News from January 2003
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Happy New Year!
Bure's full house
It's been more than eight years since actress Candace Cameron, who played D.J. Tanner on the sitcom Full House, took the advice of a co-star and went to a charity celebrity hockey game to meet brothers Pavel and Valeri Bure.
Love ya, Mess... now sit NO one around here has greater regard for Mark Messier or what he has meant to the Rangers than I. It's well documented that I believe his management-orchestrated 1997 exit was a terrible mistake. It also is well known that I enthusiastically supported his return three summers ago. But this is 2003, and in 16 days Messier will celebrate his 42d birthday while playing in a league that gets younger and bigger and faster with every single revolution of the Earth. If the Rangers are going to move forward and climb out of the six-foot ditch they dug for themselves the first half of the season, they must - simply must - be willing to reduce The Captain's role and turn over the club to Eric Lindros and Bobby Holik. It's the only way. Unless Glen Sather is keeping a secret better than anyone, Bryan Trottier will be running today's practice and he will be running the bench on Saturday, when the Rangers meet the Caps in Saturday's opener of a three-game homestand. If Trottier is going to be more successful the second half of the season than the first, he is going to have to commit to leaning on Lindros and Holik the way he did in Carolina on Tuesday, when injuries to Messier and Petr Nedved left him no other option. The coach is going to have to turn over the team to them - and, upon his return in approximately another four weeks from his twin arthroscopies, to Pavel Bure. These are the faces and strengths of the team. There is no way around it, even if the hierarchy has seemed to go out of its way to try to do just that. Commitment to taking the body and to sacrificing on the defensive side of the puck; Mike Dunham (the best Ranger since his arrival three weeks ago); and an attack featuring Lindros, Holik and Bure above the marquee. This is the only formula for the Rangers to follow. Messier is playing as hard and as well as he can. But the suggestion that he can - or should - be getting 17-20 minutes a night while working on the power-play- and penalty-kill units is outlandish. Those hockey sophisticates who prattle on about all the Rangers' skill and talent don't know what they're talking about. The NHL has become a league of one-on-one battles, of who's going to win the puck, of who's going to be able to move forward in a ground war. That's no longer Messier's game. Until Bure returns, Holik and Lindros together need 22-25 minutes a night. There's no reason why they shouldn't double-shift and set a tone early. Honestly; who exactly is going to be able to handle them? Who wants to deal with the Lindros we saw in Tuesday's 2-0 victory? Who ever wants to deal with Holik, now healthy and picking up where he left off across the Hudson? And when Bure does come back, he needs to play 22-25 minutes with Lindros and the Rangers then need to construct a checking line around Holik. The Rangers have to set those first two lines, they have to establish those two strengths, and then fill in all of the blanks after that. If that means there's less remaining for Nedved, so be it. If that means less for Messier, that's what it means. When Trottier played in Pittsburgh his final two years, neither Bob Johnson nor Scotty Bowman had trouble transforming the all-time center into a role player. And Trottier won the final two of his six Cups as a result. There are 41 games to go. If there is to be a season, it is time to turn, turn, turn ... the team over to Lindros and Holik.
Pavel Notes:
There is no change on the status of Pavel Bure (arthroscopic knee surgery). Bure is still sticking to off-ice workouts....
Буре наказал американских «изгнанников» Павел Буре обогатился ровно на 318 тысяч российских рублей. Именно в такую сумму российский суд оценил ущемленные честь и достоинство знаменитого хоккеиста. Все началось с того, что в мае 2001 года газета «Экзайл» («Изгнанник») опубликовала якобы прямую речь Буре. В ответ на вопрос журналиста об амурных отношениях с Анной Курниковой он будто бы заявил: «Мне надоело трахать Курникову, так как у нее две вагины». В тот период газета «Экзайл» была самой скандальной газетой Москвы, выходящей на английском языке. «Лимонка» национал-большевиков под руководством находящегося ныне под стражей писателя-революционера Эдуарда Лимонова считала «Изгнанника» братским изданием. Нужно сказать, что действовала газета действительно в духе «лимоновцев». Например, организовала акцию протеста против бомбежек Белграда у американского посольства под лозунгом «Американцы, убирайтесь домой!». В акции принимали участие только… американцы. В период, когда появилась заметка о Буре и Курниковой, Марк Эймс и Матт Таибби (главные редакторы «Экзайл»), например, опубликовали светскую хронику… Третьего рейха. Как бы то ни было, «Русская ракета» потребовал через суд не только опровержения клеветы, но и возмещения морального ущерба в 2 миллиона рублей. Спустя год, 23 мая 2002 г., Басманный суд Москвы принял решение призвать газету опубликовать опровержение и выплатить пострадавшей стороне 500 тысяч рублей. Но «Изгнанник» исхитрилась так составить свои бухгалтерские ведомости, что все ее имущество оказалось дешевле 40 тысяч рублей. Лишь на днях, получив из суда бумагу с гербовой печатью, адвокат отправился в офис газеты и пригрозил изданию законной процедурой банкротства. После многочасовых переговоров сторонам удалось прийти к решению. Газета выплатит «отступные» в размере 10 тысяч долларов и опубликует опровержение, намеченное на 5 февраля.
