News from October 1997 Scroll down, or choose the headline to read the news: Canucks humiliated by the lock system Canucks lose a stinker Canucks wilt under the Red Machine Pavel held scoreless in OT loss St.Louis 4 Canucks 1 Pavel receives official Russian invitation yes, yes, yes !! Pavel scores hat-trick !! !! Pavel scores in Canucks tie Pavel Bure is getting very close to withdrawing his trade request Net Detective, Jim Carey, foils Canucks Vote for Pavel Canucks win 3-0 Pavel assists on two in a 6-3 loss Canucks tie first home game Sports Illustrated photo of Pavel Gary Mason: Bure brilliant. But . . . Back to a perfect 10 Bure stars, but Canucks still lose Pavel headlines NHL Preview in 'USA Today' Bure shelves 96 for old 10 Pavel changes his number back to #10, and stars in Canucks win Pavel willing to give 'A' to Linden Messier new Canucks captain It's Bure we want to see Rocket a keeper Quinn has only a few thorns left 30 October, 1997. Canucks humiliated by the lock system Patrik Elias, Denis Pederson and Petr Sykora each scored twice as the New Jersey Devils spoiled Mark Messier's return to the Northeast with an 8-1 pasting of the floundering Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver has dropped five straight and has been outscored, 23-5, during its skid. "I'm in the dressing room and on the ice and I see no sign of them packing it in," said Canucks coach Tom Renney, whose job is rumored to be in jeopardy. "Maybe there are different vibes from upstairs, but from what I can see, night in and night out, they come to play. We needed more emotion and more energy tonight." Messier finally got the Canucks on the board when he beat Martin Brodeur 7:11 into the third period after scoring off a feed from Pavel Bure behind the net. "They should be supporting their team and they did," Messier said. "I look at this situation as the biggest challenge of my career. Our weaknesses were exposed in every area by a great team. There is a tremendous amount of work to do to get back respect as serious contenders. I came (to Vancouver) with an open mind. I am trying to learn what the problems are and what deficiencies we have. I'll evaluate that and take the steps necessary to turn the team around." Messier's goal was the first allowed by the Devils in 129:47, dating back to the second period of last Saturday night's 4-3 loss to San Jose. Since then, New Jersey outscored its opponents, 13-0 in that span, eclipsing the old mark of 10 straight goals set from October 24th-26th, 1991 and from March 25th-30th, 1997. PAVEL'S STATS GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S 13 6 3 9 +2 12 2 0 2 0 61 ----Back to Headline List---- 29 October, 1997 Canucks lose a stinker Chris Terreri made 19 saves for his second shutout in as many weeks and Ethan Moreau had a goal and assist as the Chicago Blackhawks stopped a three-game losing streak with a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. "Fortunately tonight we got the breaks," said Amonte. The Canucks appeared to tie the game with 2:27 left in the second. But officials ruled that Mike Sillinger was in the crease when he put a wrist shot just inside the post from the left doorstep. "It would have been a big goal," said Vancouver coach Tom Renney. "It could have done wonders for us at that point because like Chicago we're struggling for points. Up to that point we had played a decent road game. With the way we're struggling that goal was huge. I don't think we share the puck particularly well, especially in the offensive zone." "My skate was maybe a quarter inch in, I'd like to see their angle," Sillinger said. "I went to the net to keep the goalie honest and I made an effort to be aware of where I was. This is why guys don't go to the net. So many get disallowed and that call was a real backbreaker. We're struggling and it's time to get on our toes and start playing. We're beating ourselves." PAVEL'S STATS GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S 12 6 3 9 +3 12 2 0 2 0 56 ----Back to Headline List---- 26 October, 1997 Canucks wilt under the Red Machine Nicklas Lidstrom scored midway through the opening period to spark a string of four unanswered goals as the Detroit Red Wings remained unbeaten on the road with a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Chris Osgood made 17 saves for the Red Wings, while McLean stopped just 16 shots. Pavel set up Canucks' first goal, scored by Gino Odjick. The Canucks wilted in the second half of the game, showing signs of playing their second game in 22 hours. PAVEL'S STATS GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S 11 6 3 9 +4 12 2 0 2 0 54 ----Back to Headline List---- 25 October, 1997 Pavel held scoreless in OT loss Kevin Hatcher scored 41 seconds into overtime to cap a three-goal comeback and lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-2 victory over the punchless Vancouver Canucks. McLean turned aside 32 shots for the Canucks, who fell to 2-3-2 at home and 3-5-2 overall. Both Pavel Bure, and Mark Messier, who signed a three-year $20 million contract with the Canucks in the off-season, were kept off the scoresheet. In 10 games with Vancouver, Messier has just two goals and an assist. Pavel who lead the league with 48 shots on goal prior to tonight's game, recorded 5 shots (a couple of which were high quality scoring shots) on goal and a double minor penalty. PAVEL'S STATS GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S 10 6 2 8 +5 12 