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Monday, July 28, 1997. Mark Messier signs with CanucksIn a move that has far-reaching implications on Pavel Bure, Vancouver has announced the signing of Messier. Terms were not disclosed but reports say it's a 3 to 5 year deal worth $18 million to $30 million. Messier had always expressed a desire to retire with the New York Rangers, until 2 weeks ago, when negotiations on a new contract soured. Japanese Ad for the Canucks/Ducks GameThe following photo is of the advertisement for the NHL game in Tokyo, where the Vancouver Canucks will open their 1997/98 season.
Superstar Pavel Bure says he has no desire to leave Vancouver. Virtually everyone within NHL circles has heard the rumors about Pavel Bure. The word has been that he has become so disgruntled here in Vancouver that he would either ask for a trade or perhaps even have his whiplashed neck/shoulder progress into a career-ending injury whereby insurance would have to cover the bulk of the remaining $10.5 million US on the two years of his contract. Other NHL players have heard the stories, with some even claiming they'd heard them from the Russian Rocket himself. Bure himself is still saying all the right things. One must assume from his words that unless the Vancouver Canucks initiate a trade, the speedy Russian winger will be at training camp in Whistler in September and he'll be completely healthy. Bure Tuesday said he has not asked to be traded. He says he's happy to be in Vancouver and that after receiving some injections into his back about a month ago he has felt significantly better and he resumed his traditional heavy training about two weeks ago. "I haven't yet seen (Dr.) Ross Davidson but the back is feeling much better," said Bure. "There have been a lot of rumors about me, but they are just that. Rumors. I like Vancouver. After six years I consider it my home. It's one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I just had some friends in and we were talking about that." Bure says he was a little disappointed his World Cup teammate, centre Sergei Nemchinov, will not be returning this season, but seemed resigned to the traditional muddle-through approach taken by general manager Pat Quinn over the past couple of seasons. "Sometimes it's more of a business than anything else," said Bure in response to the fact Nemchinov took the offer that was closer to what has become his home in New York. "There isn't a lot we can do about it." Bure says he regrets his decision not to take time off earlier in the season last year but that he felt at the time he had to play through the pain. "You can always look back and maybe say I was stupid but you can't take time back and change the decision," he says. "Nobody forced me to play or pressured me. I made the decision myself to play. I'm healthy now and I have to make sure that I stay that way." There are any number of teams who would love to lift Bure from the Canucks if the Russian indeed had a clean bill of health, not the least of which would be the Los Angeles Kings who badly need help up front to say nothing of a headline player. But they have nothing to give the Canucks unless it was Rob Blake-plus and there have been no strong indications from the Canucks that they would consider trading their one true self-drafted superstar. On the other Russian star front, Alexander Mogilny remains a Group 2 free agent who decided not to roll the dice on arbitration. No contract proposals have been exchanged between the winger and the hockey club and like many high profile free agents around the league, the lack of progress on contract talks could easily drag into training camp. There have been lots of Mogilny trade rumors as well and there will be as long as contract difficulties remain. Canucks Announce Nine-Game Pre-Season ScheduleRangers, Oilers, Flames and Sharks to visit General Motors Place...Canucks to hold training camp in Whistler, BC for third-straight year July 15, 1997 Vancouver, BC - The Vancouver Canucks will play four games at General Motors Place during their nine-game 1997-98 pre-season schedule including a rare Eastern Conference match-up vs. the New York Rangers on Saturday, Sept. 20th. Following a popular Boston Bruins pre-season appearance last year, this year’s extra visit by the Rangers will once again give local hockey fans the opportunity to see an additional highly sought after game vs. an Eastern Conference team. Teams continuing their rivalry with the Canucks at General Motors Place will be the Edmonton Oilers on Sept. 21st, the Calgary Flames on Sept. 24th and the San Jose Sharks on Sept. 27th. The Canucks will hold training camp in Whistler, BC for the third-straight year from Tuesday, Sept. 9th to Sunday, Sept. 14th. Meadow Park Sports Centre will serve as the hockey facility and The Delta Resort will be the Club’s official headquarters. Following training camp, the Canucks begin their pre-season schedule in Edmonton where they face the Oilers on Sept. 15th. Vancouver faces the Flames in Calgary on Sept. 16th, The Mighty Ducks in Anaheim on the 17th and the Sharks in San Jose on Sept. 18th. The NY Rangers face the Canucks at General Motors Place on Sept. 20th and the Edmonton Oilers are in town on the 21st. Vancouver travels just south of the border to Tacoma WA, on Sept. 23rd to face the Los Angeles Kings and returns home the following night to face the Calgary Flames on Sept. 24th. Vancouver’s final game of the pre-season is Sept. 27th vs. the San Jose Sharks at General Motors Place. The Canucks then travel to Tokyo, Japan on Sept. 29th where they begin the regular season with two games vs. the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim at Yoyogi Arena on Oct. 4th and 5th. The starting times for both games will be 12:00 noon local time (8:00 p.m. PDT on Oct. 3rd and 4th). Vancouver Canucks Season Tickets, 15-Game and 11-Game Ice Paks are available now by calling (604) 899-GOAL (4625).