Pavel works on knees, not niceties Pavel Bure has never been about going along just to get along - on or off the ice. So it was hardly surprising yesterday that, following a workout at the MSG Training Center that included a hard bike ride and some heavy lifting, the Russian Rocket made no attempt to say the words teammates and Rangers fans long to hear. Three weeks after having arthroscopic surgeries on both knees, Bure was asked if he is pushing his rehab to return to the lineup ahead of team physician Dr. Andrew Feldman's initial estimate that he would miss one month. "Well, we're doing the best we can," he said. "I still get checked by a doctor every game and (trainer Jim Ramsay) is with me every single day and he's seen so many and he knows what to do. "We're trying to get back as fast as we can but you have to be smart. Because, if you push yourself too hard, instead of coming back early, you wind up setting yourself back." Asked if he was close to at least skating, Bure replied: "You know what, I don't even know. I can't really tell." Hardly reassuring stuff to a goal-hungry Rangers team. Ask Bure whether the failure of the offense in his absence makes it even harder for him to sit out and he again says what he feels, not what one wants to hear. "No, not really," he said. "Because, listen, I've been in many kinds of situations and, sometimes, the puck just doesn't go in. The guys are working hard and creating chances but the puck just isn't going in. Why doesn't it go in? I don't know." What Bure knew yesterday was that increasing the resistance on the exercise bike and relying on his legs a bit to do upper-body weight work didn't set him back. So he expects to be able to kick his regimen up a notch in the next few days. But he's promising nothing. "As of today, we have to see," he said. "The last few days I've been working pretty hard so we have to see how it responds. Keep pushing a little bit and forcing a little bit and if you're fine, push a little more. If not, you back off a little." So far, Bure hasn't had to back off. He also says teammates are not begging him to push forward.
"There are so many guys with experience in our room," he said. "The guys know that in hockey, you get injured. There's nothing you can do. That's just the way it is."
My favourite Ranger is .... Kids - now is your chance to tell us who your favorite Rangers player is and enter to win a chance to meet that player! Simply submit a brief handwritten or typed note (100 words or less) describing who your favorite current Rangers player is and why he is your favorite for your chance to win! One grand prize winner will win four (4)tickets to the Saturday, January 25, 2003 game vs. the Atlanta Thrashers at Madison Square Garden (1:00 PM ET), as well as a ride on the Zamboni during one of the two intermissions and an opportunity to meet their favorite player following the game! It's a chance of a lifetime, so be sure to submit your entry today! Entries can be submitted via mail at: or via fax at 212-465-6549 All entries must be received by Thursday, January 23 at 5:00 PM ET and MUST include contestant's name and age as well as a parent or legal guardian's written consent including name, mailing address, day and night time phone numbers and email address (if applicable). Entries not accompanied by parents' or legal guardians' written consent will be deemed ineligible. One entry per child. The contest is open to children 13 years of age of younger who reside in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut or Pennsylvania.Click here for complete rules.
CBC program shows why imaginative hockey has disappeared After the media analyzed Canada's 3-2 loss to Russia in the gold-medal game of the world junior hockey championship, the consensus seemed to be that it had been, after all, a one-goal game. It could have gone either way. The Russians were "slightly" more skilled than the Canadians. But there were dissenters. Some felt Canada's goalie, Marc-André Fleury, had kept the team in the game. Others believed that, among the forwards, the talent gap between Canada and Russia was substantial. The problem was, if you expressed that view, you were likely to be accused by the hockey establishment and its media of being seditious, unpatriotic and, worse, left wing. When a caller to the sports talk radio station in Toronto, The Fan, wondered why Canada, which is obsessed with hockey, can't dominate international tournaments, host Roger Lajoie quickly reminded him that Russia has a population of 500 million compared to Canada's 30 million. Actually, Russia's population is 145 million. And, if you want numbers, consider these: There are more than 3,000 arenas used for hockey in Canada compared with only 1,000 in all of Europe. And there are 3.5 times as many children playing hockey in Canada as in Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Russia combined. Here's something else to ponder: When is the last time a player with spectacular skills — somebody who did things on the ice that were just amazing — entered the National Hockey League? Over the past 15 years, we would suggest there has been Jaromir Jagr (Czech Republic), Pavel Bure (Russia) and perhaps Sergei Fedorov (Russia). Of the newcomers, there is Atlanta star Ilya Kovalchuk (Russia) and Marian Gaborik of Minnesota (Czech Republic). When's the last time a Canadian forward came into the league and wowed us with extraordinary, mind-boggling talent? It was Mario Lemieux, who entered the NHL 19 years ago. He was preceded by the pantheon of Canadian legends — Wayne Gretzky, Guy Lafleur, Bobby Orr and on and on. But Canada no longer produces superstars with breath-taking, knock-your-socks-off ability, and the many of the reasons for this were addressed on television this week by journalist Ed Arnold, who coached a team of novices in Peterborough, Ont., and wrote a book about the season titled, Whose Puck Is It Anyway? In an interview with Allan Gregg on TV Ontario, Arnold noted that youth coaches stress winning above everything else. Kids are discouraged from thinking, using their imagination or being creative. They don't learn how to adequately stickhandle, pass or make plays. Participating in minor hockey is about coping in a rigidly structured environment, sometimes dealing with abuse from coaches and parents, learning systems, playing defensive hockey and being physical, because that's how to win games. Great fun for a child, eh? If you want to learn more on how walls are thrown up to stop a child in Canada from enjoying the game and becoming a skilled player, tune into the CBC's Disclosure Tuesday at 9 p.m. local times. Disclosure probes the decision by the Canadian Hockey Association to allow bodychecking for nine and 10 year olds. Now, if you want to discourage a smallish-sized kid, who has some talent, from skating, carrying the puck and doing interesting things with it, just raise the spectre of him getting creamed by somebody twice his size every time he gets near the play. That's a surefire way to get somebody enthusiastic about taking up skiing. Not that he would be on the team anyway, given the importance minor-hockey coaches place on size, even at the eight-year-old level. Disclosure will report that the CHA based its decision to allow bodychecking on an Ontario study that concluded, wrongly and with bad information, that bodychecking is safe for children. In fact, the opposite is true. Injuries are increasing. Players are getting hurt. "The kids out there are living the results of this flawed study," said Disclosure host Mark Kelley. "Nine and 10 year olds are now the legacy of it, and it's pretty dangerous." The proponents will argue that bodychecking is a skill and that it should be learned at an early age to prevent later injuries. And, of course, being physical is also the Canadian way to play the game. But that's just baloney. On the list of "skills" it ranks at the bottom and can easily be picked up at the age of 13 or 14. Kids don't bodycheck in European hockey and the Europeans are doing quite well in junior hockey and the NHL, thank you very much. The bodychecking issue is just one example of the lunacy that pervades minor hockey. The Canadian system produces good players, but is also encourages some of the country's best athletes to quit hockey and take up another sport. And it explains why tremendously skilled players rarely emerge from our game.
