News from October 1999

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Senators' Prospal eyed as Bure's center

KANATA, Ontario --Evident in the early going is that the Panthers still lack a top-line center who can consistently put the puck on Pavel Bure's tape in prime shooting position.

The Panthers are searching for that centerman, and according to a source, they are extremely interested in Ottawa's Vaclav Prospal.

At 24, Prospal is a player with lots of talent who has never quite put it all together. He's an outstanding playmaker and, like Bure, is mostly offensive-minded. But he's fallen out of favor in Ottawa, relegated to fourth-line duty and a little power-play time.

He played for coach Terry Murray in Philadelphia for 18 games during the 1996-97 season and for 41 games in 1997-98 before being dealt to Ottawa. They clearly had a good relationship because Prospal rushed over to Murray when he saw him before the game.

Prospal's best season came last year, when in 79 games, he had 10 goals and 36 points. He also led the team with 58 penalty minutes.

In 11 games, Prospal has a goal and six points.

He's not that quick and not that strong, but he does sniff out the puck and can create chances.

The Czech also comes cheap at $600,000

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Bure and Panthers shoutout again

For the second consecutive game, Pavel Bure was kept off the score-board after having a five game point scoring streak.

Pavel had four shots on goal during the game and was a minus 2 for the game.

The final score was 5-0 in favour of the Ottawa Senators.

The Florida Panthers had difficulty generating any offence, and some ugly play and injuries (Cam Stewart suffered a concussion) set the tone for a grudge match with many penalties.

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Pavel held scoreless in OT loss

Pavel had five shots on goal and was a minus 3 in the game in Buffalo tonight.

Buffalo outshot Florida 20-9 through two periods and the Panthers managed only three shots in the first, tying their season low for shots in a period.

Hasek stuffed Pavel Bure's wraparound with a minute left in the second.

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BURE'S BACK!

Bure: Three goals in four games

Pavel Bure returned to the Florida Panthers' lineup tonight after missing five games with a groin injury.

The superstar right wing was a game-time decision the last few games but finally returned tonight to face the New York Islanders.

Bure recorded three goals and three assists in four games this season before suffering the injury October 12 in a 2-1 victory over Montreal. He had a goal and an assist in that game.

Known as the "Russian Rocket," Bure sparkled with Florida last season, recording 13 goals and three assists in only 11 games after being acquired from Vancouver.

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Bure scores twice in return to lineup

SUNRISE -- When Pavel Bure was traded to the Panthers in January after a nine-month layoff, he flew across the Atlantic, got one morning skate under his belt and scored two goals in a win over the New York Islanders.

Bure insists he played an awful game and was just lucky, so before Wednesday night's comeback from a groin injury against, again, the Islanders, Bure hoped to "get lucky again."

Most players can only dream to be so lucky. Bure scored two goals, making his presence known by scoring the first just 2:55 into the game, to help trigger a string of Panthers goals in a 6-3 pounding at National Car Rental Center.

Ray Whitney, who missed his last game with a strained groin, and Mark Parrish each broke out of slumps, with Whitney scoring a goal and two assists and Parrish scoring twice. Rookie Filip Kuba's first NHL goal 7:21 into the second became the game-winner. Viktor Kozlov tied a career high with three assists.

I had a feeling we would get some scoring going," coach Terry Murray said. "We haven't scored very much in the last couple of games and to have a healthy lineup with Pavel Bure and Ray Whitney back in -- two guys that can score goals -- I was certainly hoping things would fall into place."

It did, and a lot of it also had to do with the return of big Peter Worrell, who brought instant energy and hits. He dropped the gloves less than four minutes into the game and was a force all night.

He also planted his 6-foot-6 frame in front of goalie Felix Potvin and created a screen on Kuba's winner. The video goal judge credited Worrell with a redirection, but the goal was changed to Kuba when Worrell insisted he didn't touch it.

I wouldn't want to take someone's first goal away," Worrell said. "As far as I know I didn't touch it. It's Kuba's."

The victory snapped the Panthers' two-game losing streak and helped improve their record to 5-1-1 at home and 6-3-1 overall.

I think everybody was excited to get Peter and Pavel back in the lineup," Whitney said. "You saw the jump in our legs tonight. You saw everybody excited to play."

I think our confidence-level was through the roof with a full lineup," Parrish said.

Actually the lineup wasn't full because the Panthers played without injured defensemen Lance Pitlick and Bret Hedican. That gave Kuba and Mike Wilson a chance to play and they took advantage. Kuba had an assist on Parrish's second goal and Wilson benefited from playing with Robert Svehla. Both blue liners were plus-threes.

Bure gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead after captain Scott Mellanby made a couple of great plays. Svehla's dump came just short of the red line, so it would have been an icing if Mellanby had not been hustling on the forecheck. He got to the puck first to keep possession.

After a sustained forecheck, Mellanby grabbed the puck and fed Bure, who buried it while standing alone at the far post to the left of Potvin.

Asked how his groin felt after the game, Bure said, "I guess it is 100 percent when you win 6-3."

It's no fluke that Whitney's last goal came Oct. 9 versus Detroit, one game before Bure got hurt in Montreal. Whitney benefits with Bure in the lineup because the team's leading scorer over the past two years in not nearly as tightly checked as he is with Bure out of the lineup.

I get so excited watching Pavel score, maybe I want to go out and score myself," Whitney said. "That's something with Pavel. When superstars are in the lineup, they make other players better."

Parrish scored the first of his two goals five minutes later when he banged in a beautiful, blind backhand pass from Whitney.

Kuba, Bure and Parrish scored in the second, which was a good thing because there were several breakdowns in the third that made Trevor Kidd have to work for his fifth win. For Bure, it was his 18th goal in 16 games.

The victory was the perfect way to hit the road for their first extended road trip, a five-game trek that extends coast-to-coast from Buffalo to Vancouver.

It's a good springboard," Murray said. "Thank goodness we're getting healthy."

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Bure is back !

Florida Panthers right wing Pavel Bure, left, heads for the goal as New York Islanders' Zdeno Chara defends on the play Wednesday, Oct. 27, 1999 at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Fla. Bure and teammate Mark Parrish each had two goals in the 6-3 victory over the Islanders. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Pavel Bure returned back on the ice tonight in a game against the New York Islanders, scoring the first goal of the game, and then the insurance goal, to lead the Panthers to a 6-3 win.

Bure got the Panthers off to a quick start by taking a cross-crease pass from Scott Mellanby at the right goalpost and wristing it over the shoulder of goaltender Felix Potvin.

"It was a great game for us. It's always important to score the first goal. Whether it was me or someone else, when you do that, it gives the whole team confidence."

Bure made it 5-1 when he took a pass from Whitney behind the net and tapped it past Potvin.

After the game, Bure came out of the training room with ice on his left groin, the side he strained Oct. 13.

Whitney said his groin tightened up early, but improved as the game went along.

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And Bure? Maybe

Pavel Bure (groin) returned to practice and is hoping to play Wednesday when the Panthers host the Islanders. "I feel better. I hope I will play," Bure said. "I didn't push really hard, but I didn't have sharp pain today. If you step on the ice, you've got to be 100 percent to the team and to the fans. If you can't do that, it's better to wait. Basically it's up to my body, how my body will respond."