Japan Venue Site PhotosThe following 3 photos are of the Yoyogi ice-arena in Tokyo, where the Vancouver Canucks will open their 1997/98 season.
US Senate: Russia mafia extortion in NHL more extensive- - July 8, 1997 - - CNNSI.comThe extent of extortion by the Russian mafia among NHL players is greater than previously believed, according to the united States Senate. ESPN, citing a 15-month Senate investigation produced more than 100 interviews with NHl players, officials, owners, team officials and agents, reports that serious conclusions have been made about the Russian mafia's influence among NHL players. There are 50 former Soviet players in the NHL and most of them are Russian. "If you add in people who would know firsthand about extortion that occurred, I would venture to say, based upon our investigation, that a significant percentage of Russian hockey players skating in the NHL have been extorted in some way," Senate investigator Michael Bopp told ESPN. "Based on the sample of players we spoke to, I would conclude that a third of the players had some direct involvement." ESPN made its original report regarding the Russian mob roughly six months ago. At the time, the network cited Vancouver Canucks superstar Pavel Bure's association with a figure in the Russia mafia. Bure acknowledged the relationship, claiming it was legitimate business. The NHL's vice president of security, Dennis Cunningham, does not agree with the Senate's findings, telling ESPN that the number is blown up. "I would say that's inflated as far as I was concerned," Cunningham said. "I was kind of surprised he would pull this number out. We have asked for the specifics and attempted to help him on many occasions. So I'm a little bit surprised he could make that blanket statement. And I'd be happy to speak to him about that." ESPN also cited law enforcement sources in two different countries that the one-third figure is easily accurate and indicates an ongoing problem. Bopp described an unnamed player's run-in with the Russian mafia. "The player at first didn't say anything, denied knowing anything about extortion," Bopp said. "Then the player said, and it seemed almost like a relief, the player told me, Look, `I'll tell you this once, then I'm not going to tell you again, so don't ask me. I'm not going to testify, but I'll tell you about being extorted.' And he proceeded to tell me an involved story lasting a period of several months where he was systematically extorted by an individual that we know to be connected to Russian organized crime. And this extortion included threats to his family, requests of six-figure payments, threats to blow up his car and then actual acts of damaging his property and threatening people he lived with." In addition, the Senate's investigation also uncovered the Russian mafia's entry into the National Basketball association and tennis. "I have heard some evidence of Russian organized crime also attempting to or actually extorting basketball players from the former Soviet Union, and in one instance, a tennis player from the former Soviet Union," Bopp revealed. ESPN cited a source that said an NBA player faced a six-figure payoff to protect his family. The NBA told ESPN that it has no knowledge, rumor or otherwise, of encroachment by the Russian mafia, while the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body of men's tennis, told the network that no player has ever come forward. ESPN's law enforcement said Russian mafia figures were observed at the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Florida earlier this year. Go back to the Headline list
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