2003 NHL ALL-STAR FAN BALLOTING Final Results The players on the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star rosters, to be selected by the NHL's Hockey Operations Department, will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 16 during ESPN's Thursday Night Hockey in the United States and on TSN in Canada. Wings Player NHL Club Votes Jaromir Jagr Washington 122,725 Alexei Kovalev Pittsburgh 91,694 Alexander Mogilny Toronto 91,448 Pavel Bure NY Rangers 77,612 John LeClair Philadelphia 74,434 Jeff O'Neill Carolina 64,887 Glen Murray Boston 55,601 Erik Cole Carolina 54,463 Ilya Kovalchuk Atlanta 52,428 Sami Kapanen Carolina 43,872 Sergei Samsonov Boston 42,702 Patrik Elias New Jersey 42,027 Dany Heatley Atlanta 41,418 Marian Hossa Ottawa 41,310 Daniel Alfredsson Ottawa 40,359 Peter Bondra Washington 39,759 Simon Gagne Philadelphia 38,700 Mark Recchi Philadelphia 38,113 Richard Zednik Montreal 37,800 Miroslav Satan Buffalo 32,085 Mark Parrish NY Islanders 24,397 Goaltenders Player NHL Club Votes Nikolai Khabibulin Tampa Bay 99,651 Martin Brodeur New Jersey 91,677 Arturs Irbe Carolina 87,593 Ed Belfour Toronto 79,991 Roberto Luongo Florida 63,649 Jose Theodore Montreal 55,259 Patrick Lalime Ottawa 29,247 Roman Cechmanek Philadelphia 28,109 Chris Osgood NY Islanders 25,136 Mike Richter NY Rangers 24,893 Olaf Kolzig Washington 24,135 Centers Player NHL Club Votes Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh 155,172 Ron Francis Carolina 53,286 Joe Thornton Boston 52,840 Joe Nieuwendyk New Jersey 51,045 Saku Koivu Montreal 47,377 Mats Sundin Toronto 41,024 Vincent Lecavalier Tampa Bay 31,996 Jeremy Roenick Philadelphia 26,550 Eric Lindros NY Rangers 26,025 Rod Brind'Amour Carolina 22,148 Olli Jokinen* Florida 18,765 Michael Peca NY Islanders 16,891 Alexei Yashin NY Islanders 13,598 Radek Bonk Ottawa 13,000 Robert Lang Washington 12,710 Martin Straka Pittsburgh 11,649 Keith Primeau Philadelphia 11,387 Brian Rolston Boston 11,309 Defensemen Player NHL Club Votes Sandis Ozolinsh Florida 141,723 Brian Leetch NY Rangers 132,938 Scott Stevens New Jersey 118,032 Scott Niedermayer New Jersey 110,340 Sergei Gonchar Washington 78,555 Tomas Kaberle Toronto 70,299 Bryan McCabe Toronto 65,783 Zdeno Chara Ottawa 53,418 Wade Redden Ottawa 53,136 Adrian Aucoin NY Islanders 49,999 Brian Rafalski New Jersey 49,752 Alexei Zhitnik Buffalo 49,610 Kim Johnsson Philadelphia 44,722 Roman Hamrlik NY Islanders 41,575 Oleg Tverdovsky New Jersey 38,697 *write-in votes
Western Conference
Wings Player NHL Club Votes Bill Guerin Dallas 111,696 Teemu Selanne San Jose 95,379 Brett Hull Detroit 86,563 Brendan Shanahan Detroit 79,862 Owen Nolan San Jose 76,182 Jere Lehtinen Dallas 74,001 Paul Kariya Anaheim 73,109 Marian Gaborik Minnesota 72,621 Markus Naslund Vancouver 69,427 Todd Bertuzzi Vancouver 64,981 Jarome Iginla Calgary 50,533 Milan Hejduk Colorado 41,624 Keith Tkachuk St. Louis 38,701 Ray Whitney Columbus 36,116 Geoff Sanderson Columbus 33,524 Zigmund Palffy Los Angeles 30,001 Tony Amonte Phoenix 25,722 Petr Sykora Anaheim 20,792 Anson Carter Edmonton 20,638 Andrew Brunette Minnesota 19,331 Theoren Fleury Chicago 17,199 Ryan Smyth Edmonton 16,288 Eric Daze Chicago 15,018 Scott Hartnell Nashville 8,036 Goaltenders Player NHL Club Votes Patrick Roy Colorado 136,056 Curtis Joseph Detroit 100,573 Evgeni Nabokov San Jose 88,751 Jocelyn Thibault Chicago 39,672 Felix Potvin Los Angeles 37,442 Tommy Salo Edmonton 34,314 Marty Turco* Dallas 33,320 J-S Giguere Anaheim 33,009 Roman Turek Calgary 31,468 Brent Johnson St. Louis 26,146 Sean Burke Phoenix 21,806 Centers Player NHL Club Votes Mike Modano Dallas 112,632 Joe Sakic Colorado 95,488 Sergei Fedorov Detroit 69,318 Peter Forsberg Colorado 52,762 Patrick Marleau San Jose 41,899 Vincent Damphousse San Jose 37,807 Steve Yzerman Detroit 34,520 Doug Weight St. Louis 25,233 Chris Drury Calgary 25,144 Jason Allison Los Angele 23,416 Mike Comrie Edmonton 18,286 Adam Oates Anaheim 17,471 Pavol Demitra St. Louis 13,955 Mike York Edmonton 10,192 Alexei Zhamnov Chicago 9,145 Craig Conroy Calgary 7,555 Defensemen Player NHL Club Votes Nicklas Lidstrom Detroit 164,568 Rob Blake Colorado 130,537 Chris Chelios Detroit 121,497 Sergei Zubov Dallas 108,925 Ed Jovanovski Vancouver 93,160 Derian Hatcher Dallas 89,735 Al MacInnis St. Louis 80,275 Adam Foote Colorado 76,082 Chris Pronger St. Louis 64,383 Janne Niinimaa Edmonton 39,253 Mattias Ohlund Vancouver 38,511 Teppo Numminen Phoenix 27,891 Derek Morris Colorado 23,256 Kimmo Timonen Nashville 22,553 Danny Markov Phoenix 19,158
Pavel Bure will be skating in the next few days
Pavel Bure will be skating in the next few days for the first time since his Dec. 16 double-knee surgery, opening the door for his return before the All-Star break.