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Pavel Bure computer screen wallpaper

The official NHLPA web site offers it's readers the opporutnity to download varying wallpapers, including that of Pavel Bure.

Check out their web site by clicking on here.

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Playing without Pavel Bure

Playing without star right wing Pavel Bure for the fifth straight game due to a strained groin, the Panthers dropped their second consecutive contest following a 5-1-1 start.

Pavel is espected to play on Wednesday.

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Rest prescribed for injured Bure

by Brian Biggane -- Palm Beach Post

SUNRISE -- Practicing didn't work, so the Florida Panthers decided Friday that perhaps rest will be the antidote for Pavel Bure's strained groin.

Coach Terry Murray ordered Bure to stop all activity, meaning Bure missed his fourth straight game since suffering the injury 11 days ago.

"I just want to let everything settle down," Murray said. "Let the soreness get out of the muscle. Then you know you're getting back to the recovery side of it."

Bure admitted he was determined to face Vancouver, his former team, Wednesday night and pushed himself in warmups beforehand.

"I warmed up hard, and the next day I was a little sore," he said.

Murray and Bure had a long conversation after practice Thursday.

"We're going to have him stop doing everything," Murray said. "Stay off the ice, stay out of the weight room, off the (stationery) bikes, get the muscle back to full recovery and get back at it then.

"When there's a pain in your muscle it's telling the body something, and that's to stop doing what you're doing. Whenever he gets back to feeling 100 percent, then let's get going."

Murray said he still plans to have Bure accompany the team to Philadelphia today in hopes he could play Sunday night against the Flyers.

"It's not going to take him long to get ready to play. He can get a day's skate under his belt and be ready the next day, easily."

"Six or seven years ago I had the same thing, and I just hit a plateau in my rehab," Bure said. "I went to a morning skate one day and wasn't planning to play. Then it felt so good I just went ahead."

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Greater expectations -- Valeri Bure is getting noticed more for his talents than being Pavel's little brother.

by MICHAEL RUSSO -- Miami Herald

SUNRISE -- When your brother is a superstar and dominates a game like few can, life can be frustrating if you compete in the same sport.

But Valeri Bure is starting to make a name for himself. He's trying to build his own star. While the Calgary Flames' right wing is aware he'll never fully escape the label, "Pavel's brother," the younger Bure is starting to become known as much more than just that.

"It's starting to come along slowly that people are starting to recognize that I am my own player and I do my own things," said Valeri, who hopes his brother's injured groin heals in time for a Bure-Bure showdown tonight between the Flames and Panthers at the National Car Rental Center.

"I don't mind being compared to him because I am his brother, and he is one of the best players in the world. But you always want to be respected for what you do."

Last season, in his first full year in Calgary after being traded from Montreal, Valeri finally started to break through. He scored a career-high 26 goals and 53 points and was especially Pavel-like after Theo Fleury was dealt to Colorado.

This season, while his team is 1-5-2, Bure has gotten off to the best start of his career. He leads the Flames with six goals and eight points in eight games.

And Pavel, three years older, is the most proud.

"For me, it's not surprising at all," Pavel said. "I've been saying for years that he's going to be a great player. He just had to get an opportunity to show people how well he can play. He had to get confidence, and it was hard in Montreal because they're a real tradition team. They don't give young players that many chances."
     x Panthers defenseman Todd Simpson, the former Flames' captain, has witnessed Valeri's vast improvement.

"Valeri really uses his quickness and can stop super-quick," Simpson said. "He shifts from side to side and has a really good shot. He's just gotten better and better. You can see Pavel and Valeri have the same ideas in their heads. They want to score goals, and they both have unbelievable talent."

Valeri was excited when he was traded to Calgary because he thought it would give him a chance to be closer to his brother in Vancouver.

"We only got to see each other once or twice a year," Valeri said. "Then I got traded, and I was like, 'Yes, this is going to be awesome.' It's only an hour from Calgary to Vancouver by plane, so I was thinking on days off I could fly there and spend more time with him.

Of course, then he holds out and I'm like, 'Come on. Don't do that. I don't need that because most likely you're going to get traded to the East.' And of course, he does. So it's tough. I would love to play on the same team. That would be awesome. But he's happy here, and I'm happy there."

The brothers have grown closer in the past couple of years and relish the time they spent together when they helped lead Russia to a silver medal in the Olympics two years ago. Valeri said it was a tremendous experience, especially watching his brother score nine goals in six games, including five in the semifinals against Finland.

"It was awesome," Valeri said. "It was special to watch and will go down in Olympics history. It was just a fun couple of weeks. We were roommates, so it was one of the best times in my life. It was something I'll remember because we don't see each other often."

While they talk every other day, the Bures lead completely different lives.

Pavel is in the spotlight, spends his summers in Moscow and is single. Valeri lives a more private life with his wife, actress Candace Cameron, in Los Angeles, where the couple has a 14-month-old daughter and another child on the way.

"(Candace) and I met at a hockey charity game in L.A.," Valeri said. "She was in (the sitcom) Full House, and one of the members of the cast played in the game and introduced us. It just started from there, and we married three years ago."

While Pavel parties on South Beach, Valeri parties at the homes of Hollywood stars.

With his bright blond hair, Valeri looks like a Californian. He sounds like one, too, regularly using words such as "awesome" and "cool." He speaks English almost perfectly, with a nifty California-Russian accent.

"It's hard to see each other," Pavel said. "From Russia, it's 12 hours by plane. A couple times this summer I went to see him in L.A. But it's not as much time as we'd like. He has a family he has to take care of. We just have two different lifestyles."

They spent Thursday together and, judging by Pavel's paycheck, you can guess who bought dinner.
     Reality says Pavel will never be known as Valeri's brother. But it's to the point where Valeri is no longer known as the other Bure.

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Bure gives injury extra time to heal

by David J Neal -- Miami Herald

There was no game-time drama Friday about whether or not Pavel Bure would return from his strained groin to play against Calgary. Bure didn't participate in the morning skate, which was in accord with the new approach the Panthers are taking to the injury, now 9 days old.

``Stop doing everything, stay away from everything,'' Panthers coach Terry Murray said. ``Stop riding the bike, stay out of the weight room, stay off the ice. Let the soreness get out of the groin muscle.''

Although this sounds like Bure could be out at least beyond Sunday's game in Philadelphia, Murray said Bure still would go to Philly with the team.

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Bure defeats Florida without Pavel

Valeri Bure scored a pair of power-play goals for the Flames (2-5-2), who have won both of their overtime games this season.

"This was a big game. We needed to start winning," Bure said. "It's been very frustrating lately but we came here with positive thoughts. It was a big one."

Valeri's older brother, Pavel, missed his fourth straight game for the Panthers with a strained groin.

"It's really great to see him successful," Pavel Bure said of his brother. "I've always bees saying that he's going to be a great player and one of the best. People do not always believe me but I knew what kind of player he is because I grew up with him and I knew what he could do."

"I wish Pavel played every night for the fans here and for me. It's great to watch him fly," Valeri Bure said. "But when I'm at the point and I see my brother flying at me, sometimes it's not so great for me."

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Just another superstar

Bure's not the only show in Miami and he likes it

by Terry Bell -- Vancouver Province

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The first thing you notice is how relaxed he looks.

Sitting at his locker, a bare toe playing with a sandal, a bit of sweat on his brow after a torrid set of table tennis, Pavel Bure chats in a laid-back way about life in south Florida as a Florida Panther.

