News from November 1999


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Another Book report

By Lucas Aykroyd--NHL Correspondent - Euroreport -
Monday, November 29th, 1999

If you blink, Pavel Bure is gone. That's always been the rule with the Russian Rocket since he arrived in the National Hockey League with the Vancouver Canucks in November 1991. Renowned for his one-step acceleration, dazzling stickhandling, and ability to bring even jaded sportswriters to their feet, Bure has led an equally "fast" existence off the ice. And Kerry Banks is the first author to provide a book-length exploration of the mysteries surrounding the 28-year-old superstar who was finally traded to the Florida Panthers last January after holding out on the Canucks for months.

Pavel Bure: The Riddle of the Russian Rocket begins on an ominous note, as its preface discusses the reluctance of many former teammates, coaches and hockey journalists to discuss Bure's life with Banks. Whether this reticence stems from a desire to protect Bure's privacy, mere indifference, or concerns for personal safety is unclear. Recent TV documentaries on PBS and CBC's The Fifth Estate have alleged ties between Bure and the Russian Mafia, also pointing the finger at New York Rangers forward Valeri Kamensky and New Jersey Devils assistant coach Viacheslav Fetisov.

But while the book questions the wisdom of Bure's choice in off-ice associates, it does not dwell on this issue at the expense of chronicling his hockey exploits. From Bure's childhood, when his father wanted him to become an Olympic swimmer, to his adolescent flowering with the Soviet national junior team, the Rocket's launch toward stardom is thoroughly analyzed. Banks has apparently tracked down every report published on Bure during his career in Vancouver. He brings his reader details of such little-known incidents as Pavel's first encounter with Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey during a junior tour of Canada, or his purchase of a new Lada after the 1990 world championships.

Banks' elegantly crafted prose captures the magic of Bure's first three years in Vancouver, those for which he is most fondly remembered on the West Coast. Highlights include Bure's Calder Trophy-winning debut alongside Igor Larionov; his back-to-back 60-goal seasons; and his run to the 1994 Stanley Cup finals with the Canucks, where he cashed in on opposing netminders 17 times, just two shy of the playoff record shared by Reggie Leach and Jari Kurri.

Even for the hockey fan who is less enamored of Bure than, say, Trevor Linden or Mark Messier, the book provides a comprehensive survey of the franchise's history in the 1990s. This in itself makes the book worth owning.

Bure has been dubbed a businessman on and off the ice, and the biography traces his eventual downfall in Vancouver to his signing of a $25 million U.S. contract after the Stanley Cup run. It's not so much that Bure's effort deteriorated after landing his big deal, Banks opines. But a combination of injuries and backroom struggles with Vancouver management sapped his desire to play for the Canucks. Which, of course, ultimately led to his acrimonious departure for Florida after too many messy seasons and coaching changes with his original team.

As noted before, much of Bure's life away from the rink remains shrouded in mystery. It's still not one hundred percent clear what the root of his refusal to play for the Canucks anymore was. Nor do we know the precise reason for Bure's severing of ties with his father and personal trainer Vladimir. However, excellent detective work by Banks has resulted in such tidbits as the tracking down of Bure's "first wife," an explanation of the Rocket's switch to number 96 before the 1995-96 campaign, and extra details on his Mafia connections.

One suspects questions will always linger. As he showed in his encounter with the media during his 5 November return to Vancouver with the Panthers, Bure simply doesn't want to shed light on anything he does outside playing hockey. But as Banks notes, "The sense of mystery that surrounds Bure's personality has only enhanced his allure." Pavel Bure: The Riddle of the Russian Rocket provides the best glimpse beyond Bure's veil of secrecy that you're ever likely to find.

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Another Book article

-- Vancouver magazine - November issue
Sunday, November 28th, 1999


  1            2         3       4    5   6

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Another day another goal

Saturday, November 27th, 1999

Pavel Bure scored a goal in tonight's 3-0 win over the Atlanta Thrashers.

Bure capped the scoring late in the second period with his ninth goal. Bret Hedican whipped a pass from the left point and Bure one-timed it inside the right goalpost.

He had five shots on goal in the game and was a plus one for the night.

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Questions about Russian mafia and players must end

By Keith Gave-- CBS Sports
Friday, November 26th, 1999


Pavel Bure is one Russian NHL star suspected of having connections to Russian mobsters.

To many Russians, including those performing in the National Hockey League, the notion of organized crime in their country is laughable. In fact, the idea of anything being organized amid the chaos of monumental economic and social change is preposterous.

Yet some prominent Russian hockey players can't seem to skate past allegations of close and continuous associations with shadowy figures of what has become known, at least outside the former Soviet Union, as the Russian Mafia.

"What is this Russian Mafia?" asked Slava Fetisov, the New Jersey Devils assistant coach. "I never heard this term until I came to the U.S. and saw American movies."

Fetisov may be the best player ever produced in Russia, a former captain of the famed Soviet Red Army club who helped kick down the Iron Curtain and pave the way for Russians to seek their fortunes in North America's NHL. Even past his prime, he starred in New Jersey before helping Detroit win Stanley Cup titles in 1997 and 1998.

So powerful are his connections back home that some believe Fetisov could, like basketball's Bill Bradley, win a popular election to his country's highest office in a landslide -- with his friend Russian President Boris Yeltin's blessing.

Yet one of Fetisov's associations with a former business partner has come under scrutiny, as has a friendship Florida star Pavel Bure maintains with a reputed Russian mob figure. The two were featured in an hour-long television show seen in both Canada and the United States, but the NHL remained largely unconcerned.

"The league takes very seriously any allegations of potential influence of a Russian criminal element on the game or its players and has been closely monitoring the situation since 1996," said William Daley, the NHL's executive vice president and chief legal counsel. "If it were ever to become necessary, the league would act swiftly and appropriately.

"Even though many of these allegations made most recently in a CBC show called Major Misconduct (and shown on PBS in the United States) originated in 1996 and have been the subject of numerous investigations, not a single NHL player has ever been arrested or indicted or had their visa privileges revoked in Canada or in the U.S. on charges stemming from or related to an involvement in or association with organized crime."

In other words, the so-called Russian mob and its relationship to NHL stars is a non-story that won't seem to die. The league's position is that it's a dead horse. The horse was born dead. And no amount of smacking it with a stick will bring it to life, no matter how hard some so-called journalists try.

Some facts are irrefutable, of course. In the absence of the iron-fisted KGB that maintained order under Communist rule until 1989, crime is rampant and fortunes are being made outside what passes for the law in Russia. It is inevitable that hockey players who become stars in Russia cross paths with some people with questionable reputations.

In Russia, laws have but one function: to increase the power of the bureaucrats and other self-described businessmen. The real law there is: "You pay, and I'll make an exception;" or, "It depends on who you are and whether you hurt me or reward me."

There are basically two kinds of laws in today's Russia: all-encompassing, so that a bureaucrat can squeeze a bribe from every inch of legal territory under his control, or vague, so that everything would depend on the interpretation and good will of the bureaucrat. Laws are generally unpublished, so that every citizen needs a bureaucrat even to know what's right or wrong. They are severe, in order to scare a citizen into giving more. And they are largely unenforced, so that people can live.

So what is it in Russia that serves to organize this crowd of individuals, devoid of the shelter provided by law? Quite simply, the nation is ruled, and the peace generally kept, by informal personal relationships. It is the fabric of Russian society.

In Russia, every entrepreneur -- hockey players among them -- learns as soon as he opens his doors for business that he is breaking some law, regulation or instruction. And of course, he is told that the consequences for violating these regulations are very severe. So the businessman takes out a kind of insurance policy. Russians call it a krysha, literally meaning roof. Krysha is a person or an organization that can protect you from trouble as you do business. It usually involves sharing profits and often giving up some control over the business.

There are two types of krysha. One is connected to the state, and it's purpose is to bend laws in your favor, like the city inspector in an American city who takes a bribe for overlooking the roaches in a restaurant's kitchen. The other is the criminal krysha, one that protects by sheer force. In Russia -- whether or not Fetisov has heard about it -- this element is called the mafia. Its primary weapon is intimidation, its tactics often brutal.

Which type is better? In Russia, there is little debate. Most businessmen in Russia try to have both. And it is the relationship of your krysha with other kryshas that determine a businessman's fate.

What does this have to do with hockey players? Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. Do hockey players have kryshas? Perhaps not, but many of them do maintain serious personal relationships with so-called businessmen back home in a way of life most North Americans cannot begin to understand.

Some, like Fetisov, Bure and Detroit's Sergei Fedorov, travel freely around Moscow when they return home, unencumbered by threats or worries of extortion -- or worse. Others, like Slava Kozlov, Fedorov's teammate in Detroit, won't travel back and forth from Voskresensk, about two hours from Moscow, without an armed bodyguard. Still others, like Dallas' Sergei Zubov, have curtailed their visits to Russia.

It's virtually impossible to engage a Russian player in a conversation about organized crime. To talk about it simply lends credence to a story blown far out of proportion, they say. Fetisov, especially, is angered by the allegations.

"I have done nothing wrong," he said. "But every time this stuff comes up, it makes me look bad. It hurts me. I have nothing else to say about it."

The NHL has conducted its own investigations, attempting to talk with every Russian player in the league about the issue. It's primary concern, after the safety of its players, is the potential to fix a game for the purposes of gambling. It has found no wrongdoing.

"After separate investigations by the National Hockey League's security department, its independent expert on Russian organized crime, and the FBI, there is no evidence of any instance in which an NHL game had been 'fixed,' or even any instance of an attempt to 'fix' an NHL game," Daly said.

"While many of these allegations are serious, the reputations of our athletes are valuable and well-earned, and we have no desire to taint them unjustly or without adequate evidence and substantiation. Deprivation of a person's livelihood is not an action the National Hockey League takes lightly or without good cause."

That said, it's time for a moratorium on gossip regarding the Russian mafia's influence on the NHL. Let's end the witch hunt.

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Home sounds good for Panthers

-- Slam! Sports
Friday, November 26th, 1999

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) -- This is why Pavel Bure loves hockey.

The Florida Panthers star scored a goal and assisted on two others in a 6-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Friday night. The victory came two days after a 6-1 loss to Philadelphia.

"That is what's so great about this game," Bure said. "You lose 6-1 and 48 hours later you win 6-2. That's why I love this game. It's not as easy as it looks, because we had that really bad game against Philly and we were trying to bounce back. It's just great."

Florida scored four goals in an 11-minute span in the second period, and Trevor Kidd made 39 saves as the Panthers improved to 9-2-1 at home and 6-0-1 when Bure scores.

"I wish there would be more games like this," Panthers coach Terry Murray said. "It was a wide open game; fun for the fans and fun for us."

Radek Dvorak and Ray Whitney scored goals in the opening minutes of the second, sending goalie Mike Richter to the bench and giving the Panthers a 3-1 lead.

Richter's replacement, Kirk McLean, did not fair much better.

The Panthers scored twice on McLean in the second. Viktor Kozlov scored a power-play goal at 11:49, and Scott Mellanby added a goal 27 seconds later to make it 5-1.

The four second-period goals were a season high for the Panthers.

"Consistency certainly hasn't been there," Rangers right wing John MacLean said. "We got embarrassed, and it keeps happening. We go brain dead for certain periods of a time, and it hurts."

New York played without star defenseman Brian Leetch for the first time this season. He is expected to be sidelined 6-8 weeks after fracturing his right forearm Wednesday against Tampa Bay.

The Panthers scored first when Jaroslav Spacek beat Richter with a wrist shot at 11:38 of the first period.

The Rangers tied it at 19:37 on Kim Johnsson's second goal of the season. Johnsson slipped a shot past Trevor Kidd from just inside the blue line off a faceoff.

Bure started the scoring onslaught in the second with a perfect crossing pass to Kozlov, whose shot rebounded off Richter to Dvorak, who was alone in front of the net.