Back to Russia with love It's been more than eight years since actress Candace Cameron, who played D.J. Tanner on the sitcom ``Full House,'' took the advice of a co-star and went to a charity celebrity hockey game to meet brothers Pavel and Valeri Bure. It's been more than seven years since Valeri Bure sat Candace on a stone wall in Paris and proposed to her. It's been more than six years since they were married. With three children and an exciting Hollywood/hockey life that has taken their relationship from New Brunswick to Montreal to Calgary to South Florida to offseasons in Los Angeles, Candace felt there was still a large part of her husband's life that she knew nothing about. "There was a piece of the puzzle missing, and I think it was filled in this summer," said Valeri, a Florida Panthers right wing. So in June, Bure returned home to Moscow for the first time since he left in 1991. When Pavel and Valeri left Russia, they were 20 and 17, respectively. Pavel had served time in the Red Army, but Valeri had not. Therefore, Valeri had not been back because he was afraid of being forced to serve his required military service. If a Russian doesn't serve between the ages of 18 and 20, the army has until he is 27 to make him fulfill the duty. Last December, Valeri became a U.S. citizen and got his American passport. On June 13, he turned 28. So in June, Valeri took Candace and their children - Natasha, 4, Lev, 2, and Maksim, 11 months - home. "It was very special," said Candace, 26. "He's been waiting quite a long time to be able to do this. It was an unreal experience because it had been so long and so many things changed and was so different for him. "He got to see old friends that he hadn't seen. We saw where he grew up and went to school and hung out. That's why I wanted to go so badly. He's seen where I grew up (in Southern California) and I wanted to do the same. It just brought back so many memories for him, and I felt like I got to know a part of him I really didn't know." Valeri's mother, Tatiana, and grandmother, Zina, visit Pavel and Valeri in the United States during hockey seasons, but this was the first time since Valeri left that he was able to spend time with them in Russia. He also got to see Pavel's world. The former Panthers star spends offseasons in Moscow and owns an apartment there and a house outside the city. "A different lifestyle he lives there, I'm telling you," Valeri said, snickering. "I wouldn't be surprised if one day he's going to be somewhere in the government. He loves that and he's loved there." Valeri admits that he felt like a tourist in his native country. "I described to my wife forever how it is in Russia, what it's like," Valeri said. "You get there and it's completely different. Not only because things change, but because when you grow up, everything is different in your eyes." The children loved Red Square and the Russian circus, and the family plans to return to Russia annually. "It's different to be in (Tatiana and Zina's) home," Candace said. "They get to show us and treat us to their daily life. We also think it's so important for our children to grow up and know the Russian culture and be able to speak the Russian language." Candace started acting at 5 and is the sister of actor Kirk Cameron, was cast as D.J. on ``Full House'' in 1986 at age 10. The popular show lasted eight years. In 1991, when the Bure brothers arrived in Los Angeles with their father, Vladimir, they had two workouts per day. "We'd come home after the morning, sleep the rest of the day, wake up for our 5 o'clock workout," Valeri said. "`Married With Children' was on at 4 and `Full House' was on at 4:30. We'd drink tea and have a snack and watch those two shows, but `Full House' was always our favorite." While Pavel headed to Vancouver to start dazzling NHL fans, Valeri played three years for Spokane in the Western League. The Bures would return to Los Angeles in the summers. Dave Coulier, who played Uncle Joey on ``Full House,'' plays with the Celebrity All-Stars and struck up a friendship with the Bures. Pavel and Valeri told Coulier how much they loved ``Full House.'' "So one day (in August 1994), (Coulier) invited me and (actress) Lori Loughlin (who played Becky) to go to the charity game," Candace said. "He said, `I want to introduce you to these two Russian hockey players. They're kind of your age and maybe you'll like one of them.' "After the game, I kind of saw both boys and Val and I, I don't know for whatever reason, just clicked. We exchanged numbers and the rest is history." Valeri said it was difficult to "get brave enough to ask for her number. We met one more time before I left for dinner and you just kind of knew this was going someplace." A few days later, Bure, a second-round pick by the Canadiens in 1992, left for Montreal. But that was a lockout-shortened season, so Bure was sent to play for Fredericton, New Brunswick, of the AHL. "We'd talk on the phone and every day I'd be like, `Come visit me, come visit me, come visit me,'" Valeri said, laughing. "Then one time I said, `Come visit me,' and she's like, `OK.' She came to Fredericton, we had a great time and things started rolling." It was the last season of ``Full House.'' The way the shooting went, Candace worked three weeks and then got a week off. Every week off, she'd fly to Fredericton. "Pavel once said to me, `Candace, I really knew you loved my brother when you were willing to get on a plane and fly to Fredericton every three weeks,'" Candace said, laughing. In February 1995, Bure