:23 remaining, closed the scoring.

San Jose coach Al Sims says he's not surprised that Pavel Bure isn't scoring like he did before suffering a major injury to his right knee last season.
The Vancouver Canucks right winger, who was playing on what amounts to a third line with centre Mike Sillinger and Gino Odjick in Thursday's game, has just 23 goals in 57 games, which puts him on pace for a 33-goal season. "Pavel, to me, looks like he's lost some speed," said Sims before Thursday's game. He doesn't look as fast as before the injury. He doesn't have that extra gear like a Paul Kariya has. He used to get a lot of chances because of his speed."

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Tuesday, February 18, 1997

Canucks can't score enough

Doug Gilmour and Sergei Berezin each scored twice as the Toronto Maple Leafs jumped to a four-goal third-period lead before holding on for a 6-5 victory over the struggling Vancouver Canucks.
Wendel Clark's 18th goal of the season 2:23 into the third period extended Toronto's lead to 6-2 before Vancouver began its comeback.
Martin Gelinas scored twice in a 2:06 span to get the Canucks within 6-4 and Alexander Mogilny tallied a power-play goal with 3:58 remaining, making it a one-goal game. But Toronto goaltender Felix Potvin preserved the win with three saves in the final 30 seconds, stopping Pavel Bure's shot and two by Trevor Linden.
Linden lifted a shot over a prone Potvin and the puck appeared headed for the net, but Toronto defenseman Craig Wolanin gloved the puck out of mid-air. Vancouver argued that a penalty shot should've been called.
"I don't think it was an infraction, of course I just batted it, that's my answer and I'm sticking with it," Wolanin said. "It was in the air and unless it had backspin on it I think it was going in."
"Trevor shot it over Felix and Wolanin grabbed it, that should've been a penalty shot," Gelinas said. "We aren't getting those calls lately, maybe the referee didn't see it. In my mind it was a penalty shot, he grabbed it and threw it away."
Rob Zettler had a goal and an assist and Mats Sundin and Craig Wolanin each set up two goals for Toronto, which snapped a three-game winless streak for its first victory on a six-game road trip. The Maple Leafs, who improved to 8-20-2 on the road, have won three of four meetings with the Canucks this season.
"We had some goals early and we had the lead going into the third period and then we gave up some goals," Gilmour said. "Still we'll take the win, we're very desperate for them."
Scott Walker had a goal and an assist and Linden set up three goals for Vancouver, which has lost six of its last eight games.
"We got down too far, I thought we played really well in the third period, that's the way we should've played the whole game and we're going to have to work on that, playing a full game," Vancouver's Pavel Bure said.
Berezin's first goal of the game and 17th of the season 83 seconds into the contest gave Toronto a 1-0 edge and Gilmour doubled the lead with his first of the game at 6:10.
Walker cut the margin in half 3:26 later with his second goal, but Berezin's second tally of game with 1:43 left in the period gave the Leafs a 3-1 lead.
Esa Tikkanen drew Vancouver within one just 23 seconds into the second period with his 10th goal and 600th career point.
"We played real hard and well in the third," Gelinas said. "Trevor (Linden) was unbelievable, those passes he made I just had to put in the net. We dug oursleves too deep of hole and it's hard to come all the way back."
Zettler restored Toronto's two-goal lead with an unassisted tally at 7:19 and Gilmour made it 5-2 with his second of the game with 96 seconds left in the stanza.
Potvin finished with 30 saves.
Kirk McLean started in net for Vancouver but was pulled at 2:23 of the third period after allowing six goals on 24 shots. Corey Hirsch stopped all seven shots he faced.
Toronto went scoreless on two power-play opportunities and is 1-for-31 with the man advantage over its last 11 contests.

"It's really hard to say why we would come out like this after playing well the last game," said Pavel Bure, who had nine shots on goal but didn't get in the scoring summary. "This has happened before this season, but after the meeting we had last week I don't know how anybody could come into the dressing room being satisfied after the last game. We have to take some positives out of this but we can't be satisfied. We can't play that same game where we're up and down."