"I really like it," he said "I like the team. I like the organization. It's nice here, a good place. Except it's maybe more dangerous because of the hurricanes, but it's interesting."

Ah yes, the hurricanes. Irene, Floyd, Dennis or Jose -- whichever tempest happens to be dropping by for the day can play havoc with your peace of mind. Especially if you live on the 25th floor of a plush condo building on the beach. Which is, of course, where the Panthers' $47-million US man lives.

Joe Montana has lived in the building. So have other hurricane-braving celebrities. Which suits Bure just fine. When you live in a Lifestyles-of-the-Rich-and-Famous setting, wealth and fame don't make you stick out like a sore thumb.

Bure doesn't dump on Vancouver, the city he played in for seven years. He seems distant and aloof when questions about his old home are broached. But he has confided in friends here that he doesn't miss the in-your-face attention that comes with being a hockey star in Vancouver.

"In the U.S. it's different," said Bure Tuesday. "Here there's a number of sports, basketball, baseball, football. In Vancouver hockey's so big."

Bure took in an NFL Dolphins game earlier this season.

"Our owner (Wayne Huizenga) owns the football team," said Bure. "I think I could be a fan, if I could get to more games."

Bure can go to a football game or a trendy South Beach club or even grocery shopping and he's left alone. In a city that has the Dolphins, the NBA's Heat, the Florida Marlins and the University of Miami Hurricanes, Bure is, as Johnny Rodgers once put it, "just your ordinary superstar."

That might soon change. The Panthers, who have him on a five-year contract, want a major return on their investment. Billboards of Bure and enforcer teammates Peter Worrell and Paul Laus are set to go up all over town next week.

Bure pleads ignorance.

"My job is just to play hockey," he said when asked about the campaign. "The business side is great. If they want me to do it, I'll do it."

All Bure wants to do now is play. That's something he hasn't been able to do much of the last two years. He refused to report to the Canucks last season, holding out until they traded him to Florida on Jan. 17. But two knee injuries, one that kept him out for eight games and another that saw his season end, ruined his Panther debut.

He also missed his chance to meet his old mates last night due to a nagging groin strain that has hobbled him for the last week.

With 16 goals in just 15 games as a Panther, Bure now has a healthy knee and it's only a matter of days before he's recovered from his groin injury.

And those aren't ordinary superstar numbers -- in Florida or anywhere else.

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No Pavel, no problem

Panthers beat Canucks without injured Bure

by Terry Bell -- Vancouver Province

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Pavel Bure? Who needs him?

Not the Florida Panthers, who played without their Russian Rocket Wednesday but still had enough thrust in the engine to beat the defensively challenged Canucks 5-2.

Bure missed the much-hyped "Battle of the Traded Guys" due to a groin injury that's been nagging him for a week. In fact, nobody got what they wanted. Not the fans who wanted to see the matchup. Not Bure, who wanted to play.

And certainly not Canucks' Kevin Weekes and Ed Jovanovski, the two main northbound pieces in last January's trade that saw Bure and Bret Hedican go south.

"I was a little nervous, but that's just part of coming back to a place I have so many memories with," said Jovanovski, who handed out a few big hits but finished minus-2.

Weekes was left at the mercy of a shaky defence ... again. In the last five games the Canucks have given up 22 goals and not all of them have been the fault of the goalies.

"I don't know if it's so much of a concern," said Weekes, who made 33 saves. "But as a goalie, I'm just trying to face it to the best of my ability no matter how many chances they get. The thing tonight was we countered. We had a good number of chances, too."

Coach Marc Crawford refused again to blast his 4-3-1-1 team, which tied 4-4 Saturday in Calgary and won 6-5 in overtime Tuesday in Tampa to start this trip.

"The guys fought hard tonight," he said. "They played a game where they battled. I can't fault them."

Crawford can accentuate the positives all he wants, but this team has obvious defensive problems. It's hard to win giving up four goals or more per night, especially with centres

Andrew Cassels and Todd Bertuzzi on the growing injury list.

"It's a combination of things," said defenceman Greg Hawgood of the woes.

"A few times we've had third-period leads and didn't play well, but tonight we got behind the 8-ball and had to take some chances."

Florida took a 3-0 lead on goals by Robert Svehla at 12:59 of the first period, Oleg Kvasha at 11:33 of the second and Rob Niedermayer 53 seconds into the third.

Brad May made it 3-1 at 2:53 of the first, but the Panthers got that one back when Cam Stewart scored at 14:07. Canucks Peter Schaefer (16:31) and Viktor Kozlov (19:39) into an empty net completed the scoring.

Asked if Weekes was giving his team the kind of goaltending it needs, Crawford was vague.

"Kevin is continuing to develop," he said. "I thought he faced a bit of fatigue in the third period. He has to keep battling. I think he relishes this and he's trying to give us what he's got."

The Canucks won a couple of fights. But they paid a price for it. May beat up Todd Simpson 41 seconds into the game. Then, at 17:43 of the second, Donald Brashear pummelled John Jakopin. But referee Richard Trottier gave him an instigating minor, a five-minute fighting major and a 10-minute misconduct.

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Bure not on hand to greet Canucks

-- Associated Press

Although Pavel Bure was out of the lineup with an injury, the Florida Panthers didn't need to worry about their offence.

Five different players scored and Trevor Kidd stopped 36 shots as the fast-starting Panthers beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 last night in Sunrise, Fla.

"It was important that we showed that we could win without Pavel," said Florida defenceman Bret Hedican, who was part of the blockbuster National Hockey League trade with Vancouver that sent Bure to the Panthers last January.

"A win like this, without him in the lineup, is a feather in our cap. It shows that we have a solid team."

Bure missed what would have been his first showdown against his former team because of a groin injury that has kept him out of the lineup for three games.

Bure spent seven seasons in Vancouver until a contract dispute forced a trade last January.

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Bure limps out

After taking a strong pre-game practice, with plenty of skating and jump, it was decided that Pavel would sit out tonight's game against his former team of Vancouver.

His homecoming game is therfore scheduled for the November 5th road game in Vancouver.

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All eyes in Florida on Jovanovski vs. Bure

by Iain MacIntyre -- Vancouver Sun

TAMPA -- Vancouver Canuck defenceman Ed Jovanovski first made his mark in the National Hockey League by leaving marks on the other team's best player.

Tonight in Fort Lauderdale, the other team is Jovanovski's old one, the Florida Panthers, and their best player is ex-Canuck Pavel Bure.

"If I get a chance to play against him and get a chance to bump him, I will," Jovanovski said before the Canucks played Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. "I've got to play tough against everybody. But at the same time, I know if he gets a chance to go by me, he will."

Canuck coach Marc Crawford has been using the combative Jovanovski against the other team's top line. Unless Florida coach Terry Murray uses his last-change privilege to avoid the matchup, Jovanovski and Bure will be seeing much of one another.

Linking them on the ice seems appropriate, since they will be forever linked by the Canuck-Panther trade last January that reshaped both franchises.

Bure and Jovanovski were the key figures in the seven-player deal.

Bure has been sensational in South Florida, scoring 16 goals in his first 15 games as a Panther. Jovanovski, although far less spectacular, quickly became Vancouver's No. 2 defenceman behind only Mattias Ohlund.