made his NHL debut for the Canadiens. "It was literally the night my show ended for a week off and I was getting on a plane the next morning for Fredericton," she said. "And he called me and said, `I just got called up to Montreal.' I went crazy." Said Valeri: "She was at a restaurant and she just started screaming and yelling, `My boyfriend just got called up. My boyfriend just got called up.' People must have thought she was nuts. People had to be like, `What's called up? Called up? Who? Where?' It was pretty funny." The relationship between Cameron and Bure flourished. They were married in June 1996, and it was soon after that they started building their own full house. Valeri rarely speaks English to his children. "Sometimes it's harder than I thought it would be, but I'll speak to them in Russian because it's the easiest way to learn," Valeri said. "I couldn't believe my daughter in Russia. She picked it up so quick, I was amazed." Candace took lessons for a year in Los Angeles and Montreal. "When we're sitting at a dinner table with friends and they're talking, it's too fast for me," she said. "But when he's talking to the kids, I understand everything he's telling them. If you drop me off in the middle of Russia, I know enough that I can get by." Valeri speaks impeccable English. While Pavel also speaks English well, he has a thick Russian accent and doesn't always use proper grammar. Valeri's dialect barely has his native accent. "He's very Californian-ized," Candace said with a laugh. Candace took a break from acting while starting a family, but she began working on a few television projects this past summer. Valeri feels stardom is ahead of her. "I've gotten the chance to see her a few times on the set, and talk about professional. She's unbelievable," he said. "She takes what she does really serious. With her talent and how much she cares, I don't think she'll have a problem being really successful." Valeri says when they're out together, she's usually recognized but "people don't know her name. They're like, `D.J., D.J., D.J.' Because we're both (famous), people don't think we're normal people, like we don't eat what normal people do. When I meet people, they're nervous and get caught up, but we're just normal people." Candace thinks Valeri has a future on camera, and Valeri said they've talked about starting a production company. "He has so many options what he wants to do after hockey," Candace said. "Every time I see him on camera, I just think he can light up a room. His energy on camera, he's just so personable. His eyes and his smile, the camera eats it up. So I don't know about acting, but I think he would be a great television personality or hockey (broadcaster)." Valeri knows he has come a long way since his childhood, when his mother worked three jobs to support her two sons until Pavel started getting paid from the Red Army team. He said he sometimes has to pinch himself to make sure he's not dreaming: He's married to Candace, they're raising three beautiful children and he makes millions playing the sport he fell in love with as a kid. Asked if he marvels sometimes at the road his life has taken since growing up middle-class in Russia, Valeri said, "I do every second. "Me and my brother talk about that quite a bit. We never dreamt we'd be where we are right now. Our biggest dream was to play for the Russian team and maybe owning a car. That was the dream. Look now. I'm playing hockey for a living. I'm paid a lot of money, live in South Florida with my wife and three kids. "You can't get sad. You can't get mad at your life. We all have ups and downs in this business, and in this life and there's a lot going on. But if you think about it, you know what? Look at where I'm at. It's amazing. It really is."
She's good looking, earns lots of money, but can she really play? Anna Kournikova suffered the heaviest Grand Slam defeat of her eight-year career yesterday when she was destroyed 0-6, 1-6 by fifth-seeded Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne. The Russian rushed from the court immediately after her 48-minute ordeal ended, red-faced and clearly upset by the one-sided humiliation.More than an hour later, make-up back on and wearing a black tracksuit top and black cap, Kournikova put a brave face on the debacle. Her previous worst showing at a Grand Slam event was a 2-6, 1-6 loss to Steffi Graf in the fourth round of the 1996 US Open. Back then, she was a major new talent with an exciting game. 'I really had no weapons against her today,' was the 21-year-old Russian's verdict yesterday. 'I tried to find a way, but it was too hard.' Henin was delighted, if a little bemused, by the ease of her win. 'Sometimes it was just, yeah...amazing,' she said. Despite her loss, Kournikova remains one of the sport's most popular and highest-paid players. Her endorsement contracts are worth about US$12 million (S$21.3 million) a year. 'It doesn't matter that she hasn't won anything,' said Alex Maevsky, a 20-year-old from Melbourne wearing a replica jersey of New York Rangers ice hockey player Pavel Bure, Kournikova's former boyfriend. 'She's always great to watch.'