Bure, scoreless in the last four games, beat McLean in the third period for the Russian star's eighth goal in 14 games this season.

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Bure breaks out..

Friday, November 26th, 1999


Pavel Bure (10) scores late in the third period against New York Rangers goaltender Kirk McLean (30) in Sunrise, Fla., Friday, Nov. 26,1999. The Panthers won 6-2.(AP Photo/Gary I. Rothstein) -PBFC

Bure scored his first goal in five games and second this month to make it 6-1 just over five minutes into the third. Bure fooled McLean with a wrister from the slot at 5:02 of the third to give the Panthers a 6-1 lead.

"As soon as we'd see Pavel Bure take off, we tried to play the same way: fancy hockey," Mathieu Schneider said. "There aren't too many Pavel Bures in the league. We certainly don't have one."

"Usually, it's really hard when you don't score goals for so many games, but you just have to keep trying," Bure said. "Even tonight, I could have scored three or four goals, but I scored only one."

Pavel was a plus two for the game with six shots on goal.

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Bure held scoreless in loss

Wednesday, November 24th, 1999


Pavel Bure takes a shot during first-period action.

Pavel was held to just two shots on goal in tonight's 6-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

He was a minus one for the night in the plus minus column.

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Bure ready to break out

By Brian Biggane-- Palm Beach Interactive
Wednesday, November 24th, 1999

SUNRISE *** Coaches see the subtleties the rest of us miss. So when coach Terry Murray says he noticed signs that Pavel Bure was starting to find his game in the Florida Panthers' win against Pittsburgh on Saturday, it should amount to an all-points-bulletin for the rest of the NHL.

"I really felt he started to take control of the last half of that game," Murray said Tuesday as the Panthers prepared for tonight's game against Philadelphia at the National Car Rental Center. "We're starting to see a very confident player again."

Tonight will mark the first time this season -- and the first time since he played the first seven games upon his arrival in January -- that Bure will play a fifth straight game.

Injuries to his knee, groin and now the finger have made him a spectator at all but 23 of the 84 games the Panthers have played since he was acquired. This year he's fifth on the team in scoring with seven goals and four assists.

He has a right to be frustrated. Yet he insists he is not.

"I'm really enjoying right now," he said, "because I don't remember the last time I was playing and my team was on top of the NHL. That's a great feeling, and it makes a huge difference."

Bure's finger is only halfway through the six-week healing process. The nail remains black, he must wear a cast to play and he can't grip a stick properly -- all of which have a lot to do with the fact he has one goal and one assist in his four games since returning.

But as the feeling and flexibility have begun to return, so has his game.

"Right now it's really important to play as many games as possible without being injured again," he said. "I've been in five games, out three, and that's hard. You can't just go in and start to play; you have to keep playing."

"When he gets that consistency," Murray said, "we're going to see all the things he's going to be able to do for us over the long haul.

"In that Pittsburgh game we started to see him show what he can do to take control of games."

Murray hopes to hasten that process by pairing Bure with Ray Whitney, the team's leading scorer and most gifted passer. Whitney once had 113 assists in junior hockey and now has a team-high 13 despite getting few opportunities to play alongside Bure.

"I want Pavel to end up with the puck a little more in scoring situations," said Murray, who put Radek Dvorak at left wing on the same line, which made its debut Saturday.

Of course, Murray has tried just about everyone else in the same role. Viktor Kozlov started there, Oleg Kvasha had a shot, and most recently there was Rob Niedermayer, who somewhat surprisingly described the experience as relaxing.

"Pavel's the kind of guy who really relaxes you on the ice," Niedermayer said. "He's real positive. Even after you get a goal scored on you he's like, `Come on, let's get it back, let's get it back.' I love playing with him."

If Bure is bothered by the fact he's fifth in team scoring, it doesn't show. And if he's bothered by the fact the Panthers take a back seat to the Dolphins on the daily sports pages, that doesn't show either.

"There's no way we're going to compete with the Dolphins," he said. "What's important is the people who are coming out to support us. We don't hear much booing; they're always behind you. It's a good feeling to have that support; that's why we're doing so well (8-1-1) at home."

Since Bure helped Vancouver to the Stanley Cup finals in 1993-94, his teams have missed the playoffs the past four years and haven't won a playoff round in five. While he knows his health is a big key, he's excited about where the Panthers are headed.

"We're winning some big games and we feel we can win the (Eastern) conference," he said. "We can compete against any team in the league, if we play the way we can. What we have to do right now is keep the confidence growing and get more consistency."

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Bure proves one player can make a team better

By Larry Wigge-- The Sporting News
Wednesday, November 24th, 1999

He's in the lineup one night *** and out the next with an injury. You see that chihuahua selling chalupas on television more often. So how, Pavel Bure's critics want to know, can the Panthers justify paying this fancy-skating winger close to $50 million over six years?

Easy. You don't calculate Bure's value to South Florida on a per-game basis. Even when he's not in the lineup, there's an aura of Pavelmania in the Panthers locker room. You can feel it.

"He works just as hard at practice as he does in the games," linemate Rob Niedermayer says. "You constantly judge your improvement to his level of play. And even when he's not around, you find yourself doing those same things to get better.

"It's sort of like just being in the building with Michael Jordan. There's just a special sort of feeling in the air."

And in today's watered-down NHL, thanks to expansion, one player can take a team to a different level.

"The league is so close that by acquiring one player or one asset you can step ahead of two or three teams," Blues GM Larry Pleau says. "It's almost like climbing the steps two steps at a time."

So, when you add a two-time 60-goal scorer like Bure, then trade for goaltender Trevor Kidd, defenseman Todd Simpson and sign defenseman Lance Pitlick and right winger Ray Sheppard as free agents, you can see why the Panthers are off to an 11-7-2 start.

"That doesn't even count the improvement of kids like Jaroslav Spacek, Viktor Kozlov, Radek Dvorak and Oleg Kvasha," Panthers coach Terry Murray says. "Pavel has made an impression on every player on our roster."

Last season, the team was 5-2-4 in games Bure started and finished. The Panthers averaged 3.18 goals per game with him in the lineup and 2.46 without him. The presence of Pavel Bure has made the rest of this lineup believers in the power of positive thinking.

On a scale of 1-to-10, I ask Murray how he would rate his team's performances this season as compared to last year's initial spurt with Bure in the lineup.

"On most nights, we're a 5 or a 6," Murray answers quickly and enthusiastically. "And on some nights we're up to a 7 or 8."

Giving Kidd a chance to be the No. 1 goalie has added a flair in the nets the Panthers haven't had since John Vanbiesbrouck's 1995-96 season when he took the team to the Stanley Cup finals. Kidd gives Florida a chance to win every night.

Simpson, a great plus-minus player in Calgary last season, adds a nastiness on defense. Pitlick brings a steadiness on defense and in moving the puck up the ice.

And Sheppard is a former 50-goal scorer who, at 33 last season, had 25 goals and 33 assists for Carolina.

The moves made by Panthers general manager Bryan Murray, along with his philosophy of giving youngsters the opportunity for development, are providing a blueprint general managers should follow into the new millennium.

Of course, it all started with the two-month investment in time before the Panthers were able to acquire Bure from the Canucks last January.

"When my owner comes to me and asks if we should be making that kind of a commitment and I answer 'yes,' then I'd better be sure we are getting the kind of product that is worth almost $50 million," Murray says. "I've been in this game a long time, and this is the first time I've recommended spending that kind of money on one player. That's a lot of money and it had better be well-spent."

The Penguins found out first-hand how Bure can make players around him better on November 20. Even players like Mike Wilson, a 6-6 defenseman, who came into this season with 11 goals in 235 NHL games.

Bure took a pass from Ray Whitney and slipped a cross-ice pass through two defensemen to Wilson. All Wilson had to do was flip the puck into an empty net for his second goal of the season and a 2-1 overtime victory.

"It's like he's Tiger Woods driving the ball 300 yards and hitting a great iron shot to the green, and all I have to do is tap it in for a birdie," Wilson says, smiling.

Opponents just nod in respect for the talent -- and presence -- Bure brings to the Panthers.

"You can see the confidence on their faces when Pavel is around," Penguins coach Kevin Constantine says. "Give him an inch, and he'll find an opening and either score the winner or set it up."

Not only have the players responded to having Pavel Bure around. When he's on the ice, every pair of eyes is watching him.

"When he has the puck, it brings people out of their seats—and he brings us to our feet on the bench," Whitney says. "There aren't many players in hockey who can do that."

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ANNA: up for grabs

By Richard Johnson-- New York Post
Monday, November 22nd, 1999

NOW that Anna Kounikova has been dropped as Martina Hingis' doubles partner, the self-proclaimed virgin has plenty of time to date. A source close to the Russian sexpot says the party POV mag is throwing for its 18-year-old covergirl tonight at Caviarteria has more to do with meeting eligible men than the launch of her Web site. We last saw Kournikova making eyes at the Florida Panthers' Pavel Bure, mere days after she publicly labeled longtime squeeze Sergei Federov "just a friend." Our tipster says "Only athletes, actors and models need apply."

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Bure passes the puck for Panther win

By Brian Biggane-- Palm Beach Interactive
Sunday, November 21st, 1999

Defenseman Mike Wilson put Bure's pass on a 2-on-1 into an all-but-empty net with 2:03 remaining in overtime, giving the Florida Panthers a 2-1 victory against Pittsburgh in front of 16,349 at the National Car Rental Center.

The win -- made somewhat easier by the fact Jaromir Jagr was back in Pittsburgh nursing a thigh injury -- gave the Panthers (11-7-2) the league's best home record at 8-1-1. Pittsburgh dropped to 5-10-3.

Ray Whitney hit Bure with a breakout pass and Wilson got behind Pittsburgh forward Martin Straka to create the 2-on-1 against defenseman Brad Werenka. With both Werenka and goaltender Jean-Sebastian Aubin cheating toward Bure, Wilson had an easy tap-in once Bure lifted his backhand pass over Werenka's stick.

"If you saw us two coming down the ice, who are you going to take?" Wilson said with a smile after scoring his second goal and first game-winner as a Panther.

"I could see Pavel looking at me all the way after he got over the blue line. He made such a great pass I couldn't miss."

"It feels great," said Bure, who picked up his first point in three games on the play. "It's always great when you win in overtime. We have to build team confidence, and it's important to win at home."

The Panthers showed character after Trevor Kidd allowed an innocent looking 60-foot shot by Stephen Leach to slip through his pads just 4:05 into the game. But Kidd was excellent the rest of the way, stopping the next 21 shots he faced.

"It's not what I wanted to do," Kidd said of the Leach goal on the first Penguins shot. "There wasn't enough focus or concentration."

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Bure's assist powers Cats over Penguins, 2-1

By David J Neal-- Miami Herald
Sunday, November 21st, 1999


Florida Panthers' Ray Whitney, left, and Pavel Bure, right, hug Mike Wilson after he scored the game-winning goal.

Sneer all you want that 6-6 Panthers defenseman Mike Wilson doesn't hit anything. Saturday night in overtime, Wilson hit the open net Pavel Bure presented him to give the Panthers a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh.

''I couldn't miss that net,'' Wilson said. ''Pavel made such a great pass.''

Until that moment, at 2:57 of overtime, it appeared as if the Panthers were going to unwrap a tie from the gift of a home game against the Eastern Conference's No. 11 team -- a team that was missing injured superstar Jaromir Jagr.

Though the Panthers generally had the better of the play, the Pens would suddenly pop up with a stunning scoring chance. German Titov, who hit the left post in the second, and Alexei Morozov seemed to teleport themselves into the slot at times.

''They spring that weak-side guy open, who [then] generates something out of the offensive zone,'' Panthers coach Terry Murray said.