"What Pavel does out there, that's his business," Jovanovski said. "I'm just worried about what I do here. I want to be consistent.

"I'm happy for him. I'm happy to see that he's doing well. It's his first couple of strides that make him so quick. I've never seen a guy love to score as much as him. I guess all the players in Florida are pretty much instructed to give him the puck."

Even without Bure, it would be an emotional night for Jovanovski.

Jovanovski, who retains a home in the Miami area, was the first player drafted in 1994 and spent 3 1/2 seasons with the Panthers.

"I was the No. 1 pick and people said I was going to do this, I was going to do that," Jovanovski said of the expectations he faced in Florida. "There's only so much I could do. I tried every night. Sometimes I struggled, but I never quit. I always gave my all. They're the team that allowed me into the NHL and I have a lot of respect for the organization.

"I'm a really emotional player. I just love going out there and hitting guys. But I've got to keep my emotions in check. It will be emotional, but it will be fun."

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Bure hopes to face ex-teammates

SUNRISE -- Pavel Bure has a laid-back attitude going into most games, but he said Tuesday that there is extra motivation to get into the lineup Wednesday against the Canucks.

Bure spent seven years developing his stardom in Vancouver before holding out for four months last season and forcing a trade to the Panthers.

"If I can play, it's going to be a special game for me," said Bure, who has a strained groin muscle. "I spent seven years there, so it's a big part of my life. But I have to listen to my body and do what's smart. Hopefully I can play."

The decision will be made just before the game. Bure, who practiced the entire 80-minute workout Tuesday, said he will skate warm-ups Wednesday to determine if he can play. He'll consult with the team doctors, trainer Stan Wong and coach Terry Murray.

"It's felt much better every day," Bure said. "It still hurts me a little bit, but they say it's totally normal when you pull a muscle for it to hurt a little while. It just depends if it's strong enough to go play the full game."

Bure scored 254 goals, eight short of the Vancouver record, and 478 points, fourth among Canucks, in 428 games. He scored 60 twice and 51 during the 1997-98 season, his last year.

His holdout was unlike most because it wasn't about money -- he was to make more than $8 million. It was about wanting to leave Vancouver.

Bure, whose last game for the Canucks was on April 19, 1998, said playing in Vancouver on Nov. 5 will be even more exciting.

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Bure harboring no ill will

Star concentrates on return, not former team

It's not Wayne Gretzky returning to Edmonton for the first time as a Los Angeles King, but it's hard to believe tonight's Panthers game isn't more meaningful than what Pavel Bure is letting on.

Tuesday, Bure spoke of facing the Vancouver Canucks for the first time since last season's trade to the Panthers. His voice was free of undertones. Not a hint of hostility.

The Canucks weren't exactly patting Bure on the back and thanking him for seven years of loyal service as he left the team in January. Florida acquired the 28-year-old superstar after sat out three months rather than don a Canucks' sweater.

A contract dispute drove a wedge between Bure and Vancouver, a city where the ``Russian Rocket'' was long considered an icon. The Canucks' fourth choice (113th overall) in the 1989 NHL entry draft, Bure won the Calder Trophy two years later as the league's top rookie. In 1993-94, he led Vancouver to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Since arriving in South Florida, Bure has been loath to discuss the rift with his former team. If Bure does harbor any ill will, he did not deem Tuesday the right time to air it out. Bure, who missed Florida's past two games because of a groin injury, did not even guarantee he would play tonight.

``Obviously, it's going to be a special game for me, because I spent seven years there, and it was a big part of my life,'' said Bure, who sustained the injury Oct. 12 at Montreal. ``I have to do what's smart. Hopefully I'll play. If not, too bad.''

Bure remains day-to-day. Coach Terry Murray said whether Bure skates tonight is a game-time decision. If Tuesday's practice was any indication, Bure will do more than skate. He went through the entire 90-minute workout with no signs of discomfort.

``I feel much better every day,'' Bure said. ``It still hurts a little bit, but it's normal when you pull a muscle, it's going to hurt for a while. It just depends if it's strong enough for me to go and play them.''

Bure does not feel a great attachment to this year's Canucks. Of Vancouver's 26 players, 15 were not teammates with Bure, and another seven skated with him for only one season.

``I think I was the last guy [from the '91-'92 team] who left from there, and it was two years ago,'' Bure said. ``Lots of guys retired. Lots of guys played for other teams, so not too many guys [are left], only trainers.''

The guys Vancouver has now are playing especially well. The Canucks took a 3-2-1 record into Tuesday's game at Tampa Bay. Entering that contest, they were tied with Colorado atop the Northwest Division with eight points.

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Canucks coming; Bure too?

SUNRISE -- Pavel Bure is "feeling good," not that he has to feel good to want to play Wednesday at National Car Rental Center.

Wednesday will provide Bure, who has missed the past two games with a strained groin, a chance to play his former team, the Vancouver Canucks, for the first time since he was traded to Florida in January.

"I can't say it's just another club," Bure said after Monday's practice. "It's obviously going to be strange for me. I spent seven years there, a big part of my hockey career. But my new club is here, and I'm going to do what I can to try to beat them."

Bure, who scored 254 goals in seven seasons with the Canucks, worked out Monday.

"It's day-to-day," coach Terry Murray said. "He'll be on the ice again (today), then we'll wait and see."

Mellanby to be tested: Murray said captain Scott Mellanby, who suffered a concussion when he went head-first into the boards in Montreal, will be tested at 2 p.m. today to see if he's ready to play against the Canucks.

"He still has a little bit of uneasiness in his own mind," Murray said.

Mellanby was told by team doctors to avoid contact for seven days because he was unconscious for 30 to 60 seconds.

No No. 1: For the first time in their seven-year history, the Panthers appear to have serious competition for No. 1 goaltender, a position held by John Vanbiesbrouck for five seasons. Sean Burke was No. 1 last season but is being challenged by first-year Panther Trevor Kidd.

"I don't have any No. 1 and No. 2," Murray said. "They're both playing very well. I don't need to make a decision on that till the end of the season. There's a lot of travel and a lot of games; you need two veterans who can do the job for you."

Burke (1-1-0) has a goals-against average of 3.03. Kidd (3-0-1) has played twice as many games and has a GAA (1.71).

"It's a comfort that management likes to have," Kidd said of the two-goalie system. "If I'm not going well, it's nice to have in the back of your mind that you can put Sean in, or vice versa."

Welcome back: Former Panthers goaltender Kevin Weekes (2-1-1) has played four games for the Canucks and has a 3.18 GAA. Their other goalie is Garth Snow (1-1); his GAA is 2.44.

What a difference: Murray said there's a "considerable difference" between the 1998-99 Panthers and this year's club.

"There's a great attitude in the locker room," he said. "There's a strong belief that we have the ability to play against any team and to come back against any team. We're faster, the skill level is better, and it's a grittier hockey club. Put it all together, and it's much better than last year."

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Q&A with Pavel Bure

Q&A with Pavel Bure

Q As I write this, Scott Mellanby has just suffered a concussion from a terrible crash into the boards. Thankfully it was "just" a concussion. But, there are apparently special helmets that help to prevent concussions or at least make them less serious. If this equipment exists, why don't all of the players wear them? Linda Hart, Miami, Florida

A Well, my understanding is it's not just the helmet. It's just the whole thing. When you get hit really hard, you're head kind of goes one way and you're body goes the other way. So, it has nothing to do with the helmet. Yeah, some helmets can help you a little bit but not necessarily.