2 0 2 0 53 ----Back to Headline List---- 23 October, 1997 St.Louis 4 Canucks 1 Pavol Demitra scored one goal and set up another 63 seconds apart in the second period and Grant Fuhr stopped 23 shots as the St. Louis Blues returned to their winning ways with a 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Fuhr stopped all 16 shots over the final two periods and denied Vancouver on three breakaways. He stopped Scott Walker and Pavel Bure in the first period and stoned Bure again in the third, leaving Pavel pointless for the game. Fuhr commented about Bure's breakaway. "He's going so fast he can go by you at warp nine but he can't get the puck in the air at that speed as he's going by you. So you just lie down and make him throw it over you." St. Louis Blues goalie Grant Fuhr (31) reaches out to block a shot on goal by Vancover Canucks' Pavel Bure (10) during the first period of play of their NHL game Thursday, Oct. 23, 1997 at the Kiel Center in St. Louis. (AP Photo/James A. Finley) PAVEL'S STATS GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S 10 6 2 8 +5 8 2 0 2 0 48 ----Back to Headline List---- 22 October, 1997 Pavel receives official Russian invitation Pavel has been officially invited as a candidate for inclusion in the Russian team in the World Cup. Enclosed is a copy of the letter informing Pavel of such. ----Back to Headline List---- 21 October, 1997 yes, yes, yes !! Pavel scores hat-trick !! !! Pavel Bure recorded his first hat trick of the season and the seventh of his career (and first since 11 April 1995) and Arturs Irbe made 29 saves against his former team, leading the Vancouver Canucks to a 5-1 victory over the Dallas Stars. Bure scored his first goal of the game, a power-play tally with 8:02 left in the opening period, beating Ed Belfour with a one-timer from the right faceoff circle for a 1-1 tie. He gave Vancouver the lead for good with his second of the game at 5:14 of the second period. Bure took a pass from Donald Brashear at the blue line, faked a slap shot and put a high wrister past a sprawling Belfour. "Last game against Colorado we were able to come from behind late in the game and get a tie," Bure said. "What we wanted to do was carry that momentum into tonight's game and we were able to do just that." David Roberts and Markus Naslund also tallied for the Canucks, who improved to 3-3-2 this season. Irbe, who played 35 games for the Stars last season, was making his Canucks' debut. He was at his best in the first period, stopping 16 of 17 shots before turning aside all 13 over the final two periods. Bure completed his hat trick with 6:12 remaining. Mark Messier chipped the puck off the boards into the right faceoff circle to Bure, who controlled it before putting a shot into the far side of the net. "It's nice to get a hat-trick, but it's a team game and we played an outstanding game against a very good defensive team," Bure said. "The third goal was pretty lucky. Mark did a good job creating a loose puck at the blue line and I kind of read the play and picked up the puck and just did what I had to do." Pavel was voted second star of the game, after Irbe. PAVEL'S STATS GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S 8 6 2 8 +6 8 2 0 2 0 42 ----Back to Headline List---- 19 October, 1997 Pavel scores in Canucks tie Colorado 4 Canucks 4 Trevor Linden had two goals and two assists and set up Donald Brashear's first goal of the season with 11 seconds left to lift the Vancouver Canucks into a 4-4 tie with the Colorado Avalanche. The Canucks had all four shots in overtime. Pavel Bure had a power-play goal for the Canucks. PAVEL'S STATS GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S 7 3 2 5 +4 8 0 0 1 0 35 ----Back to Headline List---- 19 October, 1997 Pavel Bure is getting very close to withdrawing his trade request Vancouver Canucks right winger Pavel Bure may withdraw his trade request soon, now that his agent and the team have settled a few key differences. Staff photo by Arlen Redekop A meeting in Toronto this week between Canucks GM Pat Quinn and the Russian's Kingston, Ont., agent Mike Gillis made substantial progress on some of the main issues which have been troubling the Rocket. "We've pretty much settled two of the areas and made progress on others," said Gillis on Saturday. "We had a positive meeting and had some frank discussion on quite a few topics." Gillis would not say which areas had been settled but sources close to the family confirm the Canucks have agreed to pay Bure the $1.8 million U.S. owed to him from the lockout. This would be a courageous step on the part of the club given the league has asked it's member teams not to make such payments. It's possible the money could come in the form of a renegotiated contract to deflect pressure from the League. Other known issues are a difference on a tax interpretation which could save the player a lot of money, Bure's promotional rights that he wants back given the club has done nothing with them, and the personal relationship between he and Quinn. This move to settlement has increased speculation Alexander Mogilny will be traded. The Canucks have offered the beach-bound Russian a base salary of $20 million US over five years, but clearly he's worth more than $4 million a year in today's market given the length of deal would take him past his first two years of free agency. The Rangers, Chicago and perhaps Washington and Phoenix are among the teams interested in Mogilny's services.