Pavel Bure injury report
Pavel Bure is looking forward to returning to ice the soon, possibly even by next week. "When I go on the ice, I'll test it and see how it feels by myself. Then I can see how it feels when I skate with my teammates." Bure underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on December 16 to repair a posterior tear of the medial meniscus in his left knee suffered on December 6. He has begun riding a stationary bike as part of his rehabilitation program.
Injured Pavel bypassed for the All-Star game With the 2003 NHL All-Star Game just over two weeks away, the remaining players on the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star rosters, were revealed Thursday night. For the Eastern Conference, Nikolai Khabibulin of the Tampa Bay Lightning will voted the starter in fan balloting and will be backed up by Toronto's Ed Belfour and New Jersey's Martin Brodeur. On defense, the Eastern Conference squad will have starters Brian Leetch (New York Rangers) and Sandis Ozolinsh (Florida Panthers). They will be augmented by Zdeno Chara (Ottawa Senators), Sergei Gonchar (Washington Capitals), Roman Hamrlik (New York Islanders) and Scott Stevens (New Jersey Devils). Up front for the Eastern Conference, starters Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins), Jaromir Jagr (Washington Capitals) and Alexei Kovalev (Pittsburgh Penguins) will get assistance from Dany Heatley (Atlanta Thrashers), Marian Hossa (Ottawa Senators), Saku Koivu (Montreal Canadiens), Glen Murray (Boston Bruins), Jeff O'Neill (Carolina Hurricanes), Jeremy Roenick (Philadelphia Flyers), Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning), Mats Sundin (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Joe Thornton (Boston Bruins). Colorado's Patrick Roy will start in goal for the Western Conference, followed by goaltending additions Jocelyn Thibault (Chicago) and Marty Turco (Dallas). On defense, starters Rob Blake (Colorado Avalanche) and Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings) will be joined by Eric Brewer (Edmonton Oilers), Ed Jovanovski (Vancouver Canucks), Al MacInnis (St. Louis Blues) and Mathieu Schneider (Los Angeles Kings). Forwards Mike Modano (Dallas Stars), Teemu Selanne (San Jose Sharks) and Bill Guerin will start for the Western Conference, while Todd Bertuzzi (Vancouver Canucks), Sergei Fedorov (Detroit Red Wings), Peter Forsberg (Colorado Avalanche), Marian Gaborik (Minnesota Wild), Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames), Paul Kariya (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim), Markus Naslund (Vancouver Canucks), Doug Weight (St. Louis Blues) and Ray Whitney (Columbus Blue Jackets) were added Thursday. The head coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars will be Jacques Martin of the Ottawa Senators. He will be assisted by Philadelphia Flyers head coach Ken Hitchcock. Marc Crawford of the Vancouver Canucks will serve as head coach for the Western Conference, assisted by Dave Lewis of the Detroit Red Wings. The head coaches for the Eastern and Western All-Stars are the head coaches of the teams with the best points percentage in each Conference based on NHL standings through games of Jan. 8. The two assistant coaches for the All-Star Game are the head coaches of the teams with the second-best points percentages in each Conference. This year's NHL All-Star Game returns to an Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format after five years of North America vs. the World.
500-goal mark may become unreachable for future stars If you missed it - and there's a chance you did because Friday's Devils' game was televised on METRO - Joe Nieuwendyk's 500th career goal was a rarity, not only for its athletic beauty but also because in today's NHL of defense-first and outstanding goaltending, that milestone might soon be a thing of the past. Nieuwendyk became the second Joe this season (Sakic was the first) to reach 500, so some might think it's become an ordinary accomplishment. Washington's Jaromir Jagr was only seven away from becoming the 33rd player in NHL history to reach the magic number heading into Saturday's game against Ottawa, and there are several other players that have a realistic shot at getting there in the next few seasons - Pierre Turgeon, Theo Fleury, Jeremy Roenick, Peter Bondra, Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Mogilny, Mike Modano, and Pavel Bure (if he can manage to stay healthy). But after that, 500 goals could be unreachable, just as 300 wins appears to be on its way out in baseball. As Devils' right wing Jamie Langenbrunner pointed out, "You don't see too many guys get 50 goals anymore." Calgary's Jarome Iginla was the only one last season, and he won't come close this season with 14 goals heading into the weekend. Just two players - Vancouver's Markus Naslund and Ottawa's Marian Hossa - are on pace to score 50 this season. "And if you're not scoring 50, it's going to take a lot of years of scoring 40 and 30 to get there," Langenbrunner said. "The game is changing. You just won't see it. You don't see it very often anyway, 32 guys in NHL history. That's not a lot for all the players that have gone through." Consistency and longevity are the keys. And though some NHL players are now extending their careers into their 40s, few of them have proven capable of putting up big numbers year after year. Of the active players with more than 250 goals, only Alexei Yashin and Paul Kariya have played less than 10 seasons (nine each). And the next generation of goal scorers is too far away to count on making it. Naslund is headed for his third 40-goal season in a row, yet he has only 238 career goals in 10 NHL seasons. Hossa already has his third 30-goal season in a row, but 137 career goals is a long way from 500 at that pace. Iginla scored 52 last season, but has never scored more than 31 otherwise. "It's tough to stay on top every year," said the Devils' Patrik Elias, who scored a career-high 40 goals two seasons ago, but will need a great second half this season just to match his total of 29 last year. "You have to realize how tough it is and appreciate the years that you are up there. You look and there are some guys that do that every year. That's amazing. They're great players obviously." One of the few to do so recently has been Jagr. When he scored 31 goals last season, that was considered an off year. With his surge in the last week, including seven points in one game against Florida last Saturday, he's back among the league leaders with 23 goals and 48 points. But Jagr acknowledges that even with the league's crackdown on obstruction this season, the big nights are the exception these days, with teams focusing more on preventing the opposition from scoring than putting the puck in the net themselves. "It's not 1990 anymore," he said. "It's tough to score in this league. You know, it's always hard when you have a big night like that, the confidence comes in and then you feel a lot more excited about hockey. You cannot wait to play the next game again."