When Florida's Ray Whitney interrupted one of those east-west passes in the slot, Wilson and Bure took off into the neutral zone. Whitney headmanned the puck to Bure, while Wilson burst ahead of Pittsburgh's Martin Straka.

Bure came over the Pittsburgh line and stared down Wilson, on his left and on the other side of Pittsburgh defenseman Brad Werenka.

''If you see us two coming down, who are you going to take?'' Wilson laughed.

Any goalie knows if he cheats at all on the pass, a shooter like Bure will bury it between the legs or on the short side. So, once Bure laid a pass beyond Werenka, goalie Jean-Sebastian Aubin had no chance on Wilson's rap into a yawning net.

The Panthers stay four points ahead of Carolina in the Southeast Division and haven't lost in regulation when Trevor Kidd (9-2-2) is in goal.

Attempting to jump start an offense that had been shut out Thursday in St. Louis and shut down most of Wednesday's game in Colorado, Murray jumbled the lines Saturday night.

Whitney was moved to center, where he played with Bure and Radek Dvorak, who had three goals in three games going into Saturday. On the second line, Ray Sheppard was kept on the left side, with center Viktor Kozlov, who scored the first Florida goal, and right wing Mark Parrish.

Rob Niedermayer centered a third line with Ryan Johnson moved from center to left wing and Scott Mellanby on the right. Struggling Oleg Kvasha was dropped to left wing on the fourth line with Chris Wells and Paul Laus.

The Panthers outshot Pittsburgh, 10-1, in the first 9:17. But the count on successful shots was 1-0, Pittburgh, on Steve Leach's dump-in from the food court at Sawgrass Mills.

OK, so it was only 85 feet or so, but that might as well be the mall across the street when you're talking about a floater that bounced, changed direction and snuck past Kidd.

''On the bench after the goal was scored, all we said was, 'Let's go get it back,' '' Murray said. ''Kidd has made a lot of big stops for us in a lot of games this year to allow us to get a point out of it.''

The Penguins, once the victims of the NHL's tolerance of hooking and holding, now clutch and grab like an affectionate family. Appropriately, four of the game's first five power plays came from restraining fouls called on Pittsburgh.

The Panthers could not score with their first four power plays Saturday night. That changed when they worked the puck down to a two-on-one down low, with Bure outside the right post and Kozlov walking out of the left corner. Kozlov beat Aubin between the legs to tie the score, 1-1.

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Bure sets up game-winning overtime goal

By Michael Russo-- Sun-Sentinel
Sunday, November 21st, 1999

Pavel Bure tried and tried to end his goal-scoring slump Saturday night. He wasn't able to, but he'll settle for the game-winning assist.

Defenseman Mike Wilson, in clutch fashion, banged Bure's 2-on-1 feed into an open net with 2:03 left in overtime to give the Panthers a dramatic 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"I couldn't miss that net," Wilson said. "If you saw us two coming, if you were the goalie, who would you take?"

Youngster Jean-Sebastien Aubin, who didn't deserve the fate he got -- he was marvelous all night, with 33 saves -- took the sniper, but the sniper, who has two goals in six games, gave the puck up.

"Pavel stumbled at the blue line, but he was looking at me all the way," Wilson said. "He put it on my tape, so there was nothing else I could do but score."

And score Wilson did, his second of the season, to lift the Panthers (11-7-2-2) to their fifth win in six games. They improved their NHL-best record at home to 8-1-1, having gotten a point in all 10 games they've played here. It was the perfect finish to the start of a four-game homestand that still has the Flyers and Rangers coming to town.

Trevor Kidd's first night as the clear-cut No. 1 goalie after the trade of Sean Burke started rocky enough, but it ended with him leading the Panthers to a point for the 13th time in 13 starts.

He improved to 9-2-2 (the two losses gave the Panthers points because they came in overtime) and lowered his goals against average to under 2.

After allowing a goal from 15 feet inside the red line on the first shot he saw, Kidd closed the door the rest of the way with 21 saves.

"On the bench right after the goal was scored, everybody was just saying, 'Let's go get it back,'" coach Terry Murray said. "There was nothing more said than that. Kidd has made a lot of big stops for us in a lot of games this year to allow us to get a point out of it and everybody wanted to play hard for him."

The Panthers did tie the game on a rare goal by Viktor Kozlov at 16:55 of the second.

Kozlov has been the most snakebitten Panthers forward this season, scoring only his fourth Saturday. The goal was his first since an empty netter Oct. 20, snapping a 12-game drought. It was actually his first goal with a goalie in net since Oct. 6, snapping an incomprehensible 17-game span.

The goal came on the power play when Kozlov took Ray Whitney's pass from along the half boards at the goal line. Kozlov did the right thing by driving the net and taking a shot, ignoring the temptation to get cute and try and hit Bure at the back door. The Panthers tried that play three times on the evening, and couldn't convert each time.

Kozlov's shot, moments after Robert Svehla banged the post, slipped between Aubin's pads.

"The power-play goal was a breath of hope," Murray said.

The Panthers might consider themselves fortunate that they even got another power play. Referees Blaine Angus and Dan Marouelli awarded the Panthers five straight power plays compared to none for Pittsburgh when they finally scored.

The Panthers failed on the first four, but they had the right idea on each as they shot the puck, taking nine shots before the fifth power play.

Kozlov's goal snapped an 0-for-17 dry spell after a 6-for-12 spurt before Bure's return from a groin injury last week against Buffalo.

The Panthers outshot Pittsburgh 26-12 through two periods, and 35-22 for the game. At one point, they were outshooting the Pens 10-1 in the first. But that one shot was a doozy, an 85-foot shot from just inside the red line by right winger Stephen Leach.

The puck bounced the entire way to Kidd, then bounced again at the last second to hop over his stick and through his pads.

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BURE ON MOROZOV: JUST BE PATIENT

By Dave Molinari-- Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Sunday, November 21st, 1999

SUNRISE, Fla. - It's easier nowadays for European players to adjust to the NHL. But that doesn't mean it's easy.

Penguins winger Aleksey Morozov, for example, still is adjusting to a new language, a new culture and a different style of hockey than he was used to in his native country of Russia. Morozov is in his third NHL season.

Florida Panthers star Pavel Bure, who was Morozov's teammate on the 1998 Russian Olympic team, advises people to stay patient with Morozov. Bure was one of the Eastern European trail blazers in the NHL. He came from Moscow to Vancouver in 1991.

"It was really hard. It was new. People asked me for everything. It took at least four years to adjust," Bure said Saturday after the Panthers' morning skate. "I came over when I was 20. It's just different here. It's the food, the culture, even the jokes. When you're 20, you're not a kid, but you're not a man yet."

Dealing with media pressure was one of the hardest parts of the transition, Bure said.

"In Russia, it's totally normal if someone asks you a personal question to say, `Well, it's none of your business,' and people understand,'|" he said. "Here, you can't really say that. They say, `Why are you so rude?' You're like, `Why am I rude? I didn't say anything wrong; I said it's none of your business, because it's not.' It takes time to understand. But if you live here, if you work here, you have to respect the culture. You have to adjust yourself."

Bure is one of the NHL's new wave of superstars, and he plays the role of ambassador quite well. He touched on a number of other subjects yesterday:

  • On carrying a team: "First of all, it's impossible these days. The whole team has to work together. What's good about this team is that everybody does something. That's why Detroit was winning Stanley Cups. Yeah, they had superstars. But they have those other guys who score big goals."

  • On the new-style NHL defensemen: "I remember when I started, there were lots of guys who were big and tough, but they couldn't really skate well. Now they're even bigger, but they skate like forwards. The game is changing. I wouldn't say I could go and beat anybody. It's really hard nowadays."

  • On whether the NHL is opening up offensively: "In overtime, yes. But other than that, I wouldn't say so. Everybody is playing well defensively. Last year, nobody scored 50 goals. Once, when I scored 60 goals, I was fifth in the league. Sixty goals and I was fifth! Obviously, something is different."

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    Panthers winger Bure speed-of-light threat to Penguins' defense

    By Dave Molinari-- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Saturday, November 20th, 1999

    He isn't even the best right winger in the game.

    The guy who holds all those distinctions -- a fellow named Jaromir Jagr -- is sitting in Pittsburgh, nursing a sore thigh muscle.

    But Bure just might be the fastest player in hockey; he isn't known as "The Russian Rocket" just because the alliteration is nice. And Bure, whose game is a riveting blend of speed and skill, almost certainly is the most electrifying talent in the league.

    "He's pure energy," Penguins defenseman Brad Werenka said.

    Performing damage-control against Bure will be one of the Penguins' primary challenges when they face Florida at 7:38 tonight at the National Car Rental Center.

    They actually have done reasonably well against him over the years -- Bure has seven goals and two assists in 11 career games against the Penguins -- but he could give those numbers a new look in a heartbeat.

    His ability to exploit the tiniest flaw in a defense, exposing and exploiting a hole almost instantly, make Bure a game-breaker with few, if any, peers. And one of hockey's most entertaining performers.

    "He excites the fans and he excites the team," Werenka said. "He's a pace-setter.

    "Sometimes you might be a little [sluggish], but if you've got him, he jumps in and gets the puck and takes off. All of a sudden, everybody's awake."

    And, as often as not, on their feet, because Bure has the kind of gifts that pull a crowd out of its seats. He's not the only NHL player who can do that, of course; guys like Jagr and Anaheim's tandem of Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya have the same knack.

    But even though Selanne and Kariya, among others, have exceptional speed, Bure probably ranks a half-notch or so above them.

    "Kariya and Selanne pose certain problems, but [Bure] is all-out speed," Werenka said. "He sees the hole, and hits it. There are guys like him, but he's definitely unique in what he does."

    Bure broke the pinkie on his left hand two weeks ago but declined to have surgery that would have forced him to sit out for several weeks.

    "It's always fun to play because I hate to just hang around the gym and ride a bike," he said. "It's not what I choose in my life. I choose to play hockey."

    The injury seems to be affecting his game somewhat, because he has been held without a point in each of the Panthers' past two games -- a 2-1 victory in Colorado Wednesday and a 3-0 defeat in St. Louis Thursday.

    His legs haven't been affected, though, and they might be Bure's greatest asset, although it should be noted that he is shifty and creative, not just fast, when carrying the puck.

    "He's a unique player," Penguins defenseman Darius Kasparaitis said. "I practiced with him this summer, and during the practices, I watched him skate and make some moves that were amazing."

    Precisely how the Penguins will try to neutralize him remains to be seen.

    They used Werenka and his defense partner, Michal Rozsival, against Kariya and Selanne during a game in Anaheim last month, and might do the same tonight.

    They also might try to match a five-man unit against Bure's line.

    Regardless of who draws the assignment, there are a few keys to containing Bure. The most important is for the defensemen to keep themselves between him and the net.

    "If he gets the puck [behind the defense], there's no way you're going to catch him," Kasparaitis said. "You always have to keep him in front of you and try to keep your feet moving."

    It also will be critical for the defenseman to maintain a good "gap," the space between themselves and Bure when play is moving toward the Penguins' zone.

    "You can't give him too much space between him and you," Werenka said. "Because once you get too big of a space, in the time it takes to close it, he's got a lot of speed, and you could be in trouble."

    Getting too close to Bure can be risky, too, because he is adept at dodging checks. Trying to hit him along the boards is dangerous; doing in when he has room to maneuver is downright foolish.

    "You don't play physical against a guy like him in open ice," Werenka said.

    Bure is chugging along at just below a point-per-game pace -- he has seven goals and three assists in 11 games -- and is unquestionably the dominant presence on the Panthers' roster. He is not, however, Florida's only formidable talent.

    "If you just focus on him, you can get in trouble," Werenka said. "They've got some good players."

    One who might command a lot of attention tonight is right winger Radek Dvorak, who has four goals in Florida's past five games and provided the impetus for a four-game winning streak that ended Thursday.