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Net Detective, Jim Carey, foils Canucks

Bruins 2 Canucks 0

The Canucks, coming off Monday's 3-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers, saw their record fall to 2-3-1.

"This is one of those losses that wil command some real soul-searching from all of us," said Canucks coach Tom Renney. Asked if this reminded him of games from last season, in which Vancouver missed the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons, Renney replied, "I think so. It's a bad reference point. It's something we don't want to repeat too often. We'll see what we're all about now."

The Canucks failed on all three power-play opportunities, and have scored only once -- in their season-opener -- in 30 chances this year. "It's a game we should have won, could have won, but the bottom line is we didn't take the extra stride to finish a check... get a loose puck."

Pavel Bure recorded 3 shots on goal.

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Vote for Pavel

Please vote for Pavel, every day, and have a chance to win !

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Canucks win 3-0

McLean came up with a handful of key stops en route to his 20th career shutout and first since April 13th, 1996.

Gelinas scored the only goal McLean needed while Vancouver was shorthanded early in the first period, with Pavel Bure serving a charging penalty.

Bret Hedican and Brian Noonan also tallied for the Canucks, who snapped a three-game winless streak with their first victory of the new season on North American soil.

Playing a strong game, Pavel was held pointless for the game.

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Pavel assists on two in a 6-3 loss

Gretzky, who spoke about how emotional it would be to face off against Messier again a day before the game, completed his hat trick with a nifty singlehanded effort at the eight-minute mark of the third period.

Carrying the puck into the Canucks' zone, Gretzky went to the net and circled it, pulling goalie Kirk McLean out of position. Coming out the other side, Gretzky neatly flipped the puck into them open cage over sprawling defenseman Dana Murzyn.

The sellout GM Place crowd honored a smiling Gretzky with a standing ovation. The 36-year-old Gretzky, the NHL's all-time leading scorer, also recorded his 66th five-point game, the last one coming when he was a member of the Los Angeles Kings Feb. 11, 1994, against Anaheim.

Messier, facing his former team for the first time since joining the Canucks last July, scored Vancouver's opening goal, converting Pavel Bure's pass on a 2-on-1 break, briefly tying the game 1-1 a minute into the second period. Messier spent six seasons with the Rangers, including leading them to the Stanley Cup title in 1994.