Leetch, Bure Take Spins
Brian Leetch (bruised ankle tendon) and Pavel Bure (knee surgeries) both took half-hour skates yesterday. Neither felt he is close to resuming practice with the team, much less playing. "It's definitely better," Leetch said of his ankle injury, which will keep him out of a 21st straight game tonight. "But to be this little better in the last two weeks, when it was still painful, it's still not so good." Leetch also all but ruled out his participation in the All-Star Game, to which he was voted as a starter.
Slap Shots: Pavel Bure Right wing PAVEL BURE, out since Dec. 6 with injuries that required arthroscopic surgery on his knees, said he hoped to return before the Feb. 2 All-Star Game.
"I would hope to be back in a few days, but I don't know," said Bure, who also skated briefly Monday morning. "It seems like every time I have surgery, it's more and more complicated." Bure, who turns 32 on March 31, has had seven operations on his knees.
Notes: Pavel Bure
Right wing Pavel Bure (knee surgery) and defenseman Brian Leetch (bruised left ankle) again skated before yesterday's practice, but neither seem any closer to returning. Bure reported no improvement from his first skates toward the end of last week.
Slump doesn't get Bure down Valeri Bure had to laugh. After putting a game-high five shots on net, and a sixth that banged off the right post, he was the only Panther who could muster a smile after Monday night's 3-2 loss to Montreal. "It's funny to me now, you know?" he said. "I go hard to the net. I take the puck to the net. I hit the post. What can you do? There's nothing I can do." After coming into the season with more career goals (147) than any other Panther, Bure has been stuck on five for 20 games. Combined with a broken wrist that sidelined him for much of December, he hasn't scored in 32 games dating to Nov. 9. "I've been in this situation before," Bure said. "I've had (slumps) pretty close to as long as this one, and once I get out of this they're going to go one after another. There's no worries about that." Bure certainly had chances Monday. He already had beaten goaltender Jose Theodore when he hit the post after a nice feed by Viktor Kozlov. Bure was smiling and shaking his head as he skated to the bench. Kozlov set him up again in the second, but Theodore reacted better this time andstopped him. Moments after that, Bure set up Kozlov on a 2-on-1 rush, but Kozlov mis-hit his shot and Theodore easily gloved it. Bure (20:08), Kozlov (20:34) and Olli Jokinen were the only forwards to play more than 20 minutes. "He's playing about 20 minutes a game now and all a coach can do is put you out in critical situations -- power plays, maybe double-shift you from time to time," coach Mike Keenan said. "I think Kristian (Huselius) is probably in the same kind of funk that Val is, and when those two people don't score, it makes it a little bit more difficult." Huselius has gone 12 games without a goal. Bure said he's working hard, and that has to pay off sooner or later. "It's frustrating, but at the same time I feel good about myself after the game," he said. "If I wasn't working, if I didn't bring something to the game, then I would feel bad inside. But I don't feel bad. I feel great, and I know things will happen."
Bure working to be worth his weight in goals
Late in the first period Monday against Montreal, Valeri Bure took a perfect Viktor Kozlov pass in the slot, slid to his right to create a tremendous scoring chance by getting goalie Jose Theodore out of position, got off the shot he wanted and heard what has become an all-too familiar sound:
Pavel to go on the road trip
Coach BRYAN TROTTIER said Dvorak, defenseman BRIAN LEETCH and right wing PAVEL BURE would accompany the Rangers on their trip, although they would not play. Leetch has missed 24 straight games with a bruised left ankle and Bure has missed 22 after arthroscopic surgery on both knees.
Just a bit of hockey history
It gives me great pleasure to welcome all NHL players, owners, sponsors, honchos and bankruptcy lawyers to All-Star Weekend. I'd welcome the fans, but let's face it, they're not allowed at big sporting events anymore.
Bure might miss rest of season
The Rangers originally were hoping to get Pavel Bure back by this weekend's All-Star break. Now, they may be fortunate if the Russian Rocket returns at all this season. "I'm worried; definitely I'm worried," Bure, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees on Dec. 16, told The Post between periods of yesterday's 7-2 loss to the Caps. "I've been skating every day for the last week, but the pain isn't getting any better. It's bad. "The only thing I can do without pain is go straight ahead, and very slowly. If I try to turn, there's pain. If I do turn, there's so much pain that I can't even go straight anymore." Bure said the knee that's giving him so much trouble is the right one he injured during the preseason, not the left one he injured Dec. 6. "The left one is feeling pretty good, but it's the right one that's bad," Bure, who missed his 23rd straight game yesterday. "I've had five operations and two reconstructions on the right knee. It isn't a normal knee." There is apparently nothing other to do for Bure - who has registered 14 goals in 27 games - but hope that the pain subsides. "I talked to [orthopedic surgeon Dr. Andre Feldman] last Sunday, and he told me that was nothing doctors could do, that it was only a matter of how much pain I could play with," Bure said. "I want to play, this is terrible for me, but I can't." Brian Leetch, meanwhile, who has missed 25 straight, is encouraged by his progress over the last week and may be able to play immediately following next weekend's break.