    The Penguins also will have to worry about containing the likes of left winger Ray Whitney, defenseman Robert Svehla and centers Viktor Kozlov and Rob Niedermayer.

    Still, there's no question Bure is the driving force behind Florida's offense. After all, the Panthers are 6-3-2 when he's played this season, 4-4 when he's been injured.

    Those numbers are a lot like those Florida put up last season. The Panthers were 5-4-2 when Bure played -- 5-2-2 when he didn't leave the game early -- and 25-30-16 when he wasn't in their lineup.

    Anyone tempted to dismiss that as a coincidence should be aware that Bure rang up 13 goals and three assists in the 11 games in which he appeared last season. Clearly, he's one guy who can have a profound impact on how successful his team is.

    "The record makes that real, real obvious," Penguins Coach Kevin Constantine said. "It's great with him, and not nearly as good without him. That's typical of a great player."

    Even though there's nothing else typical about Pavel Bure.

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    Hey, Pavel - Wassup with you and Kournikova?


    By Jose Lambiet-- Sun-Sentinel
    Friday, November 19th, 1999

    Panthers superstar Pavel Bure really is the Russian Rocket.

    How else can you explain this: Bure was seen flirting with tennis prodigy Anna Kournikova, her mother and a former Russian beauty queen in a Manhattan restaurant early Monday morning, then turned up for practice in Sunrise bright-eyed and bushy-tailed by 9:30 a.m.

    Insider spies in Gotham swear the steel-nerved goal scorer was spotted at the Russian Samovar eatery on West 52nd Street shortly before 1 a.m., sampling with a party of 10 some of the joint's 150 flavors and brands of vodka.

    With him was Kournikova, the 18-year-old on-again, off-again girlfriend of Detroit Red Winger Sergei Fedorov. Also there: Kournikova's mother who, in a mini-miniskirt and white fur hat, looked as young as her kid.

    "The mother was flirting with Pavel," said Roman Kaplan, co-owner of the restaurant with ballet great Mikhail Baryshnikov. "But then, she was flirting with me, too."

    Kournikova only had eyes for the oft-injured Bure, and threw a hissy when she noticed Bure's baby-blues shifting to former Miss USSR Julia Sukhanova. The tennis babe then left, alone, while Bure picked up the $800-tab.

    Panthers spokesman Mike Hanson said Sunday was a day off, and as long as Bure was back on time for practice, he could do whatever he pleased. Through Hanson, however, Bure was asked about the 2,600-mile escapade to a restaurant sometimes frequented by unsavory types, including the guy who once attempted to extort money from NHLer Alexander Mogilny. His answer: "My private life is my private life."

    Kournikova, however, remained on Bure's mind all the way to Denver, where the Panthers played the Avalanche Wednesday night. My people in the Rockies say the Mighty Muscovite had a cabby drive him all over town Monday night to find a sports bar that was showing Kournikova play on the tube. Bure found a place, and watched her lose to Mary Pierce.

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    Pavol scores two for St.Louis


    Thursday, November 18th, 1999


    St. Louis Blues goalie Roman Turek (1) uses his knee to block a shot on goal by the Florida Panthers as Blues' Terry Yake (27) and Chris Pronger (44) wait for the loose puck during the first period at the Kiel Center in St. Louis Thursday, Nov. 18, 1999. Watching the action are the Panthers' Rak Whitney (14) and Pavel Bure (10). (AP Photo/James A. Finley)-PBFC

    Pavol Dimitra scored two goals for St.Louis Blues and Handzus scored an empty net goal to make it 3-0 for the home team.

    Pavel Bure was kept off the scoreboard for the second consecutive game but had a much better game than in Wednesday's win in Colorado.. He was a minus one for the game, with 3 shots on goal. For the second straight game, Pavel Bure and Ray Whitney were non-factors. They combined for four shots versus the Blues on the heels of a six-shot effort the previous night.

    ``In a close game it's only going to be one goal or two goals,'' Panthers coach Terry Murray said. ``Both guys played well. They had their opportunities. We make it very tight where we end up that one shot is the difference in the game. I don't have an answer for that.''

    The Panthers played surprisingly well in a scoreless opening period considering they did not arrive in St. Louis until 4:30 a.m. Thursday's game was Florida's second in 22 hours.

    ``I'm really satisfied the way we played two periods,'' Bure said. ``Everybody was pulling together, so that's a good sign. Sometimes you have a lot of chances in one game, sometimes you don't. You just have to still be patient and try to create.''

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    Panthers edge Colorado


    Wednesday, November 17th, 1999


    Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, front, loses control of the puck as Florida Panthers right winger Pavel Bure, back left, and center Ryan Johnson, back right, close in from behind in the first period in Denver's Pepsi Center Wednesday, Nov. 17, 1999. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)-PBFC

    The Florida Panthers won their 4th straight game with a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.

    With newly acquired Ray Sheppard in the lineup for the first time and put on a line with Pavel Bure, the Avalanche did an outstanding job at shutting down Bure, who scored a hat trick against Colorado the last time the two teams faced. Wednesday night, Bure took only two shots, his lowest output of the season. He was a minus 1 for the night.

    Bure was better in the second period. He only had one shot, but he twice set up Ray Whitney for one-timers that Roy stopped. Part of Bure's resurgence was because Alex Tanguay leveled him early in the period while shorthanded. On the next shift, Bure was visibly angered, so much so that he crushed Martin Skoula into the glass.

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    Tonight's game preview

    By David J Neal-- Miami Herald
    Wednesday, November 17th, 1999

    ....the Panthers have the Ray Sheppard-Rob Niedermayer-Pavel Bure line on the ice tonight. Sheppard will help get the puck to Bure, who had a hat trick in that March 3 game.

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  • The Wizard of Odds

    -- Stuff Magazine - November issue
    Tuesday, November 16th, 1999


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    Extra virgin

    By Richard Johnson-- New York Post
    Tuesday, November 16th, 1999

    SHE may be a virgin, but Anna Kornakova looked anything but Sunday at Russian Samovar on West 52nd Street. The tennis star was wearing skintight black satin pants, a tube top, and high heels. "Virgins never dressed like this in the old days," said one witness. The 18-year-old beauty, part of a group of 10, seemed to have eyes only for Florida Panthers hockey player Pavel Bure, and she didn't like it when Bure stole a glance at former Miss USSR, Julia Sukhanova. The real scene-stealer, however, was Anna"s mother, Alla, who looked young enough to be Anna"s sister in a white leather miniskirt, white go-go boots and white fur hat. She not only danced with several men, she also sat in a stranger's lap and downed his Cosmopolitan.

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    "PAVEL TOLD ME THE GOALS WOULD COME"

    -- NHLPA
    Tuesday, November 16th, 1999


    "He knows how to score goals..."

    The streaking Panthers and superstar Pavel Bure look to extend their growing lead in the Southeast Division when they travel to Denver to take on the Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on Wednesday.

    Florida has won three straight games and is coming off a 3-1 victory over Buffalo last Saturday night. Radek Dvorak had two goals and an assist and Trevor Kidd continued his outstanding play with 36 saves.

    The Panthers also got a shorthanded goal from star winger Bure, who returned to the lineup after missing three games with a broken finger.

    "Three weeks ago, Pavel told me that the goals would come,'' Dvorak said. "He knows how to score goals, so I listen to him.''

    The Panthers have a five-point edge over Carolina in the Southeast, but to maintain their lead they have to play better away from the National Car Rental Center. Florida is 7-1-1 at home but just 2-5-1 on the road.

    The Avalanche should provide a stern road test. Colorado, known for its slow starts, has struggled again early this season with star center Peter Forsberg still out after shoulder surgery.

    However, the Avalanche are pushing Vancouver for the Northwest Division lead and have been tough at the Pepsi Center, where they have lost only once. Colorado is 3-1-1 in November.

    Colorado missed a chance to cut into the Canucks' lead Monday night, as Harry York scored with 51.6 seconds left in regulation to give Vancouver a 2-2 tie with the Avalanche.

    In addition to the absence of Forsberg, Colorado also played without captain Joe Sakic, who missed his third straight game with a rib cartilage injury.

    "Anytime you're winning 2-1 with 51 seconds to go, it's pretty frustrating,'' said centerman Chris Drury, who had a goal and an assist.

    "We should've had two points there for sure. But, when you're on the road, in a hard-fought game like that, missing Peter (Forsberg) and Joe (Sakic), I guess we'll take the point.''

    Bure's return to Florida's lineup could signal lots of scoring in Wednesday's rematch of the 1996 Stanley Cup finals.

    The teams combined for 12 goals in Colorado's win in the teams' final meeting of last season, with Bure recording a hat trick.

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    "The Riddle of the Russian Rocket" book review

    By Mathew Janicas
    Sunday, November 14th, 1999

    It is unfortunate that a player as talented as the Russian Rocket and a personality as intriguing as Pavel Bure has his first biography written with enough firepower to lift a rocket a few feet off the ground.

    Then again, that same Rocket did not authorize the book.

    Vancouver author Kerry Banks' book, Pavel Bure: The Riddle of the Russian Rocket (Graystone) chronicles Bure's life, but mostly his NHL career in a straight-forward manner, with little or no introspective into what makes Bure so alluring and suspicious. Had Banks provided some more insight into the enigma of the Russian Rocket, the book may have been more entertaining.

    Indeed, the only entertaining aspect of the book is the subject matter itself: Bure.

    We are all aware of his flair and finesse on the ice, which makes the month-by-month recounts of his tenure in the NHL fairly dull. Aside from the odd anecdote, these tales are more characteristic of historical catalogues found in murky, old libraries. The book attempts to shed light on Bure's alleged associations with the Russian mafia; his often stormy relationship with Vancouver Canucks' fans and management; and his reasons for leaving Vancouver which ultimately led to his trade to the Florida Panthers in January of 1999. However, the attempts fall somewhat short of successful, perhaps in large part due to the lack of input by the mysterious Russian.

    The book does have a few highlights, however. It offers Bure fans outside of the northwest an opportunity to relive Pavelmania, but to relive it through the eyes of Vancouverites, especially during the 1994 Stanley Cup playoff run. For those of us outside the picturesque city, Pavelmania was more of a foreign phenomenon than a reality, due to Bure's low media exposure in the East. The book also delves into accounts of the Canucks' poor managerial actions, which not only resulted in Bure's departure, but in the Iron Curtain-like unraveling of the franchise as a respectable one.

    Speaking of the Iron Curtain, the book also details the fall of the Soviet hockey empire and its subsequent corruption.

    The most devout Pavel fans will find the book to be a disappointment, as his every move is always scrutinized by the hockey media, thus making some of the events in the book seem quite regurgitated. This is where Banks falls short as an author; he does little to present the facts in a unique and interesting way.

    As Bure continues to amaze hockey fans around the world with his on-ice wizardry, this book will do little in the way of living up to Bure's highlight-reel standards. Then again, the Russian Rocket is always doing something to wow his fans, isn't he?

    Too bad his official bookstore debut hasn't lived up to the same billing.

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    Bure returns, scores in 3-1 win

    By David J Neal-- Miami Herald
    Sunday, November 14th, 1999


    Pavel Bure wins the battle for control of the puck November 13 as Buffalo Sabres defenseman Alexei Zhitnik (R) falls to the ice during the first period of play. Bure returned to the lineup after missing several games because of a broken finger. cb/Photo by Colin Braley REUTERS

    Whatever it is that keeps Panthers right wing Radek Dvorak from scoring or, sometimes, skating in October, it disappears in November. And it was all gone with the drop of the puck in Saturday's 3-1 Panthers victory over Buffalo.

    Dvorak's efforts, combined with Pavel Bure's return from a finger injury, were more than enough for the Panthers.