The Rangers blew the game open with a four-goal second period, capped by Gretzky's clearcut breakaway tally at the 17:30 mark to give New York a comfortable 5-2 edge.

Adam Graves, set up by Pat LaFontaine from behind the net, put the Rangers up for good, beating McLean from in close 5:08 into the second period. The assist extended LaFontaine's consecutive-game points streak to five.

Driver made it 3-1 three minutes later, while Gretzky, with his first of the night and year, made it 4-1, capitalizing on a Canuck turnover at the 11:34 mark.

Steve Staios and Martin Gelinas, who scored late in the third period, rounded out the scoring for the Canucks, whose record dropped to 1-2-1.

The third period was marred by three heavyweight battles, including a fight between Rangers' Eric Cairns and Canucks' Donald Brashear, who received 37 minutes in penalties, including two 10-minute misconducts and a game misconduct.

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Canucks tie first home game

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Sports Illustrated photo of Pavel

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Gary Mason: Bure brilliant. But . . .

Gary Mason Vancouver Sun

TOKYO - The smile was back. So was the swagger. He had his old number, performed his old highlight-reel dashes for the crowd.

Everything about Pavel Bure's regular season debut in Japan had a scent of nostalgia.

"It makes a big difference when you're having fun playing," Bure said at the conclusion of the team's 1-1 games split with Anaheim.

Listen to his coach. His happy coach.

"He's making things happen," said Tom Renney. "He's putting heat on the opponent and being ingenious and challenging and spirited and all that stuff." What's left?

Bure was even backchecking. Even over backchecking. You read that correctly.

You see him dance like he did here and you can't imagine trading this guy. Such another-world-ly talent when he's moved to be. When his body and mind are healthy.

Then again, maybe it was the sushi.

Bure left here with two goals and the promises of so many more. His teammates and coaches see something different in him.

"Like night and day," said Canuck assistant coach Stan Smyl. What I saw was the fiesty Bure, the one with a little chip on his shoulder that helps give him more room to breathe. And create.

"He's not timid on the puck," Smyl said. Not scared someone's going to take his knee out or smash him head-first into the boards. Bure's played with those worries before and the results weren't good.

"He has to be the aggressor, so opponents back off scared," said Smyl. Which is what the Anaheim defence did several times Bure had the puck.

Bure wasn't the only Canuck who played with passion. Trevor Linden gave up his "C" here and then flew and crashed his way around Yoyogi arena. It made you wonder how much that little letter weighed anyway. Linden was Renney's best forward the first two games of the season. His successor's regular-season debut was hampered by a charley horse. He still got a goal.

But you could tell how much Mark Messier already means to this team. When he went down in game one you could see the Canuck bench sag. "Gawd, no." When Anaheim scored 11 seconds later it seemed to wake the Canucks from their little nightmare. They were jolted back to reality in time to save the game.

Messier played injured in game two. And maybe that was a little statement from the leader. You play hurt sometimes if you want to win. Those are the expectations he is setting. That's the level of commitment he is seeking.

You know what? The Japanese loved this game. They didn't sit on their hands. They didn't clap politely. You couldn't hear a pin drop. They were yelling and screaming and showing up to the arena with no shirts and a Canuck sweater, with Messier and No. 11 painted on their bodies. Okay, one Japanese male showed up that way.

Many players were dreading this trip. The 10-hour flight. The time change and blow to their system it would deliver. But you know, they got into it. They soaked up a bit of the culture through the people they met. The players were mobbed everywhere they went. Okay, crowded around. So I like to exaggerate. By the end of the final game, though, the players had seen enough. They wanted home. I can report the arena crowd was decidedly pro-Canuck. At one point they started chanting 'Gi-no, Gi-no.' "Yeah, I heard it. Too bad the coach didn't," Odjick cracked.

Odjick was Bure's bodyguard on this trip. Off the ice, anyway. The two were inseparable. If anyone knows what runs through Bure's mind, knows why he might wanted to be traded and yet appear to be so happy, it's Odjick.

"As a hockey player there's one funny thing that always happens in life. When you go out there and you're doing well and the team's doing well, your whole life is fine.