Q I want to ask you how your recovery is coming along from your new injury that you sustained in Montreal? Lynda, Steven, Robert and Kelly, Tamarac, FL

A It's getting better every day, so I'm hoping I can play Wednesday. It still hurts me a little bit, but that's normal when you pull a muscle.

Q What was the biggest goal you ever scored?
Robert Kenny Pickering Ont.

A The biggest one probably was against Calgary in double overtime in 1994. It was the first round of the playoffs in Game 7. That was the biggest one.

Q What do you think about Alexi Yashin's $27-million suit made by 1,100 fans in Ottawa because of his holdout?
Yuko Watanabe, Washington, DC.

A Well, I don't want to judge anybody and every player makes his own decisions. I respect any decision in which players make. If he's wrong or right, I don't know. But if that's what he decided, it's his life I guess and that's what he wants to do.

Q In your honest opinion, is this team good enough to reach the Stanley Cup this season or are the Panthers still a couple of years away? Keith Rowan, Jersey City, NJ

A Obviously, we want to win the Cup. But are we good enough? I think we're a good team. It's hard to say if we need a couple more years or we're going to do it this year. Obviously, we're going to try to do it this year. We'll see.

Q I would like to know if you like being called the Russian Rocket? Ty Bailey, Alberta, Canada

A I don't have a choice.

Q In my opinion, Europeans, especially Russians, dominate the NHL, but there seems to be a big decline in the quality of hockey in Russia, especially with a lot of the better players leaving for North America. What are your thoughts on the future of hockey in Russia? Melanie Bailey, Alberta, Canada

A The future is not that bad. Maybe there's not too many players left there, but we're still producing lots of great players. If you see like (Panthers rookie left wing Ivan) Novoseltsev, who is only 20 years old, he grew up in Russia so hockey is still pretty strong in Russia.

Q Let's have you play coach for a moment. What would you change to help the other forwards on the Panthers score more goals? Ken Gray, Lake Worth, Fla.

A I don't want to be coach.

Q Do you have any game-day superstitions?
Cory Brolund, Kindersley, Saskatchewan, Canada

A No. I just have routines, but no superstitions. You know like what time I go to sleep, what time I eat. But it's more routine, it's not superstitious.

Q Do you think the NHL is too violent and does the NHL need to make the game safer? Mike Berman, Alexandria, Virginia

A I think they are trying to do that, because it is getting really dangerous. Guys are so much bigger and stronger, you can get hurt. I'm talking about not just a hurt knee or something, I mean really hurt badly. I know the NHL is looking for that and that they are trying to protect guys and it makes sense because we are all in the same business. So, why would you want to hurt someone badly? But, it's part of the game. It's not always on purpose. It sometimes feels like the same thing as if a car would hit you going 40 mph. It's pretty much the same thing. Our body just wasn't designed for that. But that's the way hockey goes.

Career stats

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Pavel update

Pavel skated a full 90 minutes in Tuesday's team practice.

He will do a pre-game skate tomorrow, and make a decision at that time whether he will play or not against his old team, the Vancouver Canucks.

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Injury update

Pavel Bure skated lightly at Monday's practice and was held out of some drills. Bure sustained a groin injury against Montreal last Tuesday and is day-to-day for Wednesday's game.

"We'll wait and see on game day how he's doing," Murray said.

Added Bure: "I hope to play. It's hard to tell right now. I still have a few days, so hopefully I'll be fine."

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Will he or won't he play?

Kidd was in goal for the Panthers' latest victory, a 3-2 overtime decision over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on Saturday night. He made 27 saves, blanking the high-scoring duo of Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya.

Kidd knows he played well but was quick to point out he has had plenty of defensive help in each of his victories. ``The guys are playing pretty good in front of me, not giving too much in the slots or crease area, but keeping stuff outside.''

Kidd points out how early it is in the season and stresses the need to stay on an even keel emotionally. But he admitted he was pumped that the Panthers won Saturday night without Pavel Bure, who was sidelined with a groin strain.

``At Carolina last year, we felt that when Pavel went down, a lot of wind went out of the Panthers' sails,'' Kidd said. ``Obviously, we need him in the lineup, but there are times your star won't be available, and it's up to others, myself included, to take up the slack and have big games. We did that the other night.''

Bure practiced lightly Monday and is listed as day-to-day but says he thinks he'll be able to play Wednesday against visiting Vancouver. Bure was feeling frisky enough to challenge Kidd to a game of ping-pong after practice.

Though Bure was optimistic he'll play Wednesday night, Murray was more cautious, calling it a ``day-to-day scenario.''

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Bure's the cat's meow as Panther

Ex-Canucks star advancing game in Florida

When Pavel Bure contemplates playing the Canucks Wednesday, his thoughts drift back to the seven years he spent in Vancouver.

Those thoughts are almost always pleasant and he has to check himself when he sees the Canucks on TV.

"When you think I was only 20-years-old when I came, it was really the time I went from a boy to a man," he says from his home in Fort Lauderdale where he carries the Florida Panthers on his back most nights. "When I see the Canucks I think to myself, 'There's my team,' and then I remember I play here now. It takes a while to change but I'm making the adjustment.

"It's going to be an exciting game for me to play, but also a very difficult one because Vancouver was a big part of my life. I still have a lot of friends there and I still love the fans there very much. They were always so good to me."

Bure is hoping he'll be sufficiently recovered from a groin strain suffered Tuesday in Montreal to be able to put on a decent show. Right now the ice treatments coupled with steam and ultrasound are occupying his time at the rink, a place he loves to go even more now than before he first seriously hurt his knee.

"I'm real hungry for hockey right now," he says. "I enjoy it more now because I was out and thinking about playing.

"Now I love every day going to the rink and being around the game and being with the rest of the guys. We have a real good mix here. A lot of young guys, a few veterans and we all get along. And everyone wants to win."

The more the Panthers win, of course, the more the Canucks suffer as they'll get Florida's first round-draft this year. If the Panthers make the playoffs, that pick won't be worth much more than a lottery ticket. But Bure thinks they'll do just that and more.

"Before the game Tuesday we were second in the (Eastern) Conference," he says. "Here, everyone wants to help you do your best. Every time I see (coach) Terry Murray or (GM) Bryan Murray or (president) Bill Torrey or (assistant GM) Chuck Fletcher they are asking me if there is anything they can do for me or if I need anything. And they're not just that way with me, but with all the players. You have to tell them, 'No I'm fine, I'm fine.' It's a great place to play."

This of course contrasts rather significantly with his experience here where the Canucks sicked the tax department on him in one instance, but Bure has no time for recriminations. He's just so happy to be playing the game again, having worked so hard to recover from a second major reconstructive surgery.

"It was easier the second time because I knew what to expect. It was still a lot of work to get ready, but when I got on the ice, I knew what sensations I would feel then, too. I knew better when to put pressure on the knee and when to ease up. And now on the ice I feel really good. The last time it took me two or three months to feel the way I should."

To see him play this season is to know he must feel good. Before the groin strain, the man literally was a Russian Rocket, motoring around the ice faster than anyone else in the league, the speed now more directed by a better understanding of the NHL game. But what turns this man's crank is scoring.