    Dvorak had two goals, an assist on Bure's goal, one other breakaway, another partial breakaway and beat out two icing calls. Not bad for a guy who was so down three or four weeks ago about not scoring that Bure had to talk to him. Dvorak said Bure told him to keep working hard, try to score in practice. Still, it took Dvorak until Nov. 6 to get his first goal. ''It was October, then,'' Dvorak said with a laugh. ''It's November now, so things are going better.'' Bure decided to play after Saturday's morning skate. He was asked ''Pinkie up? Pinkie down?''

    Bure said, ''Pinkie up,'' indicating the pain in his fractured left little finger wasn't bad enough to keep him from holding a stick. Against Buffalo at home, Bure played his first game since the Nov. 3 tie at Edmonton, when defenseman Jason Smith broke Bure's finger with a slash.

    ''Let's put it this way -- it was not bad,'' Bure said of his fractured finger. ''It's always fun to play. I hate just hanging around, going to the gym, riding the bike.''

    Bure's goal was his 20th in 20 games played as a Panther, and the fourth time as a Panther that he has picked up a goal in his first game back from an injury or holdout.

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    Pavel Bure's goodfellows

    -- National Post
    Saturday, November 13th, 1999


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    Bure back sooner than expected

    By Michael Russo-- Sun-Sentinel
    Saturday, November 13th, 1999

    SUNRISE -- The Panthers originally felt Pavel Bure would be out two weeks with a fractured finger, but the superstar right wing returned a week early Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres.

    After a get-together with coaches Terry Murray and Slava Lener and trainer Stan Wong by the bench toward the end of Saturday's morning skate, Bure declared himself ready to go.

    "He's not 100 percent obviously. It's going to take some time for that to happen," Murray said. "It's a break. Normally it takes four to six weeks for a broken bone to heal."

    The cause for Bure's absence at first had nothing to do with the broken bone, but the doctors' fear of a staph infection. Bure was frustrated when that decision was made last week because he wanted to play in Vancouver for the first time since his January trade to Florida and in Calgary so he could match up against his brother, Valeri.

    He missed Wednesday's game against Atlanta because the pain was so severe, he couldn't grip his stick.

    Bure wore a special cast to keep the finger from making contact with his glove. The cast was supposed to also protect him from slashes.

    Bure skated with Rob Niedermayer and Scott Mellanby.

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    Pavel is back scoring !

    Saturday, November 13th, 1999


    Pavel Bure attempts to maintain control of the puck after colliding with Buffalo Sabres' Richard Smehlik, rear, early in the first period Saturday, Nov. 13, 1999, at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

    Radek Dvorak tied his career high for points with two goals and an assist and Trevor Kidd came within four minutes of his 16th career shutout as the Florida Panthers posted a 3-1 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres. Pavel Bure, who added a shorthanded goal, returned to the ice for the Panthers after missing three games because of a broken finger. The Panthers are 10-5-4 with Bure in the lineup dating to last season and 5-2-2 with him this season. Pavel Bure scored with 3:50 left in the second period. It marked the first shorthanded tally for the Panthers this season.

    With Buffalo on a power play, Bure took a pass from Dvorak near center ice and beat Roloson through the legs on a breakaway.

    Pavel had 7 shots on goal and was even in the plus/minus column for the night.

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    Bure making statement

    By Eric Duhatschuk-- The Hockey News, Nov. 19, 1999 issue
    Saturday, November 13th, 1999

    Brian Sutter knows something about little brothers. After all, five of his-Darryl, Duane, Brent, Ron and Rich-followed him to the NHL after he cracked the St. Louis Blues' lineup in 1976.

    It is a double-edged sword, this business of growing up in a hockey family. On the one hand, the eldest sibling can assist the process of getting to the NHL by blazing a trail, helping to establish family credentials. On the other, if he succeeds in any meaningful way, he can also cast a long shadow over those that follow.

    In some ways, Sutter's background may help explain the unlikely relationship he forged with Valeri Bure, the Calgary Flames' leading scorer through the first month of 1999-2000.

    Bure, younger brother of Florida Panther superstar Pavel Bure, is making a name for himself this year. After a month, he was tied for the NHL lead in goals, with 10. Sutter will tell you his own experience provides him with an insight into Valeri Bure's situation.

    An insight...and an opening.

    "There is no question we teased him about it last year," Sutter laughed. "We used to challenge him by saying, 'Why can't you score goals like your brother does?' Fact is, that's what he's doing now. I don't know if he has that flat-out speed of his brother in the first one or two steps, but after that, Val is as quick as his brother. And he can probably beat Pavel out of the corner to the front of the net. He is as quick as anybody at that."

    For his part, Bure gives much of the credit for his development to Sutter. Two years ago, when the Flames plucked him out of Montreal in the deal for Jonas Hoglund and Zarley Zalapski-neither of whom remain with the Canadiens-Bure was in the throes of a 25-game goalless drought.

    Bure never did find his place with the Habs. He was shuffled from the first line to the third, in part because the Canadiens, in those days, had seven offensive forwards on the roster and room for only six on the top two lines. Beyond that, however, Bure will tell you playing for Sutter has changed his approach to the game. A primary part of Sutter's coaching mantra involves players-all players, no matter how big or small-driving to the net to score goals from in close.

    "I play a little different now," Bure acknowledged. "Before, I was playing more on the perimeter. Once you have somebody like Brian, who explains very clearly that if you are in trouble, just put the puck on the net and things will happen because the puck is around the net. That's how I look at it now."

    On the day the Flames acquired Bure, GM Al Coates figured he was getting a highly skilled player who was getting lost in the shuffle in Montreal. With Theo Fleury's long-term future as a Flame already in doubt at that stage, Coates was willing to gamble that a change of scenery, added responsibility and the natural maturing that occurs after a third full NHL season would all work together to jumpstart Bure's career.

    "Brian has a high regard for people who bring a pro approach to the game and to the building every day," Coates said. "Val comes to the rink, every day, prepared to work at a job. His job is professional hockey. He enjoys it and he does it with a smile on his face most times. That's something that's contagious. You can't help but enjoy working with people like that-who enjoy the game, are good at it and take a professional attitude and approach to it."

    So how about emerging from Pavel's shadow, Valeri? The younger Bure looked back with a smile and asked: "What's the matter, you don't have any new questions?"

    Er, well, this isn't about playing in Pavel's shadow anymore, it's about emerging from that shadow.

    "It has always been a little competition between me and my brother, but my brother is the kind of guy who always puts me ahead of him," Bure said. "He's always saying, 'My younger brother's better,' to make me feel good, but that's the kind of person he is. He never puts himself ahead of me. That makes me feel really good. I don't feel overshadowed by my brother."

    Of late, of course, there would be no reason to.

    It's all in the nicknames

    'The Rocket' is a nickname shared by two of the most dynamic players in history - Maurice Richard and Pavel Bure. Now their brothers share one as well.

    Henri Richard, the original 'Pocket Rocket', was a 5-foot-7 center who earned a record 11 Stanley Cups during a Hall of Fame career with the Montreal Canadiens.

    Valeri Bure, the new 'Pocket Rocket,' is a 5-foot-10 right winger who launched his career in Montreal, but has gone into orbit with the Calgary Flames. After scoring 46 goals in 215 games with Montreal, Bure had 41 in 110 games with Calgary.

    Is there more damning evidence of the Habs' monumental decline than their failure to bring out the best in Bure? They should have known better than to underestimate a 'Pocket Rocket.' When Henri joined Montreal in 1955-56, it was thought he was there merely to appease Maurice.

    Nothing could have been further from the truth. Nor the Canadien's assessment of Bure's potential.

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    Bure might be back Saturday


    By Michael Russo-- Sun-Sentinel
    Friday, November 12th, 1999

    Pavel Bure will make a decision Saturday morning if he can play. Bure has practiced the past two days with a broken finger. Bure said he was sore after Friday's practice. Pavel Bure skated with the team for most of Friday's practice with his broken pinkie finger in a small cast

    "I'm wearing a special cast that looks like a light bulb so the finger doesn't touch the glove," Bure said. "But there's still vibration when the puck (hits my stick)."

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    Everyone's the loser in Gretzky-Bure soap

    By Tony Gallagher-- Vancouver Province
    Friday, November 12th, 1999

    Wayne Gretzky saying he would have played at least one more season had the Rangers landed Pavel Bure last season will play like a burning match on dynamite in New York.

    The man feeling the heat is GM Neil Smith, as if he isn't feeling enough already having a payroll of $58-million-US-plus and a team four games under .500 going into Thursday.

    While readers of The Province have known Gretzky would have played one more season with Bure, for the Great One to say this publicly will be a revelation to Cablevision heavies Dave Checketts and his boss, Ted Dolan. These two characters, both of whom were taking naive lessons last year when it came to 99's future, watched their club fritter away a two-goal lead Wednesday and were not amused.

    The killer for Smith, of course, is he was given a public go-ahead by Checketts last year to land Bure, money be damned. The official reason why the deal wasn't consummated is because Smith didn't want to give up centre Manny Malhotra, who was going to be some kind of star of the future. The real reason, of course, was Canucks GM Brian Burke didn't want to give the Russian Rocket his first choice of destinations and refused several much-better offers from New York in favour of the lame deal he made with Florida.

    At the time Burke knew the deal he made would result in at least huge disappointment for the Great One and at worst, his retirement. That's why he called Gretzky shortly afterwards to explain his reasons for making the deal he did.

    During the talks, Smith badly overplayed his New York hand, figuring Burke couldn't find anywhere else to deal Bure because of the money he would command. As a result, Smith never made his best offer because even at the end, he was convinced there was no other deal out there. In a way Smith was right because Burke's deal was a joke, but it didn't help him. When Smith found out that fateful Sunday, it'll be remembered he was furious and now we know why.

    Some have speculated Smith knew he would miss the boat and wanted to do so, knowing Gretzky would retire, freeing up the $7 million they were going to pay him this season. If that's so, just how badly he miscalculated is coming home to roost.

    The Rangers' power play was a league-worst 4-72 before Thursday and had missed 32 straight chances. You could blindfold Gretzky and put him behind the net and he'd make twice that many plays. The player Smith signed with the saved Gretzky money is Theo Fleury, who so far on Broadway has been as depressing as a Sylvain Lefebvre slapshot.

    Making matters worse is his star of the future -- hard working but hardly super-skilled Malhotra -- can barely get on the ice. Since he became coach, John Muckler hasn't taken a shine to the centre. Malhotra is having a forgettable sophomore season.

    The only thing that's helped Smith is Bure has been hurt much of his time in Florida. Had he been healthy and his stats extrapolated to full-time play, either Smith or Muckler, or both, would be looking for work.

    Gretzky was disappointed at the time the Rangers missed Bure and hasn't forgotten the folly. Neither have New York and Vancouver fans, the former watching Malhotra languish and the latter realizing just how little they got for one of the world's great talents.

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Bure out again

    By Michael Russo-- Sun-Sentinel
    Thursday, November 11th, 1999

    Bure, in pain and unable to handle a stick Wednesday, has declined surgery to fix the broken bone because he doesn't want to miss the four to six weeks that would be the result of such an operation.

    Instead, he's going to let it heal naturally.

    "It hurts a lot," Bure said. "The doctors said, 'If you don't do the surgery, your finger is going to look funny.' I said, 'I don't care if it looks funny as long as it's functional.'"

    Bure will play when he can tolerate the pain enough to handle a stick.

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Injury benches Bure

    Broken finger prevents Panther from holding stick

    By David J Neal-- Miami Herald
    Thursday, November 11th, 1999

    The question of whether or not Pavel Bure could play Wednesday was answered before the morning skate when Bure couldn't hold a stick with his left hand, the one with the fractured finger.

    Bure said he wanted to resume skating today and hoped to play Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres.

    Panthers general manager Bryan Murray said Bure felt hurt by disparagements in the local and national media that suggested he was less than manly for sitting out with a broken finger -- an injury that has sidelined many hockey players.