"So if we start doing well and the team starts doing well, I think everything well be okay."

Maybe so. But 10 minutes after Gino says that we talk to Bure. He's asked if he wants to play for the Canucks and he's still saying this:

"Well, I am right now. I am today a Vancouver Canuck and who knows what's going to happen."

When we ask him what his preference is, stay or go, he says: "My preference is to play hockey."

My tenth reaction to these comments he makes is the same as my first. If he doesn't want to play here, get him out. But then you see him play like he did here and you think what a shame it would be to lose him if he's gearing up for one of those seasons that make him so special. But you know something has to happen here. They won't keep Bure and Alexander Mogilny. They don't need them both. They need to use one of those assets to upgrade their defence. This team is probably two good defencemen away from being a serious Cup contender. Assuming Kirk McLean continues to play as marvellously as he did here.

For his part, Renney seems to have learned a few hard lessons from last year. He's decided not to try and please everyone when it comes to ice time. He's going to give his best players more. Lots more. So Bure, Messier, Linden, Gelinas seemed to be on the ice forever. Power play, penalty kill. There was no assignment too small for these guys.

Bure and Messier continue to look comfortable together. They share the puck well and haven't forgotten there's a third man on their line. Markus Naslund. I realize it's early. Bure looked good in pre-season last year until he got hurt early in the regular season. It could happen again.

Bure got lots of chances on the bigger international ice surface. Teammate Martin Gelinas figures he'll get even more on the smaller surfaces back home.

"There's more turnovers. You don't have to skate as much and he's such a quick skater from a standing start."

Bure makes his home debut Thursday against Toronto. I asked him if he'll go back to No. 96 if he doesn't score.

"I'll think about it," he laughed.

He was joking. I think.

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Back to a perfect 10

Vancouver Canucks winger Pavel Bure returned to wearing No. 10 on the weekend in Tokyo. Staff photo by Gerry Kahrmann

Bure sacked the No. 96 he's worn the past two troubled seasons and returned to his old No. 10. And it's so far, so good for the Russian Rocket, who scored his first goal of the 1997-98 season here in Game 1.

"I feel good," said Bure, who simply took flight here in Tokyo, firing 11 shots on goal, one of them beating Anaheim Mighty Ducks goalie Guy Hebert at 14:41 of the second period for a 3-1 Vancouver lead. "We won our first game and it feels good."

After beating Hebert, he pumped his fist twice in a celebration that delighted his many fans. After Duck no-show Paul Kariya, Bure is probably the most popular player here in Japan.

"I'm not superstitious but I wanted to make a change," he said.

"The last two years have been bad memories," added Bure who had 23 goals and 55 points in 63 games last year. He scored only six in 15 games the previous season, which ended in November due to a knee injury.

"You guys (media) have always been telling me, go back to 10 so I did," he laughed.

Last year Bure got over the knee injury, but whiplash from a check he took into the boards in Game 1 bothered him all year.

With the 10 on his back, Bure buried 60 goals in both the '91-92 and '92-93 seasons, and had 20 in 43 games in the '94-95 lockout season.

He was flying here Saturday, although the ice wasn't exactly conducive to warp speed.

"You know the players in the NHL," said Canucks president and GM Pat Quinn.

"The 96 was associated with some bad times in his life. A few years ago he wanted 96, but now he wanted to go back to 10.

"He was great out there. That's the Pavel I coached a few years back."

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Bure stars, but Canucks still lose

J.J. Daigneault scored with 6:22 remaining and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim held on for a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, earning a split of their historic two-game series at Yoyogi Arena in Tokyo.

Daigneault, a former Canuck, pinched in from his defense position and was alone to the right of the net when he one-timed a cross-ice pass from Tomas Sandstrom. Goaltender Kirk McLean was caught at the other goalpost and Daigneault put the puck into the open side of the net.

Vancouver, which won the first game of the series by the same score on Friday, had a power play when Anaheim's Dave Karpa pulled down Mark Messier with 1:19 remaining.