"The feeling I get when I score, nothing can replace that feeling," he says. "No money can buy it and nothing is quite the same as the feeling I get when I score. I guess it's a bit like an artist playing the piano or painting something. It's just something I want to do, something I've always loved to do. When I score, I don't think about money or anything like that. It's just the feeling of helping the team and doing what you do best. It's a feeling I missed when I couldn't play."

Bure still spends time fielding questions about his associations back home in Russia, some with alleged crime bosses in Russia, one of whom was refused a visa upon trying to enter the U.S.

"I laugh when I hear these things now because there is nothing new and I've found out for myself they're not true. First we were the targets of the Mafia. Now I am told I might be in the Mafia. Which is it? Why would I get involved in Mafia when I can just play hockey? How much money do you need? I have enough money. I don't need more. Everybody in Russia knows somebody who has got friends people could say things about. You have to understand how our society works.

"These people say, 'Our sources' all the time," he says. "Who are these sources? We looked at suing when this stuff first started happening in '95, but it's pretty hard to do. The lawyers get rich."

Not surprisingly Bure is having much the same effect on hockey in Florida now as Wayne Gretzky did in L.A. in the '80s and to a lesser extent what Mark McGwire had on baseball two years ago.

"People come up to me and say they never watched hockey before but now they really like the game and that is great. I love to hear that. I get that a lot and to me that is the greatest compliment you can give to a player."

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Bure out Saturday against Anaheim

Florida Panthers star right wing Pavel Bure will miss tonight's game against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks after suffering a strained right groin in Tuesday's win at Montreal.

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Pavel Bure computer screen wallpaper

The official Florida Panthers web site is up again, and offers it's readers the opporutnity to download varying wallpapers, including that of Pavel Bure.

Check out their web site by clicking on here.

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Ducks visit; Bure improves and may play

Florida Panthers right wing Pavel Bure might play tonight against the visiting Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, but team captain Scott Mellanby will not.

Bure, who suffered a mild groin strain Tuesday night in Montreal, did not practice Friday but was reportedly feeling considerably better after a therapy session Thursday and is listed by the club as day-to-day. ``We'll see how he is [this] morning, possibly get on the ice to test it lightly then see how he feels,'' coach Terry Murray said.

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We try, but Bure worn out on warnings

Unless or until somebody proves to Pavel Bure that Anzor Kikalishvili is what the FBI thinks he is -- a leader of an organized crime operation in Russia (a Moscow mobster, in other words) -- Bure is sticking with his buddy.

Does it look bad for the Moscow-born Bure, an NHL superstar with the Florida Panthers, to associate with Kikalishvili, who is not allowed to travel to the United States? Sure, it does.

Would it make sense for Bure, of his own accord, to disassociate himself from Kikalishvili? Sure, it would.

Apparently, though, Bure isn't going to do that.

Maybe he knows more about Kikalishvili's alleged crime business than he admits but is arrogant enough to maintain the friendship. Maybe he's naive about the particulars of whatever it is that Kikalishvili does, and figures that naivete will serve as protection in case whatever it is that Kikalishvili does is, in fact, illegal.

But none of that really matters at this late date, and it is a late date.

Undercover world

It was long ago suggested -- in the May 1998 issue of Details magazine, to be exact -- that Russian players in the NHL were linked to organized crime in their native country. During the 1990s, there had been several reports that former stars from Russia dealt with extortion threats after signing NHL contracts. Bure, whose first NHL season after four years with CSKA Moscow was in 1991-92 with Vancouver, was once quoted in the Moscow Times as saying it was difficult to respond to allegations.

"Trying to clear your name after such false information was like trying to wash yourself off from so much dirt," he said.

Now, in the form of a recent PBS Frontline broadcast and Web site report, Bure's friendship with Kikalishvili has drawn attention again. Bure denied having a position in Kikalishvili's business either as an officer or a figurehead, though they are pictured together on a billboard.

Is there a dangerous perception at work here? Absolutely.

Is there proof of criminal misconduct? Absolutely not.

Is the NHL worried about the Bure-Kikalishvili affiliation? Certainly.

Which is why, according to NHL chief legal counsel William Daly in the Frontline segment, the league is "monitoring it very closely."

OK, but is the concern Bure will turn out to be a Kikalishvili accomplice or victim?

Friends in bad places

Bure, for his part, is mostly annoyed at the examination of the relationship.

"I think," he said in the Frontline segment, "I would be a really bad friend if I would have a friend and somebody would say something bad about him and I would believe the rumors."

This might well be a demonstration of horrible judgment by Bure. Another star on another South Florida professional team -- Tony Martin of the Dolphins -- is playing football these days despite his own bad call on allegiance to a friend that resulted in a money-laundering charge.

Don't think Bure isn't aware of the possible consequences of his link to Kikalishvili. What everyone else should understand is that until it is proved he is doing something illegal, nobody can tell Bure how to choose his friends.

The warnings he chooses to ignore must suffice.

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Pavel to be evaluated today

The Panthers took Thursday off and will resume practicing this morning. After being examined by doctors Thursday, it was decided Mellanby will not play Saturday against Anaheim. He will be re-evaluated for Wednesday's game against Vancouver.

The Panthers have left the door open for Bure to play Saturday.

He is scheduled to be at the rink today and it will be decided then if he will practice. The assumption was when Bure was healthy, Novoseltsev would immediately be sent back to the minors.

But after seeing what Novoseltsev did Wednesday, the Panthers have a decision to make.

Murray said Wednesday night: "We'll be talking about that on the three-hour flight home."

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Pavel in 'Sports Illustrated'

The October 11, 1999 issue of 'Sports Illustrated' has the above article on Pavel Bure and Paul Kariya.

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NHL blasts PBS's mob-linking

Calling it "an ambush," "absolutely rediculous" and sensationalism that's over the line," the NHL blasted a report on PBS's Frontline that said New Jersey Devils coach Slava Fetisov, Rangers winger Valeri Kamensky and several other Russian-born players had ties to organized crime.

According to Bernadette Mansur, the NHL's vice-president of communications, the league long ago determined that "there's absolutely nothing to the allegations of Russian mobsters having control over anyone in the NHL. She added 'it's been a frustrating journalistic experience" dealing with this report.

mansure said: "they said, 'We're doing a story on cultural differences about grwing up in Russia and playing hockey in the U.S.' Then pop goes the lights and it's 'Tell us about all your interests in the Russian mafia.'

"This is, 'Let's try to sell a book and let's try to sell a TV show.' That's what this is about. They definitely know the position of the league on this."

The report, entitled "Mafia Power Play," aired Tuesday and was largely a rehash of a Details magazine story published in 1998, The author of that report, Robert Friedman, is trying to publish a book on the subject, according to Mansur, which has been delayed until next May because "he doesn't have any substantive information."

Fetisov declined to comment, saying "it's old news."

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No Bure, no victory for Panthers

On the night when his kid brother, Valeri, scored the overtime winning goal against Pavel Bure's old team, Vancouver Canucks, Pavel sat out his new team's game against Toronto, only to see Florida lose 2-3.

Bure said he is disappointed with his latest injury. "I just asked (trainer Stan Wong), 'Why would I pull my groin?' He said there's no explanation."

It's not uncommon for players who have rehabilitated from knee injury to strain groin muscles.