    ``When you don't have to do it yourself, I guess it's easy to make criticisms,'' Murray said.

    Bure laughed and shrugged, ``I've heard everything about myself. What else is new?''

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Panthers feast on expansion Thrashers

    -- AP
    Wednesday, November 10th, 1999

    SUNRISE, Fla. -- Rob Niedermayer and Scott Mellanby scored power-play goals and Ray Whitney had three assists as the Panthers defeated the Thrashers 4-1 Wednesday night.

    Mellanby added an empty-netter with 24 seconds left in the game.

    Pavel did not play.

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Gretzky says he would have stayed in NHL if Bure joined Rangers

    -- CP
    Wednesday, November 10th, 1999

    TORONTO (CP) - Wayne Gretzky says he would have put off retiring for a chance to play with Pavel Bure. Gretzky, who emotionally announced his retirement from the NHL last spring, said in a TSN interview broadcast Wednesday that he would have played another season with the New York Rangers if they had acquired Bure.

    "I'll tell you this, this is the best way I can say it: If they would have traded for Pavel Bure last year, I probably still would be playing right now," Gretzky said in an interview with Dave Hodge.

    "Only him (Bure)?" Hodge asked.

    "There's only one or two guys that were in the league that would excite me to play with at this time. He would be one of them," Gretzky replied.

    Hockey's all-time leading scorer says he didn't tell anyone of his feelings.

    Bure was traded by the Vancouver Canucks to the Florida Panthers last Jan. 17. The struggling Rangers were interested in Bure, but did not want to part with a package of top young players.

    New York finished the season 33-38-11 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. A weary Gretzky announced his retirement as the season wound down.

    The interview with Gretzky is to be broadcast in its entirety Nov. 22 on the Dave Hodge Special as part of TSN's coverage of Gretzky's induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. © The Canadian Press, 1999

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Bure might play tonight

    Injured star: No surgery on finger

    By David J Neal-- Miami Herald
    Wednesday, November 10th, 1999

    Panthers right wing Pavel Bure, who was expected to be out almost two more weeks because of a fractured little finger, could play tonight against visiting Atlanta.

    Panthers coach Terry Murray said Tuesday night that Bure is still questionable for tonight's game. His readiness will be determined after today's morning skate.

    Bure hasn't skated since Wednesday's 2-2 tie with Edmonton, something that's barely a concern with Bure's track record with the Panthers in games after layoffs:

    Jan. 20: Two goals against the Islanders after nine months of offseason and a holdout;

    Oct. 2: A goal 3:28 into the game against Washington after seven months of knee surgery recovery;

    Oct. 27: Two goals, the first came 2:55 into the game, against the Islanders after missing two weeks with a strained groin.

    Murray said Bure was given three choices by a hand specialist Tuesday afternoon: Have an operation to fix the end of the bone, which is exposed and perpendicular to the rest of the finger; have the bone removed; or let it heal on its own.

    The last option provided the quickest return, so Bure took that one. Friday and Saturday, he glumly insisted he would play with the broken finger had the doctors not kept him out for fear of a staph infection.

    An infection is still possible for the next seven days, until the stitches come out.

    ``It has to be left perfectly dry,'' Murray said. ``I don't know how they plan on doing that. I'm sure [trainer] Stan [Wong] has come across this before. He'll come up with something.''

    Bure's return, whenever it occurs, should further help an offense that played well Saturday without him.

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Doctor is out, so Bure has to wait

    By Brian Biggane-- Palm Beach Post
    Wednesday, November 10th, 1999

    SUNRISE -- The Florida Panthers want their star player back on the ice, but Pavel Bure missed a date with the doctor Monday.

    Turned out the doctor was sick.

    The Panthers remain unsure how healthy their offense will be as they prepare for six of the next eight games at home, including Atlanta on Wednesday at National Car Rental Center.

    A specialist had been scheduled to examine Bure's broken finger, but appointments Monday were canceled. Bure is supposed to be examined today.

    "The doctors will not let him play until the finger is completely healed," Florida coach Terry Murray said after practice at National Car Rental Center.

    The problem is not so much the bone fracture as a risk of infection if the skin is not completely healed, Murray said.

    The Panthers have been held to two goals in six of the past eight games, though they managed with a 6-3 win without Bure at Calgary on Saturday.

    One of the players who has picked up the slack is Ray Whitney, who has scored in each of the past three games.

    "When Pavel's not in the lineup, you just have to crash the net," Whitney said. "Overconfidence is not something we have to worry about. We need a win Wednesday night."

    ----Back to Headline List----


    DOCTOR OUT SICK

    By Juan C Rodriguez-- Miami Herald
    Wednesday, November 10th, 1999

    Bure, who has missed the Panthers' past two games with a broken pinkie finger, was scheduled to visit a hand specialist Monday, but the doctor called in sick and canceled all his appointments. The visit was rescheduled for today.

    ``The break in the finger is not the problem,'' Murray said. ``The finger was split open and the risk of infection was great. The doctors will not let him play until the wound is healed. As soon as that happens, they can always tape fingers together and he'll be able to play with no problems.''

    With their 6-3 victory at Calgary, the Panthers improved to 3-4-0 without Bure in the lineup. One of those losses was a regulation tie at home against the Flames.

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Fan Favorites

    -- NHL.com
    Wednesday, November 10th, 1999

    NHL.com wants to know some of your hockey favorites. Each week, we'll have a new topic which you'll be able to respond to with a 250-words-or-less e-mail. We will post the most creative and original responses every weekend.

    Which player would you want taking a penalty shot with the game on the line?

    Pavel Bure
    Bure is the majority pick to take a penalty shot with the game on the line.

    Ray Seah - Coquitlam, British Colombia
    Mr. Breakaway himself, Pavel Bure. Penalty shots aren't breakaways, but they're similar in many ways. Does anyone remember that stick-to-the-skate-to-the-stick goal against Boston in the preseason a few years ago? Ask most goalies who they fear most on a one-on-one situation and Bure's name will be one of the first to pop up. Honorable mentions go to Jaromir Jagr and Alexander Mogilny.

    Thomas Fuchsgruber - Chicago
    No doubt about it, Pavel Bure is my guy. The "Russian Rocket" is the single best goal scorer in hockey today. Bure can make any shot from anywhere on the ice, and one-on-one with the goalie he is as close to unstoppable as you can find. Just ask the NHL goalies who they would rather NOT face, can you say Bure?

    Jeff Tindall - Pittsburgh
    I would have to go with a sniper that has probably the best speed in the League. He can turn defensemen inside out on every shift, and make goalies think about changing professions with a flick of his wrists. His name "Russian Rocket", the great Pavel Bure.

    Tim Goering - Las Vegas
    I personally would have to say Pavel Bure. With his amazing speed, agility, and dekes, I believe that he could take on any goalie in the League. Pavel, even with his injury, is one of the most phenomenal players I have ever seen.

    Matt Ohm - Edmonton, Alberta
    This is a no-brainer. I'd pick Pavel Bure even if he was missing a skate blade. There is no player in the world, including Jagr, who can match the offensive flair Bure has. He doesn't get garbage goals; he's pure highlight material.

    Ryan Heebner - Medicine Hat, Alberta
    It would be a tough choice between Pavel Bure and Geoff Sanderson, but I would choose Bure. He has great speed and very skillful moves. Think what he does on the ice against other team's defense and then think what he could do just him against a goaltender!

    To see the rest of the comments, go to http://www.nhl.com/community/favorites/index110599.htm

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Panthers end rocky road trip with scoring flourish

    By David J Neal-- Miami Herald
    Monday, November 8th, 1999

    CALGARY, Alberta -- The Panthers' offense figured to flourish on this road trip, especially when hitting the Edmonton ice track and the openings offered by the Vancouver Canucks' go-go style.

    So where did the Panthers finally get more than a drip of scoring from someone besides Pavel Bure and Ray Whitney? Against a usually dull, defensive-minded team and an aging -- but still good -- future Hall of Fame goalie.

    In Saturday's surprisingly entertaining 6-3 Panthers victory over Calgary, Florida got goals from six players.

    ``That was a really big win for us,'' Rob Niedermayer said. ``That was one of the first times we played well for 60 minutes. It's great to go home with a win like that.''

    Of course, the Panthers got help from Calgary goalie Grant Fuhr, who has had few worse nights in his 19-season NHL career. Fuhr gave up three goals on the Panthers' last four shots of the first period before being replaced by Fred Brathwaite, who wasn't much better.

    Calgary actually outplayed the Panthers offensively, especially in the first period.

    ``The first period, Trevor kept us in it,'' Mike Wilson said. ``We had a 3-1 lead, but it could have been 6-3. Everything we shot went in, but they had the momentum. But we'll take it after this road trip.''

    Obviously, missing players played a part in the Panthers' offensive troubles. Most prominent, of course, is Bure and his fractured finger. Bure was looking forward to playing his former team on Friday and his brother, Valeri, on Saturday.

    It's frightening to think what an inspired Bure would have done against Vancouver, especially with their aggressive style. And, though Pavel and Valeri are close and nobody is happier that Valeri is hot now, Pavel's competitive instincts likely would have had him flying Saturday to reestablish himself as the NHL's top Bure.

    But it also didn't help the Panthers that also fidgeting on the sidelines for the past three games of the road trip was defenseman Bret Hedican, who was serving a suspension for unintentionally hacking Ottawa's Sami Salo's wrist.

    Defensiveman Lance Pitlick returned from a broken hand a day early because John Jakopin's neck stiffened Friday after his fight with the Canucks' Donald Brashear.

    ``You get exposed,'' Panthers coach Terry Murray said. ``Take our defensive zone coverage. We get some guys exposed because of matchups. They're playing against a top line, and they're not sure what you're supposed to do in certain situations. An experienced guy in the situation, it's a different story. You're only talking about two or three feet.

    ``I feel confident in saying if we had a healthy lineup -- and that includes Peter Worrell, we sometimes forget him -- I think we'd have a pretty nice run going from the start of the year.''

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Program helps the fans meet their favorite players in postgame gatherings

    By Sarah Talalay-- Sun-Sentinel
    Monday, November 8th, 1999

    The Panthers' victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 20 wasn't the only thing to put a smile on Katie Spencer's mouth full of braces.

    After the game, the bubbly 14-year-old got to meet her favorite player, Pavel Bure, and get his autograph on a brown Panthers baseball cap that is quickly filling with Panther signatures.

    "I was so excited. I've wanted passes" to get autographs, said Katie, who along with her dad, Woody Spencer, and about 20 other Panthers fans were invited to wait after a game to meet players. "Everyone thinks I'm crazy because I'm a girl and I like hockey."

    Katie, of Cooper City, thanked each of the 10 players she met.

    "You guys are awesome," she told Ray Whitney. "We love you."

    It's just that enthusiasm Panthers officials hoped to capture when they began this season inviting groups of 20 to 30 fans, preferably with children, to meet with players after each home game at the National Car Rental Center.

    The small, controlled crowd, which gathers after the game and is escorted behind barricades set up outside the Panthers locker room, allows time for autographs and conversation.

    "You can sit and talk with each and every one of them," center Rob Niedermayer said. Niedermayer remembers meeting with huge crowds after games at Miami Arena, where the team played until last season.

    "It's something we did our first few years down in Miami. We had a real relationship with our fans," he said.

    At a time when fans of all sports are increasingly dissatisfied with athletes for everything from surly attitudes to contract disputes, the Panthers are trying to re-establish the relationship between players and their fans. Team officials were hearing that fans didn't feel like they knew the players, many of whom have changed in recent years, or had much access to them.

    At Miami Arena, players passed through a throng of fans after games as they crossed the street from the arena to their cars. At the National Car Rental Center, practices are closed and players park in an underground lot.

    Fans meet players for autographs only at public appearances and at the few times when the team practices at Incredible Ice in Coral Springs.