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Fan's expectations of Bure nothing compared to his father's

When Pavel Bure was six, he was the worst player on his hockey team.
One day, after he'd finished practice, his father sat his down. Vladimir Bure was an Olympic swimmer and athlete of high standing in the then-U.S.S.R. He was a proud man. And a tad competitive.
He gave his son an ultimatum.
"I told him, "You are Pavel Bure. I want you to be the best. I'll give you a few months to fix it."
In a few months, young Pavel was the best.
Vladimir Bure has overseen his son's hockey career ever since that little heart-t-heart chat 19 years ago. No one has seen the Vancouver Canuck superstar play or practice more.
Which makes Bure Sr. the leading authority on his son's mediocre season so far.
Over coffee at Burnaby 8 Rinks, where the Canucks are practicing, Vladimir talks about his son's struggles and the enormous pressure that goes along with being the highest paid player on the team.
The first question I have is whether the father sees and difference in the player today from the one who used to score 60 goals a season.
He thinks about this for a long time.
You can guess what's coming.
"You have to remember last year he had major surgery," he says.
"He didn't play any hockey all year. He just started playing hockey last October. Then he had a bruised kidney. So he's had only a few months, which isn't enough time to recover.
"It takes time to feel the ice and feel your timing. The difference between the superstars and the average player is he can see where the play is going before it happens. It happens automatically. That's not there right now."
Against Washington Tuesday, Bure had the puck beside the Capital's goal and a wide- open net. In his rush to fire the shot, he just missed the net. Bure Sr. says that normally, that would have been a sure goal.
"It shows he wasn't ready."
You can sense the frustration a dad feels when his son is the focus of so much fan and media heat.
He says when Pavel's not scoring, there's something wrong with him. When he scores, he's the same old Pavel.
"Pavel needs time to play hockey. He needs games. Practice doesn't simulate games. Nobody tries to kill you in practice."
Bure's knee injury is a constant theme running through our conversation, It is hard to understate how devastated Pavel appears to have been by losing a yeat due to this injury.
When Pavel returned this season, Vladimir says his son was always thinking about The Knee. And dad, well he was a basket case.
"When I watched the games I wasshaking. When someone got even close to him, I was like, 'Jesus Chris, don't touch him, don't touch him."
Now, he says his son is completely normal and doesn't worry about getting hit. But his next breath is revealing.
"It is very important to go through the entire season without a major disaster with his leg."
Hmm, sounds like they're both still thinking about The Knee a little.
Vladimir won't comment on whether Canucks' coach Tom Renney's system complements his son's wide-open style of play. He says a coach is always right and should never be questioned.
But he will talk about how he feels when the media says his son isn't worth the $5 million (US) salary he is pulling down this year.
"Nobody cared when he scored 60 goals and didn't have the biggest contract on the team. Do you remember ?
"Did anyone care about him then ? People don't understand how serious this surgery was. But he's still getting blamed."
Father and son see each other evry day. Vladimir attends all games and practices. As his personal trainer, Vladimir runs his son through workouts almost every day. He is the coach, the boss. And Pavel is an incredibly condioned athlete as a result.
But doesn't Pavel get sick of having his dad hanging around all the time ? After all, he's not a baby anymore.
"He can do what he wants. If he doesn't feel like working out, he sometimes calls me at night and asks what I'm doing. And I say, 'I'm just watching a movie.' And he says, "Okay, see you tomorrow."" Vladimir says he has a rule with his son. He has to score 33% of the goals on his team." "If the score is 6-2, he has to score two goals. If he does, he plays good. If he scores one, that's not good enough.
"Sometimes in junior, if the team scores 12 goals, he would have to score four. A hat-trick wouldn't be good enough. He'd be a bad boy."
Bure isn't scoring 33% of the Canuck goals this year. His dad thinks he will again.
Pavel Bure must be the best.

Vancouver Sun, Saturday, Feb 15, 1997.

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Saturday, February 15, 1997

Canucks in a strong win

Russ Courtnall and Martin Gelinas each had a goal and an assist in the first period, leading the Vancouver Canucks to their second win in seven games, 4-2 over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Mike Ridley and Jyrki Lumme had the other goals for the Canucks, who have won four of their last five at home. Vancouver remained tied with Chicago and Calgary for seventh place in the Western Conference.

Despite a strong game, Pavel did not register a point in the Canucks' scoring.

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Tuesday, February 11, 1997

Canucks can't score enough again !