The Canucks gained a 6-on-4 advantage by pulling McLean for an extra skater but mustered only one scoring chance as Mikhail Shtalenkov stopped Pavel Bure's slap shot from the top of the left faceoff circle.

Messier played despite a charley horse suffered in Friday's game. He did not figure in the scoring.

The Canucks return for their home opener against Toronto on Thursday.

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Pavel headlines NHL Preview in 'USA Today'

And guess whose mugshot makes the front page.... Pavel of course.

Check out a small portion of the paper below.

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Bure shelves 96 for old 10

Elliott Pap Vancouver Sun

Bure made the decision in a move that appears to symbolize a renewed commitment to the Vancouver Canucks. The Russian Rocket will also continue to be an assistant captain, joining Trevor Linden as the alternates to new captain Mark Messier. Dana Murzyn will be the third assistant but won't wear an 'A' unless there is an injury.

"I was thinking for the whole summer that I should go back to No. 10 and I just decided yesterday," Bure said prior to Friday's regular-season opener against Anaheim. "You guys were always telling me that and so were the fans. I had more luck with No. 10."

Bure had absolutely no luck with No. 96 and never once was completely healthy wearing it. He adopted it two seasons ago, suffered four different injuries and scored just 29 goals. In four seasons wearing No. 10, he scored 174 times, twice hitting 60. In two seasons wearing No. 96, Bure missed 86 games. In four seasons with No. 10, he missed only 13 games.

"I am happy Pavel has switched back," said Canuck vice-president Steve Tambellini. "To me, he was No. 10. He had his best years wearing No. 10 and his introduction to Vancouver and the NHL was as No. 10. As Pavel said, his luck changed dramatically when he went to No. 96. This is a new start for him."

It also appears to be a very positive indication that Bure has settled his differences with the club. The money problems that have bothered him, causing him to change agents and ask for a trade, seem to be on their way to resolution.

"Everything is going in the right direction," Bure nodded. "Now we'll find out if changing my number back is going to work."

And what about all those Bure fans who mothballed their No. 10 jerseys for No. 96?

"It's still me," Bure smiled. "If it's 96 or 10, it still has my name on it."

After adopting No. 96, Bure suffered a dislocated finger, torn anterior cruciate ligament, bruised kidney and a serious whiplash problem that dogged him virtually the entire 1996-97 season. He said he now feels fine physically and emotionally.

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Pavel changes his number back to #10, and stars in Canucks win

Pavel finished the game with 11 shots on goal, and was a +2 for the game.

In a surprise move, Pavel switched back to his original number 10 on his sweater for the game. From what has been learnt, he decided on this switch only the night before the game. We presume it is a permanent switch, but have not heard any interview with Pavel regarding this matter.

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Pavel willing to give 'A' to Linden

Bure said he hadn't offered the A, but would give it up in a heartbeat.

"I'm willing to, no problem. For me having a letter is not a big deal," said Bure. "Trev's been a great leader a lot of years, but I think he made the right decision. Mark and he are like a different generation. Mark is 36 - he's almost like having another coach."

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Messier new Canucks captain

Vancouver Sun

Linden told his teammates before morning practice about his decision.

Ever since Messier arrived in Vancouver, Linden had been dogged with questions about his future as captain.

As recently as Wednesday in Tokyo, Linden was again pressed by Japanese journalists and he replied he and Messier were "working the matter out."

Canucks general manager Pat Quinn said Linden approached him more than a week ago and said he thought it appropriate to hand over the captaincy.

"As of today, our captain is Mark Messier," said Quinn. He said the decision was entirely Linden's.

"Trevor has been a magnificent leader," said Quinn,.

Pavel Bure and Dana Murzyn remain as Alternative Captains.

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It's Bure we want to see

Bob Stall - Vancouver Province

After two injury plagued seasons and a mysterious trade request this year, many of his former fans think that Bure has gone soft, slow, spoiled or weird.

But that's mostly wrong.

He's not soft. He placed first in fitness testing among the best 57 athletes the Vancouver Canucks could assemble at this year's training camp in Whistler. No spoiled child could work that hard.