    The excitement that surrounded the Panthers as an expansion team in 1993 and their subsequent run at the Stanley Cup in 1996, and even the attraction of its new arena last year, has waned. Poor play the past two seasons hasn't helped and season ticket sales are down from the nearly 16,000 sold last season.

    "We wanted to take some steps to combat that," said Steve Dangerfield, team senior vice president, said as he handed out autograph coupons before a recent game. "Hopefully some of the things we do will help retain season tickets."

    With a pass clutched in her hands, Valerie Rothwell, of Boca Raton, thanked Dangerfield: "This means so much to me."

    Fans express their dissatisfaction for players in a variety of ways from modest booing of athletes and staying away from games to more extreme cases, such as that of Ottawa resident Len Potechin, who sued Senators captain Alexei Yashin and his agent in October for breach of contract. Yashin wants his contract renegotiated and has refused to play this season.

    Potechin, 73, said he took his anger to court to teach his five grandchildren, 9 to 13, about promises.

    "It was to teach our children that a contract is sacred," Potechin said.

    Potechin, a veteran season-ticket holder, is seeking $27.5 million (Canadian) from Yashin and his agent. Should he prevail, Potechin has promised the money to charity.

    "I'd like him to come here and say 'I made a mistake, I got bad advice,' " he said.

    Although a fan advocacy group based in Boca Raton thinks Potechin's lawsuit is a waste of time and could lead to a flurry of frivolous fan lawsuits, it does welcome programs such as the Panthers'.

    Frank Stadulis, president of United Sports Fans of America, says the autograph sessions help "enrich the experience" for fans. That the experience is controlled shouldn't bother fans, Stadulis said, because athletes also need privacy.

    "That's the kind of thing teams should do," Stadulis said. "You might say they have an exterior motive, but they don't have to do it."

    Stephen Marasia, 10, is glad they do. His father, Stephen, bought a $20 opening night poster as soon as they received their autograph coupon.

    "The whole game he kept saying 'Six minutes till we go downstairs, five minutes till we go downstairs,' " the elder Marasia said. "It's nice that they do this. These guys burn their butts all night and they probably want to go home to their wives and girlfriends."

    The elder Stephen, of Pembroke Pines, shot photos of his son with several players.

    The younger Stephen pronounced it: "Awesome."

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Oh, brother

    By Michael Russo-- Sun-Sentinel
    Sunday, November 7th, 1999

    Calgary's Valeri Bure leads the Flames in scoring with 10 goals and 17 points. Pavel Bure, despite missing six games, is fourth on the Panthers with six goals and nine points. Should each player finish the season as his team's scoring leader, it would mark just the third brother combination in NHL history to do so.

    In 1970-71, Dennis Hextall led California with 52 points, while Bryan Hextall led Pittsburgh with 48 points. In 1982-83, Neal Broten led Minnesota with 77 points, while Aaron Broten led New Jersey with 55 points.

    Also, if both brothers make the All-Star Game, they'll be the eighth set of brothers to compete in the game as teammates.

    Valeri Bure is on pace for 50 goals.

    Asked if he's thought about the possibility of finishing ahead of his brother, Valeri said, I don't think so. I kid him that I'm ahead, but he probably will come back and score 50 goals this year. He could be ahead of me tomorrow.

    Well, not quite since Pavel will be out two weeks with a broken finger.

    Name game

    Life as a superstar means that Pavel Bure has to use assumed names at team hotels, but he doesn't like that.

    "My friends can't get in touch with me," Bure said.

    So sometimes Bure will stay under his name, but put the Do Not Disturb on his phone. This way he can check his messages when the light flashes.

    Long way for nothing

    In addition to the thousands of fans, maybe the person most disappointed that Bure did not play against his old team in Vancouver on Friday was a reporter, Yumi Shimizu.

    Shimizu writes for Ice Hockey Paradise, and she flew to Vancouver from Tokyo to cover Bure's return.

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Panthers explode in 6-3 win over Flames

    By David J Neal-- Miami Herald
    Sunday, November 7th, 1999

    CALGARY, Alberta -- The Flames had been promoting Saturday night's game with the Panthers as Bure vs. Bure. As it turned out, Pavel and Valeri Bure were about the only two people who didn't score in a wild game that the Panthers won, 6-3.

    Pavel was in the press box, of course, still unhappy about not being allowed to play with a fractured finger. Down below, Valeri Bure was seeing others scoring with the ease he has demonstrated so far this season with 10 goals in 15 games.

    Panthers coach Terry Murray said Bure would be back in the lineup as soon as the cut heals on his left little finger, not when the fractured bone heals. Murray said they'll tape up the bone and Bure said Friday he was quite willing to play with a broken finger on what is his lower stick hand.

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Book update

    Sunday, November 7th, 1999

    We were able to actually hold a printed copy of the book on Pavel due to be out on the 13th November.

    From what we could gather, it seemed to be mostly reprints and quotes from artciles previously printed in the media.

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Bure injury hidden

    By Scott Morrison-- Toronto Sun
    Sunday, November 7th, 1999

    It was nice of the Florida Panthers to keep quiet the news that Pavel Bure had a compound fracture of the pinky finger on his left hand until the last ticket was sold at GM Place in Vancouver.

    Too cynical, you say? Let's review the evidence. The injury occurred in the second period Wednesday in Edmonton, but an x-ray wasn't taken until Thursday night in Vancouver and the announcement wasn't made until Friday morning, game day.

    By then, the joint was sold out, which is a good thing for the Canucks, who even won the game. Maybe it was all just a happy coincidence, but talk about a win-win situation. The late announcement even helped the Calgary Flames, who were promoting a head-to-head battle between the Bure brothers last night.

    To his credit, Bure wanted to play in Vancouver and offered to sign a waiver clearing the team of any liability, but general manager Bryan Murray refused. Had Bure played, it would have been eight years to the day after his first game as a Canuck.

    Since joining the Panthers last January, Bure has averaged a goal a game. Trouble is, he has played just 19 games and missed 35 after last night.

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Pavel's latest injury slams the brakes on battle of the Bures

    By George Johnson-- Calgary Sun
    Saturday, November 6th, 1999

    They'll be one Bure short of a compelling storyline tonight at the Saddledome.

    "It's too bad," said Val Bure yesterday, upon hearing the news that big brother Pavel has a broken finger and will miss tonight's Flames-Panthers hook-up. "Not so much a matchup between me and him, though. It seems like he just gets going, starts feeling good, gets in shape and he's hurt again.

    "That's a shame. But injuries are something you can't control."

    This had the makings of a dynamic weekend for Pavel Bure, making his eagerly-anticipated return to Vancouver last night, then going head-to-head against his brother, one of the league's hottest players, this evening.

    That Val Bure vs. Craig Ferguson ad campaign isn't going to incite much enthusiasm.

    "I was waiting for this game for a long time. I wanted to play, but I just can't," Bure told TSN last night from Vancouver. "The doctors said it was dangerous. They said it could get infected.

    "I'm really disappointed and really angry. It was supposed to be a special night. I wanted to come back and play in a town I played in for so many years."

    The finger was broken during the second period of a game in Edmonton on Wednesday night. The extent of the injury -- a compound fracture on his left (shooting) hand -- wasn't known until he was X-rayed last night.

    Bure -- who has played just 20 games for the Panthers since being traded from the Canucks and signing a $48-million US contract -- had just returned from a groin strain.

    Val, the Bure in the shadow his entire pro career, had never gone into a meeting against his famous brother armed with more confidence and success.

    "We have really bad luck. In maybe, oh, 12 chances since I got to the NHL, we've actually gotten to play against each other maybe two, three times.

    "Either I get hurt or he gets hurt.

    "It would've been fun, for us, for you guys in the media, for the fans. I'm feeling good about my game right now and him, well, he's one of the best players in the world.

    "I never thought it would be Him vs. Me. Whenever he skates down on me, I just want to run home. He's that good, he's that dangerous, he's that fast."

    What makes this so disappointing is that right now, so is baby brother.

    ----Back to Headline List----


    With Rocket out, Canucks steal show

    by Elliott Pap-- Vancouver Sun
    Saturday, November 6th, 1999

    Pavel Bure drew the crowd, as he always did in Vancouver, but it was the Canucks who drew the greatest applause for putting away the Russian Rocket's new team, the Florida Panthers.

    A crowd of 17,055, second largest of the season at GM Place, came to either pay homage to Bure or boo his Russian butt and were left with nothing more than an announcement saying he was scratched, a broken finger keeping him out. The announcement, for those keeping score, was booed while mild chants of "Bure sucks!" later rained down from the seats.

    The Canucks took full advantage of Bure's absence to win their second straight and fourth in the last five as they edged Florida 3-2 in a nail-biter that should not have even been close.

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Bure's return erased by a broken pinky

    -- Vancouver Sun
    Saturday, November 6th, 1999

    Houston, we have a problem. The Russian Rocket is grounded again.

    Florida Panther Pavel Bure, the ex-Canuck everyone came to see Friday night at General Motors Place, was pulled from the launching pad by general manager Bryan Murray after x-rays late Thursday revealed the injury-plagued star had suffered a compound fracture of his pinky finger.

    Bure, who also sat out the Canucks' visit to South Florida two weeks ago, Friday was scratched from the lineup due to injury for the 35th time in 54 games since Vancouver traded the controversial figure to the Panthers last January.

    With four injuries in 10 months since the trade, the Russian Rocket is showing the durability of a Russian Lada.

    "I'm really angry, really pissed off," Bure told reporters Friday morning after Murray confirmed the injury suffered Wednesday night in Edmonton. "It was a really big night for me in Vancouver. Doctors just wouldn't allow me to play. I would do anything to play."

    If it were the fans' choice, he would have played, too.

    The Canucks, whose average attendance of 14,235 was nearly 1,000 below last year's average gate through seven home games, used Bure's return to market Friday's contest.

    Bure did his part, too, participating in a Thursday afternoon press conference and giving every indication he would play against his former team for the first time since joining the Panthers in a seven-player trade.

    Bure claims it was only Thursday night when his finger, which had been slashed the previous night by Edmonton's Jason Smith, became significantly more painful.

    He was taken to a Vancouver hospital where x-rays revealed he had suffered a compound fracture, meaning the bone had broken the skin. An Edmonton doctor, diagnosing only a deep cut, merely stitched the wound closed during the second intermission Wednesday and Bure finished the game against the Oilers.

    Murray, saying he couldn't risk an infection to his star player, told Bure he could not play Friday. Bure is expected to sit out the next two weeks while his digit heals. An infection would keep him out much longer, Murray said.

    "We can't possibly as a hockey club allow a player to play when it could cause long-term damage," Murray told reporters. "He's been trying to get me to call the doctors to reverse the decision. But we just can't do that."

    The Panthers, who after the trade signed Bure to a $47.5-million-US, five-year contract, have seen their marquee player suffer calf, knee, groin and finger injuries in his brief time with the club.

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Recurring theme: Bure out 2 weeks

    By Brian Biggane-- Palm Beach Post
    Saturday, November 6th, 1999

    VANCOUVER -- Pavel Bure took a seat on the sidelines of the Florida Panthers' season again Friday.

    Bure, who has played only 19 of a possible 53 games with the Panthers since arriving in a trade with Vancouver last January, was ruled out of action for two weeks after X-rays Thursday night revealed a compound fracture of the pinky on his left hand.

    General Manager Bryan Murray said Bure argued with him for 10 minutes in hopes of playing in his first game in Vancouver since the trade. But Murray said team doctor Chuck Pasternak warned playing could cause infection that could sideline the 28-year-old right winger much longer.

    "I'm not just disappointed, I'm very upset, because it was a really big night for me in Vancouver,'' Bure said. "I would do anything to play, and I was preparing to play even if it was hurting a lot.

    "I can't overrule the doctors. I was trying, but they said no.''