Peter Bondra had two goals and an assist and Todd Krygier scored a key insurance goal late in the third period as the Washington Capitals completed a five-game road trip with a 5-2 victory over the struggling Vancouver Canucks.
Eric Charron and Dale Hunter also scored for Washington, which went 2-2-1 on the trip and improved to 4-0-1 in its last five meetings with Vancouver. The Capitals scored more than three goals for the first time in 11 games.
Olaf Kolzig turned aside 27 shots, including all 15 in the third period, for his first victory since January 9th.
Alexander Mogilny had both goals for the Canucks, who have lost five of their last six games. Vancouver has allowed 25 goals in its last five games.
"It's a tough loss, we come off the road and we're very disappointed because we didn't play as a team," Mogilny said. "We scored the first goal and then they get three in a row, I thought everybody tried but not as a unit."
Washington, which played without seven regulars due to injuries, was forced to use defenseman Phil Hously as the left wing on Bondra's line.
"I enjoyed the game, good people to play with," Housley said. "Guys that can see the ice makes your job a lot easier. Just get the puck on Peter's stick and he makes things happen."
Bondra's first goal of the game and team-leading 33rd of the season 6:46 into the game sanpped a 1-1 tie and gave Washington the lead for good. Bondra intercepted Dana Murzyn's pass and skated in on a breakaway before beating goaltender Kirk McLean with a waist-high wrist shot to the stick side.
Hunter's ninth goal, a power-play tally, with 3:28 remaining in the opening period made it 3-1. Capitals center Michal Pivonka tripped McLean behind the goal and the puck went through a maze of players in front to a wide-open Hunter, who scored into a vacated net.
Mogilny poked in a rebound of Markus Naslund's individual effort 1:58 into the second period for his second goal of the game and 23rd of the season, drawing Vancouver within 3-2.
Capitals defenseman Joe Reekie took a holding penalty at 10:16 of the third period and was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty, giving Vancouver a four-minute power play.
"That was the key ... it was disappointing to get that double minor, but you just have to keep your head up," Bondra said. "We were one goal up and that was a huge kill. Special teams tonight were great, we scored on the power play and we killed off seven of theirs."
Vancouver center Mike Ridley assisted on the goal for his 750th career point. Ridley has three goals and five assists during a five-game point-scoring streak.
Krygier restored Washington's two-goal cushion with 4:20 left when he capped a 2-on-1 break with Jason Allison for his fifth goal. Bondra's second tally of the game, 59 seconds later, closed the scoring.
Although registering many shots on goal, and helping set up one of Vancouver's goals, Pavel was not credited with any points.

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Pavel's Singing debut

We've had a lot of fans asking us for the date when Pavel appeared on stage during Bryan Adam's Vancouver tour. A picture of which can be seen , on our main web site.

Pavel made his rock 'n' roll debut Sept.19, 1995, when he joined vocalist Bryan Adams onstage to sing Adams' big hit "Cuts Like a Knife."

This information also appears on the hockey trading card issued by Pinnacle in the 1996-97 version #175.

A detailed interview with Pavel, including the events that led him to appear on the stage, will be published in the next edition of the 'Rocket' newsletter, which is mailed out to all paid-up members of this fan club.

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Thursday, February 6, 1997

Canucks can't score enough

Felix Potvin turned aside 28 shots as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Vancouver Canucks, 4-2.

Pavel Bure assisted on the Canucks' first goal.

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Canucks win big

Martin Gelinas recorded his second career hat trick and Pavel Bure added four assists as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 7-4, denying coach Scotty Bowman his 1,000th career victory.

The Canucks snapped a three-game losing streak and a five-game skid on the road.

As well tonight, Pavel's brother Valeri scored two goals and assisted on another in Montreal's 9-5 loss to Philadelphia.

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Tuesday, February 4, 1997

Pittsburgh and Mario both Winners in controversial finish

With 2:06 left in the game, the Canucks seemed to have scored the tying goal to make it 4-4 when Jyrki Lumme banked in a Bure rebound. Mario Lemieux asked the referee for a video-review, and it was determined that Trevor Linden's foot was in fact illegaly over the goalie crease line (although not on the ice), and the tying goal was disallowed. When the Vancouver Canucks pulled the goalie for an extra attacker, Mario Lemieux scored an empty net goal, netting his 600th NHL carrer goal, as he had predicted he would do against the Vancouver team.

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Monday, February 3, 1997

Canucks lose

Pavel Bure scored the first goal of the game, before the Ottawa Senators rebounded with 5 unanswered goals, to win 6-4.

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Saturday, February 1, 1997

Canucks lose to Calgary

Trevor Kidd made 31 saves for his third shutout of the season and Aaron Gavey scored a pair of power-play goals to lead the Calgary Flames to a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in a Pacific Division matchup.

The Canucks fell to 4-3-1 in their last eight games and remained five points behind the Edmonton Oilers for second place in the division. Vancouver has been shut out twice in its last four games after being blanked two times in its first 46 contests.

"I think it was a pretty even game and both teams played hard," said Vancouver right winger Pavel Bure. "We just couldn't use our chances. You have to give them credit too, they were working hard and they played well defensively. But still we had opportunities but just couldn't score." Moginly was the first star of the game, and Pavel the second star.

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