"When rehabbing a knee injury, you do so much other work," Murray said. "Pavel is an elite athlete, very finely tuned, and he does a lot of stuff in the off-ice to get stronger overall. Sometimes when you do a lot of work, you have a lot of tight muscles. . . .

Another scenario could be Bure's workload to start the season. Bure averaged 26 minutes a game in the first three games and played more than 20 minutes before leaving midway through the third period Tuesday.

Since being traded to the Panthers in January, Bure has played only 15 games, scoring 16 goals and 22 points. In place of Mellanby and Bure, Robert Svehla and Paul Laus were alternate captains Wednesday.

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CBC & PBS/Frontline transcript

For those of you who wish to review the 'CBC' and 'Frontline' transcripts of the documentary on the Russian mafia and it's influence on Russian NHL players, you are in luck!

PBS has made them available on the Internet.

Click here to go to the title page of this special presentation.

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Bure out Wednesday against Toronto

TORONTO (TICKER) -- Florida Panthers star right wing Pavel Bure will miss tonight's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after suffering a strained right groin in Tuesday's win at Montreal.

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Pavel gets 500th NHL point

Pavel Bure celebrates his first period goal on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jeff Hackett.

Pavel Bure scored an unassisted goal in the first period, and then set up the Panther's winning goal in the second period for the Panthers 2-1 victory over Montreal, to notch up his 500th NHL point to become the 82nd player to reach the 500-point plateau, in his 443rd game.

The opening goal was vintage Bure. After Dainius Zubrus let Brian Savage's pass slide back to the point, Bure lifted rookie Francis Bouillon's stick to allow the puck to go down the ice. Bure then swept in to pick off goalie Jeff Hackett's clearing pass and shot into the open net for a 1-0 lead 6:57 into the game.

``This is a nice milestone, but I want it to be 500 goals--not just points,'' said Bure, who has 16 goals and six assists in 15 games for the Panthers since he was traded to Florida by the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 17.

He suffered an apparent groin injury in the third period, and did not return to the ice.

Though untouched, Bure suddenly skidded to the ice, then into the side boards while racing for a loose puck at 8:30 of the third period. Bure rose and glided back to the bench, where he stretched and talked with trainer Stan Wong. Both went to the locker room two minutes later. Wong returned to tell Murray that Bure's groin was wrapped.

Bure had a first-period goal and a second-period assist on Lance Pitlick's game-winning goal. Bure banked a pass off the boards into the neutral zone for Ryan Johnson. Johnson waited for Pitlick to race up the middle to create a two-on-one, then laid a perfect pass out for the tap-in.

The puck was saved for Bure, who wanted the puck given to Pitlick.

As he limped with an ice pack taped to the inside of his upper right thigh, Bure said he had pushed off too hard in racing for a loose puck and felt pain.

Bure will be re-evaluated Wednesday morning.

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No panic for Panthers

Florida playing like a team; Bure leads in ice time

By David J. Neal -- Miami Herald

It's only three games into the Panthers season, but some trends are emerging.

Panic, otherwise known as ``abandoning the system'' in 1990s hockeyspeak, was a constant characteristic of the Panthers last season. Whether it was the impatience of youth, lack of team trust and bonding, whatever, trailing in a game often brought on frantic, individual efforts.

Sometimes, that worked. Most of the time, it failed.

The Panthers didn't waver, however, when down, 2-0, during Saturday night's 2-2 tie with Detroit and during Thursday night's 4-2 victory over Los Angeles on a rapid trio of late goals.

``The other night's comeback showed us that, with the system, goals will come at one time or another,'' said center Ryan Johnson, whose first goal of the season got the Panthers back into Saturday's tie with Detroit.

``I'm very pleased with this comeback,'' Panthers coach Terry Murray said Saturday. ``I think it speaks of the change in attitude and character. There's some good things starting to happen in that locker room. We're starting to bond.''

Johnson said, ``You sense a totally different attitude in here from the times I was called up in the last two years. In the past, we'd get down and it was `Oh, no, here we go again.' Now, you can feel something special happening in here.''

A number of preseason magazines picked Pavel Bure to lead the NHL in goals this season. But what he might end up leading the NHL in is ice time among forwards.

After games of 25:45 and 25:37 in the first two games -- more than four minutes beyond the next-closest Panther forward in each game -- Bure was out for 28:53 Saturday. That was five minutes beyond the next-closest forward, Viktor Kozlov at 23:39, and just short of Bure's 30:01 against Philadelphia last January.

That's superstar defenseman time, the kind of ice time usually racked up by players like St. Louis' Chris Pronger, Al MacInnis and Boston's Ray Bourque.

Like most superstars, Bure craves being on the ice. His shifts are 10-20 seconds longer than most forwards. That's usually a Murray pet peeve, but Murray shrugged it off last week by saying Bure's fitness and the way he plays the game prevent long shifts from wearing him down the way they do other players.

Bure said last week, ``I like to stay out as long as I can, as long as the coach puts me out. If you want to score, you have to be on the ice. You can't score from the bench.''

Nor can you shoot from the bench. Bure had nine shots Saturday night, one short of the team record of 10 set by Ray Sheppard in the January 20, 1997, 4-2 loss to Colorado.

Perhaps most remarkably -- and characteristic of a great goal-scorer's aim -- officially, Bure didn't miss the net with any of his shots Saturday.

Face-offs haven't killed the Panthers yet, but they will if they continue getting beaten the way they have been.

As a team, the Panthers are 82 for 136, a 37.6 winning percentage. In order of number of face-offs taken, Kozlov is 35.1 percent; Rob Niedermayer is at 39.1; Oleg Kvasha has improved to 45.9; and Chris Wells is at 35.5.

Since Kozlov often takes the first face-off on power plays, it's probably not a coincidence that the Panthers power play is zero for eight in the past two games.

Kozlov insists his right wrist isn't bothering him to any great effect.

What's amazing is that the Panthers ought to have some slight advantage from knowing each linesmen's particular rhythms in dropping the puck.

Pierre Racicot, who has done more Panther games than any other linesman over the past three years, has worked all three games. Stephane Provost has worked two.

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Pavel on PBS

'FRONTLINE' investigates how the tentacles of Russian organized crime have penetrated the National Hockey League. The report exposes how major Russian crime figures are extorting Russian-born players and using their hockey connections to establish a beachhead in the U.S. and Canada.

Check your local TV guide for times in your area. The web site address for PBS is http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/

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In Protective Custody

Targeted on the ice and besieged by allegations off it, Pavel Bure can count on his Florida Panthers to keep him safe and warm

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Wearing dark suits and even darker shades, three men huddle around Pavel Bure like they are in the secret service.

Set up with earphones like any good security officers, their mandate is to serve and protect No. 10, the franchise player of the Florida Panthers. Team success hinges on their ability to shield their meal ticket from the ever-looming danger that lurks around him.

Question is, from what -- or whom -- are they protecting him?

Maybe Bure needs security to keep him from the Russian mafia, with whom he allegedly has been associated.

Maybe he requires protection in case a disgruntled Vancouver Canucks fan, perhaps still bitter that Bure was traded away, wants to get even.

Or, maybe he is just looking for bodyguards to keep those pesky autograph seekers away.

The answer? None of the above.

Bure simply is taking part in a photo shoot for a local newspaper. The three secret service agents are none other than Lance Pitlick, Peter Worrell and Paul Laus -- Bure's teammates with the Panthers.