And he's not slow. Anyone who saw Bure in the two games in California said his superhuman acceleration and reckless overdrive seems to be the same as it was before he was kneecapped.

Has Pavel gone weird ? Maybe. But torment in a genius has to be viewed charitably and, yes, this guy has been a genius. The Pavel Bure of three years ago remains the most exciting and creative artist seen anywhere in hockey this decade.

To let him go would be to lose the single most compelling reason there has ever been to watch the Vancouver Canucks. It would be like the B.C.Lions selling Doug Flutie an 1992, which, you might have noticed, was disastrous for that franchise.

I'd choose Mark Messier to lead my army and Alex Mogilny to be my hired gun. I'd choose Martin Gelinas and Trevor Linden to marry my daughters.

But I would rather watch Pavel Bure play hockey than anyone else.

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Rocket a keeper

Neil MacRae - Vancouver Province

A few weeks ago when Bure, through whatever agent he was using that day, hinted that a change was needed, the majority of morons who phone talk shows were offering to drive the little communist turned ultimate capitalist to the airport.

Now that we have all seen him laughing and again having fun at his job, and after seeing end-to-end rushes, you tend to quickly forget that he wants out of here.

Not many people if any would have come down hard on general manager Pat Quinn had he traded Bure the day the poop hit the fan. They would have said Quinn did the right thing, and besides who needs to pay some ungrateful player $5 million US if he doesn't want to be here ?

Based on what Bure has shown so far in the preseason and the attitude he seems to have, I think it's a safe bet that if Quinn moved him now it would be Quinn who the fans would want to drive out of here.

I've always maintained that the Canucks would be better off in the long run if they were able to trade Bure for a solid defenceman like Rob Blake in L.A. Except for selfish and curious reasons, I want to see for one year what a healthy Bure playing alongside Mark Messier and with a supporting cast of Trevor Linden, Alexander Mogilny, Martin Gelinas, Mattias Ohlund and Kirk McLean can actually do. I want to see that gang together in Messier's first year here and before age prevents him from dominating teams as he has for most of his career.

If Pavel Bure does finally have his head screwed on properly and shows everyone around the NHL that he has returned to the form that turned on the masses when he first arrived, then the Canucks will be able to make a good trade.

What they won't be able to do, though, is replace him with a player that even remotely comes close to the entertainment level Bure brings to the table.

Unless I have completely misread people around here, I think what fans deserve and want first and foremost is entertainment. It's great to see wins and see the Canucks gunning all year for first place in the conference with Detroit and Colorado, but this business is all about pizazz and entertainment.

When it comes to those commodities, there isn't anyone in hockey better or more exciting than a pumped-up, enthusiastic Pavel Bure. For Bure's sake and for his future, he better be ready to suck it up and come out flying starting in Tokyo because it will leave both himself and the team in far better negotiating positions.

If Bure plays well and still wants out, then the Canucks can use him to get the help they need on the blueline. If he plays like he can and snaps out of his coma-like state, realizing he's playing in the best city in North America, then both sides win.

Either way, it all boils down to what's going on between Bure's ears. If he's got his act together, he will help this team immediately either by leaving or by staying, which means the real winners will be the fans. What a unique concept.

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Quinn has only a few thorns left

Elliott Pap Vancouver Sun

Quinn figures the Russian Rocket will perform well despite the recent distractions that he referred to as "the longest running soap opera".

"I think Pavel will be focused," Quinn said following the Canucks' arrival in Japan Tuesday. "He's got his career to think about. He's had two tough years. He's a highly motivated guy. He wants to perform and he wants to do well and I trust that more than any other factor. He's had some jump through training camp and I think that will continue. I hope he'll get his scoring touch back and I'm very optimistic he'll have a very good season."

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PICTURE THIS: An unidentified Japanese fan tries to take a photo of Pavel Bure and himself when the Vancouver Canucks arrived at the New Tokyo International Airport in Narita, east of Tokyo on Tuesday. Itsuo Inouye, AP

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