Bure might miss rest of season
Leetch and RW Pavel Bure continued their rehab programs with post-practice skates yesterday in Atlanta. Leetch has been out since Dec.3 with a severely bruised left ankle tendon. Bure has been out since Dec.6 and underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees Dec.16.
Pavel working out hard RW Pavel Bure and D Brian Leetch worked out hard off the ice yesterday. Bure said his knees, both 'scoped Dec. 16, have improved a lot and he's trying to get to where the joints feel good enough for him to play at a high level.
"The muscles are definitely much better and feeling strong," Bure said. "From the period of the surgery to now it's much better. I could barely walk and now I can skate. But I don't know how long it's going to be." ...
All-star lineups reflect the NHL's constantly changing face
Bryan Trottier relieved of coaching duties New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that head coach Bryan Trottier has been relieved of his coaching duties. A new coach will be named tomorrow prior to the Rangers game vs. the Colorado Avalanche at Madison Square Garden.
Trottier, 46, posted a record of 21-26-6-1 in 54 games behind the New York bench this season. He was named head coach on June 12, 2002 after spending the previous four seasons in the Colorado Avalanche organization, serving as an assistant coach.
Bure: Russian report off mark Pavel Bure emphatically and emotionally last night denied and denounced a story that ran on the front page of a Moscow newspaper yesterday in which he is quoted at length saying he is through for the season and may have to retire as a result of the knee injuries he has sustained this year. "This is nothing but a lie," Bure told The Post. "This writer, Igor Larin, called me on Monday. There has been trouble between him and other Russian players before, and I know that. I told him that I didn't want to talk to him and that I would not talk to him. "Then, I don't know why, maybe because he wanted to get back at me, there is an entire interview that he totally invented in the newspaper where he has me saying that I am through for the season, that I don't know if I'm going to play anymore. He is quoting me saying things that I never said. I didn't say anything to him. "I want people to know the truth about this. I don't know whether I am going to sue or not, but everything in that story is a lie." Bure, who tonight will miss his 25th game in the aftermath of the twin arthroscopies he underwent on Dec. 16, told The Post on Sunday that he is, "worried; definitely worried," because of the amount of pain he still feels in the right knee as skates on his own. "I am doing whatever I can so that I will be able to play this season," he said last night. "I told Glen [Sather] that after I heard about the story in Russia. I want everyone to know that."
Glen Sather to assume head coaching duties New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that he will assume the head coaching responsibilities of the hockey team, effective immediately. Sather, who was named the Rangers’ 12th President and 10th General Manager on June 1, 2000, becomes the 31st Head Coach in franchise history. This will mark the third NHL coaching stint of his professional career, following two separate coaching runs with the Edmonton Oilers (1979-80 through 1988-89 and 1993-94).
In 842 NHL regular season games as Head Coach, Sather compiled a record of 464-268-110 (.616 winning percentage), ranking seventh on the NHL’s all-time coaching list with 464 victories and third with a .616 winning percentage (minimum 400 games coached). In 126 Stanley Cup playoff games, Sather posted a record of 89-37 (.706 winning percentage), ranking fourth on the all-time list for playoff wins with 89 and first with a .706 playoff winning percentage. He received the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL’s Coach of the Year in 1985-86 and is one of only six coaches to coach in five or more NHL All-Star Games.
Glen Sather to assume head coaching duties О завершении карьеры "Русской ракеты" Павла Буре говорят в последнее время слишком часто, но он не намерен сдаваться. В скором времени, вопреки прогнозам, "Рейнджер" хочет вернуться на лед. Он уже приступил к тренировкам, хотя и пребывает в гордом одиночестве. О командных тренировках, правда, пока речи не идет. Впрочем, в "Нью-Йорк Рейнджерс" шансы Буре на возвращение уже в этом сезоне оценивают, как положительные. Все надеются, что это событие произойдет после матча "Всех звезд", который состоится 2 февраля. "Павел особенно много времени уделяет сейчас реабилитации, хотя формально в списке команды и числится пока травмированным на неопределенное время", - говорит представитель нью-йоркского клуба Джейсон Фогел. По его словам, Буре выходит на лед, но пока тренируется один. В середине декабря доктор команды Эндрю Фелдман провел артроскопию обоих коленей хоккеиста, в ходе которой был восстановлен медиальный мениск на правом колене, и опровергнуты опасения легионера о разрыве крестообразной связки левого колена. Предполагалось, что Буре сможет вернуться на лед в конце января. Однако, в интервью газете New York Post Павел заявил, что боль не прошла. "Единственное, что я могу безболезненно делать - медленно ехать по прямой. А если поворачиваю, так больно, что и прямо потом ехать не могу", - заявил хоккеист. По его словам, речь идет о правом колене, на котором ему уже делали "пять операций и две реконструкции", а не о недавно травмированном, которое "заживает нормально". БЛИЦ-ИНТЕРВЬЮ ПАВЛА БУРЕ
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