    Bure was injured early in the second period of Wednesday night's 2-2 tie with Edmonton when he was slashed by Oilers defenseman Jason Smith. He played most of the second period with a wrap on the finger, then received five stitches between the second and third periods before finishing the game.

    Bure appeared at a news conference Thursday with the finger wrapped as a precaution, but was not asked about it. He said the pain got worse as the day progressed until he called trainer Stan Wong, who suggested an X-ray. Wong relayed the results to Bryan and coach Terry Murray at about 10:30 p.m. (PST) Thursday.

    Bure, who signed a five-year, $47 million contract extension last March, missed eight games with a strained calf in February, 21 with a torn knee ligament in March and April and five more with a strained groin last month.

    Murray said the bigger problem was Bure's injury leaves the Panthers with six players on the sidelines against Vancouver and tonight against Calgary. Left winger Peter Worrell (knee), right winger Cam Stewart (head) and defenseman Lance Pitlick (hand) were also out with injuries, while defenseman Bret Hedican and center Chris Wells were serving the second games of suspensions.

    "It's frustrating not to have your best player available to you," he said. "He hasn't had much luck health-wise in the last little while. It's what's happening all around the league. Every team seems to have hand and foot injuries resulting from slashes.''

    The Panthers called up Craig Ferguson, 29-year-old captain of the team's AHL affiliate, to take Bure's spot. Ferguson had one goal and one assist in 24 career NHL games, but had totaled 11 goals and three assists in 14 AHL games this season.

    Bure had been pointing both to Friday's game and tonight's game against Calgary and brother Valeri for weeks. Murray said Bure did everything to convince him he would be OK.

    "He said, 'Bryan, I can put my hand on my stick, I don't use it that much,' but it's a bigger issue than that. It's hard to play a game without getting slashed one way or another, and if anything happened you'd regret it terribly.''

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Canuck fans don't get Bure, but they do get victory

    by Michael Russo-- Sun-Sentinel
    Saturday, November 6th, 1999

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- It took the 17,055 fans Friday night at GM Place a little while to get to the Pavel Bure-bashing.

    Yes, there were the predictable boos when Bure was announced as an injured scratch, and yes, there were a few signs.

    But it was after Vancouver scored the go-ahead goal with 1:55 left in the second period of a 3-2 win over the Panthers that the fans started to get spirited.

    After Brad May scored his third goal, the Bure (Stinks) chants started in one end zone and quickly circulated through the arena. Bure, who missed his return to Vancouver with a fractured finger, is not exactly beloved anymore since holding out and forcing a trade to the Panthers.

    ----Back to Headline List----


    Finger to keep Bure out 2 weeks

    It's his 4th injury with the Panthers

    By David J Neal-- Miami Herald
    Saturday, November 6th, 1999

    VANCOUVER, B.C. -- For the fourth time since he was traded to the Panthers in January, star winger Pavel Bure is injured. This time, he will miss at least two weeks with a broken left little finger.

    ``I'm not just disappointed, I'm really angry,'' Bure said Friday before the Panthers played Vancouver in what would have been his first game against his former team. ``It was going to be a really big night for me here in Vancouver. The doctors just wouldn't allow me to play. I would do anything to play. I was preparing to play tonight even if it hurt a lot.''

    Bure was hurt in Wednesday's game at Edmonton but played through it. On Thursday, the pain in his finger forced him to get X-rays. They revealed a compound fracture in his pinkie.

    The Vancouver and Florida doctors, afraid of a staph infection that could balloon the finger to grotesque proportions and keep Bure out for two months, ruled him unfit to play -- over his objections.

    ``I can't overrule doctors. I was trying, but they said `No,' '' Bure said. ``If it would be my choice, I would play.''

    Since the Jan. 17 trade, the Panthers have played 55 games. Bure has played just 19, missing games due to a strained calf, a blown-out knee, a strained groin and now the finger.

    One thing did make Bure crack into laughter: the ridiculous scene of him holding his left hand up for photographers like he was an archaeologist displaying a just unearthed ancient claw.

    In addition to Bure's injury, left wing Cam Stewart's concussion, suffered last Saturday, will keep him out for at least another week; left wing Peter Worrell has another four weeks of down time after tearing a knee ligament Oct. 29; defenseman Bret Hedican has another two games off and Chris Wells three games off due to suspensions over actions during Saturday's loss at Ottawa.

    And, as Panthers general manager Bryan Murray was discussing minor-league call-up Craig Ferguson with reporters Friday, he received the news that Star Air, the Panthers' charter airline, was out of business as of 1 p.m. Friday.

    Just after Bure's reconstructive surgery in March, the Panthers needed ambulance shuttle service. By the second weekend in April, they were playing with fewer NHL regulars than the league minimum for preseason games.

    ``We think, `Well, that can't happen again. Thank goodness that's over with,' and then here we go,'' Murray said. ``The frustrating part for coaches, myself and everybody following our team really is that I can't tell you how good we have a chance to be.

    ``We talk about do we need this? Do we need that? I read stories that we need this kind of player. The bottom line is we don't know what we need because we've had two games this year where we've had close to a full lineup.''

    Bure was slashed by Edmonton's Jason Smith on Wednesday 1:30 into the second period, missed one shift, then took regular shifts before getting five stitches from the Edmonton doctor between periods. Bure returned five minutes into the third period.

    Panthers center Viktor Kozlov said he didn't believe it when Bure told him about the broken finger at breakfast Friday because Bure had played through it for the final two periods in Edmonton.

    It's one of hockey's paradoxes that players can play through or recover quickly from bruises and breaks to some of the largest, most pivotal parts of the body. Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr are but two who produced greatness while not being able to bend over properly or even walk.

    But a hand or finger injury? That's a seat on the IRT -- Injured Reserve Train.

    ``It's hard to play with a broken finger, especially one with an open fracture like he has,'' said Kozlov, who missed the last seven games of last season with a broken index finger.

    One or two hacks on an opponent skating by with the puck has been a part of hockey since Eddie Shore's day. The difference now is that sticks have metal shafts and are wielded by bigger, stronger players.

    ``Every team in the league now seems to have hand or foot injuries that are the result of slashes,'' Murray said.

    ----Back to Headline List----


    The ripple effect of Pavel Bure's pectorals

    Excerpted from Pavel Bure: The Riddle of the Russian Rocket, to be published by Greystone Books, Nov. 13
    By Kerry Banks-- National Post
    Saturday, November 6th, 1999


    Pavel Bure gets a fat test after a workout from Ted Rhodes, a sports scientist . The picture created a stir when it first appeared in 1994.

    When readers of the Vancouver Sun picked up their papers on Sept. 6, 1994, they came face-to-face with a front-page photo of Pavel Bure naked to the waist. The picture had been strategically positioned above the fold so that until you opened the paper, it was impossible to tell how far south his nakedness extended. The shot had been taken by photographer Ralph Bower as Bure was undergoing a "pinch test" -- sports scientist Ted Rhodes was applying calipers to Bure's waistline to estimate his body fat. Judging by his densely muscled torso, there didn't appear to be any.

    Canucks management was upset by the beefcake. The Sun, it said, had broken the rules. No players were to be photographed during physical-fitness testing. The Canucks' sensitivity was the result of an incident that had occurred a couple of years before when a wire-service photographer had snapped a picture of a naked Wayne Gretzky as he emerged from the shower. The Gretzky shot had been cropped at his waist when it was published, but the photographer sent a copy of the full-frontal version to a friend and the photo eventually made its way into the public domain. After that, the National Hockey League banned still photographers from its dressing rooms.

    According to Bower, the photo came about completely by chance. He was standing outside an empty theatre complex at the Coliseum used for after-game functions when the Russian was brought in for his physical. Since it was a public setting, Bure was wearing sweatpants.

    "I looked over and the doc winked at me and I stepped up and took the shot," Bower recalls. Bure voiced no objections. "A few days later I asked him to autograph a couple of prints for me. He had a big grin on his face. He said to me, 'Hey, Ralph, are you working for Playboy now?' " The photo was a huge hit. More than 4,000 extra copies of the paper were sold that day and Bower received a lot of mail from women. As one noted in a letter to the editor, "I think you should have a photo of a nearly nude Canuck on page one every day. It would do wonders for your circulation. It certainly does wonders for mine. Yow!"

    The sexuality of male athletes has always been an essential ingredient in their appeal to the female audience. In Bure's case, the attraction is magnified because he projects an androgynous allure, as James Dean did. He appeals to both men and women. A few hockey players in the past have possessed this quality. Author Roy MacGregor, citing the young Wayne Gretzky as an example, told me: "I've always thought that Gretzky resembled Princess Diana. You could see it especially in his downcast eyes and shy smile. It was a very disarming quality. Bure has the same appeal. It cuts across all kinds of levels."

    One of those levels was Bure's appeal to the gay community. Daniel Gawthrop, a Vancouver writer who made no attempt to conceal his sexual persuasion, was responsible for introducing the topic in a piece entitled Sex Sells Like a Rocket that appeared in The Vancouver Sun in 1992. Ruminating on Bure's exotic magnetism, Gawthrop extolled his "fawn-like features, rose-petal lips and bedroom eyes" and pronounced him "drop-dead gorgeous."

    Such descriptions made Canucks management uneasy. Gawthrop was subsequently denied requests for an interview with Bure, a point that was noted in an article about Bure's following in the gay community that was published in Toronto's Globe and Mail during the 1994 Cup finals. According to Gawthrop, Bure was attractive because of his "Rudolph Valentino mystique."

    Gawthrop's message that NHL hockey had a following beyond the stereotypical fan featured in beer commercials got greater exposure than he had anticipated, thanks to a line in The Globe and Mail article in which Gawthrop stated: "I'm just as Canadian as anyone on Hockey Night in Canada, but nothing I've ever worn in drag could possibly equal the sheer campiness of Don Cherry's wardrobe." A bemused Cherry read the remark on the air during the Western Conference finals and asked co-host Ron MacLean to translate the word "campiness," which MacLean described as meaning "sort of tacky cool."

    In the aftermath, various other North American papers, including the Village Voice and the L.A. Weekly, published articles on the subject.

    Homosexuality in hockey had always been a strictly taboo subject in the mainstream media, though locker-room culture is infused with homosexual undertones. Even the language of the game is ripe with innuendo, an aspect capitalized on to humorous effect by a renegade Vancouver sports publication called The Bum Report. Although in the context of homosexuality its name might suggest otherwise, The Bum Report was supposed to represent the voice of the average fan, the bum in the bleachers. The paper often published top-10 lists on various subjects. One of its most popular collections were "the homoerotic sayings of Tom Larscheid," a Canucks radio commentator, whose inadvertent double entendres were plentiful enough to supply material for several top-10 lists. Some samples are:

    z "I was with Pavel before the game and he says his groin has never felt better."

    z "Carson has such good hands. A lot of the guys have told me they'd like to be able to play with him."

    z "Don't you just love to see the big guys play the body. I know I do."

    z "Kirk McLean is so fundamentally sound. Look at how erect he is in the net."

    z "There's Sather, with that grin on his face, relaxing behind the bench, hands in his pockets, enjoying himself."

    z "This Gelinas is a good-looking player. It's no secret that a lot of coaches in the league would love to have had him."

    z "Sometimes all you have to do is look at Gretzky and he goes down."

    z "Pavel Bure plays with such speed that his linemates can't keep up to him. If only he could play with himself out there, that would really give the fans a show."

    Although the Canucks were uncomfortable addressing Bure's sexual allure in either the gay or straight communities, they did realize they had a player with a unique persona. As part of Bure's new $25-million (US) contract, the club had acquired the marketing rights to his image and likeness. According to the deal, the team would earn the first $500,000 from selling Bure's rights, with a 50-50 split taking effect past that point. The team believed it could eventually recoup a fifth of its overall investment by selling the photogenic Russian'