The scene was staged, but message was real: Bure must be protected at all costs. The Panthers will go only as far as Bure and his healing right knee will take them, and it will be up to players such as Pitlick, Worrell and Laus to ensure there are no liberties taken on him out on the ice.

Ask Bure about the photo, and he laughs.

"That's exactly what this is all about," Bure said. "It's a team game. No one player can win games on his own.

"I just love it here. It's beautiful. This organization is amazing. Everyone wants to be here.

"I'm having so much fun. I guess the older you get, the more fun you have."

Bure seems much more relaxed than he was in his early days with the Canucks. Indeed, there was a time when he likely would have snapped when confronted with an old controversy that resurfaced last week.

When the CBC's Fifth Estate last Wednesday aired an hour- long expose on the links between certain Soviet-born NHL players and the Russian Mafia, Bure once again found himself in a spotlight he would much rather have avoided. In the investigative report, Bill Daly, the NHL's chief legal officer, said the league is monitoring Bure's relationship with Russian businessman Anzor Kikalishvili, who has been barred from entering the United States because of alleged criminal ties.

While Daley said the NHL is concerned with the Bure-Kikalishvili friendship, Bure claims he never has been contacted by the league, much less been asked to discontinue the relationship. Pals since they were kids, the two men are pictured together in advertisements for a company called 21st Century that are plastered around Moscow.

Bure even took time out to joke about the affair. When reporters approached Bure several days ago to ask about some of his, uh, friends back home, Bure surprisingly unleashed a wry smile before saying "Oh, you mean the Mafia."

Once the chuckles had subsided, Bure became more serious.

"They can be concerned, but there is no reason to be," Bure said.

"This is getting old. There is nothing to say. They just keep writing it over and over. I was really mad when it happened in 1995 and '96. It's the same thing now."

Bure's relationship with Kikalishvili has been public knowledge for several years. In fact, Bure called Kikalishvili his best friend during a recent interview with the Miami Herald.

"What really matters in life is how people have treated you," Bure told the Herald. "Even if he was doing something bad, I think he would be my best friend because of what he is like as a person. He doesn't do anything wrong in his life. He does only good things for people. And people just say a lot of bull about him."

The NHL wasted little time reacting to the Fifth Estate report, issuing a release from Daly which stated the program "attempts to sensationalize old allegations which were first raised as early as 1996.

"Even though many of these allegations originated as early as 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 relating to an involvement in or association with organized crime," the statement said.

Despite the league's words, Bure almost assuredly will be grilled about the subject by the Toronto media when the Panthers face the Leafs at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday.

Bure's relationship with Kikalishvili hasn't changed since the story first came out. But his hockey life certainly has.

Consider that some believed Bure never fully would recover from the two knee surgeries he underwent last March. Obviously, they underestimated the Russian Rocket.

It wasn't so long ago that Bure had grown unhappy in Vancouver, where he had scored 51 goals during the 1997-98 season. His decision to hold out at the beginning of last season did little to speed up his trade demands as the Canucks simply let him sit.

More than three months into the season, Bure finally got his wish. On Jan. 17, he was traded to Florida, along with defencemen Brett Hedican, Brad Ference and a draft choice for forwards Dave Gagne and Mike Brown, defenceman Ed Jovanovski, goalie Kevin Weekes and a draft pick.

Left behind in Vancouver were reports that Bure was fed up being in the spotlight of such a hockey-mad city.

"A lot of stuff was written about me that wasn't true," Bure said. "I got used to it. But if people write lies, it's just not right.

"I had a great time in Vancouver. The fans were great to me, even when I was in a slump. Some people tried to put me against the fans, which was ridiculous."

Bure was an instant celebrity in south Florida. He was the much-needed superstar of a franchise thirsting for a marquee player that could help fill the seats in the new National Car Rental Center. And 13 goals in his first 11 games as a Panther only fuelled the excitement.

His impact off the ice was just as noticeable. Panthers souvenir outlets at the National Car Rental Center sold 25 authentic No. 10 jerseys, 211 replica jerseys and 416 Bure t-shirts by the end of the season, most of those sales coming during the five home games that Bure played in.

Unfortunately, the clock struck midnight on this Cinderella story during a March 3 game against Colorado. After scoring a natural hat trick, Bure was forced to leave the game with a right knee injury that would sideline him for the remainder of the season.

After undergoing arthroscopic surgery on March 5, Bure went under the knife again 24 days later to repair his anterior cruciate ligament. Some doubted he would ever be the same player. Not Bure.

"Was I scared? No, I don't think so," Bure said. "I know what kind of player I am. Instead of crying about how unlucky I was, I set my mind toward returning.

"Obviously, it was a disappointment for me, but you can't do anything about injuries. The best example of that was Trevor Linden. He went seven or eight years without even being hurt, then he seemed to get a bunch of injuries."

Bure completed his comeback eight days ago when he scored early in Florida's 4-3 season-opening victory over the Washington Capitals. Not bad for a guy playing his first game in seven months.

Bure, however, was brought back to reality that same night when he saw Dallas forward Mike Modano crumple into the boards after receiving a cheap shot from Anaheim's Ruslan Salei.

"When you see Modano, well, he could have died," Bure said. "For a moment, I thought he did die. He's really lucky. It could have been much worse.

"It shows you that every time you go out there, you risk being injured. The guys are so big and fast now. When you have 230-pound guys slamming into you, your body can't accept it.

"You think about those things when you talk. But when I'm on the ice you don't think about being hit. I'm just trying to win."

Florida coach Terry Murray is well aware that opposing teams will be targeting Bure. That's why he has solicited the likes of Pitlick, Worrell and Laus to protect him, although Worrell is out with a knee injury.

"We know he'll be played close, but we're not about to accept cheap shots," Murray said.

"We know what he means to us. It's no different than Mats Sundin in Toronto. Sundin is a superstar who helps fill Toronto's building. We have a new building, too, and without Pavel it would be a tough sell."

If that isn't reason enough to protect Pavel Bure, what is?

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Bure flying

Pavel Bure is off to a fine start coming off his reconstructive knee surgery but it could have been a lot better statistically.

Bure has been flying around the rink in Florida making an exceptional number of plays which have not been finished by his linemates Viktor Kozlov and Scott Mellanby.

In all likelihood, coach Terry Murray will have to go back to putting Bure with Rob Niedermayer and Ray Whitney because the style of these two more suits what Bure does best. Niedermayer rarely shoots the pucks and prefers to pass, which is all right with Bure, who puts up the biggest numbers when he is the finisher. Kozlov holds the puck too much to play with Bure and Mellanby is getting very close to the end of his career.

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Pavel sets up tying goal

Detroit Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood (30) deflects a shot by Florida Panthers right wing Pavel Bure (10) in overtime Saturday, Oct. 9, 1999, in Sunrise, Fla. The teams tied 2-2. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Ray Whitney scored his third goal of the season with 13 seconds remaining in the second period as the Panthers rallied for a 2-2 tie with the Detroit Red Wings.

Pavel Bure had the puck in the left corner and fired it toward the crease. Goaltender Chris Osgood knocked it down and stopped Rob Niedermayer's stuff attempt before Whitney swooped in and flipped the puck just under the crossbar.

Todd Simpson appeared to give the Panthers a 3-2 lead just over two minutes into the third period on a two man give and go with Pavel Bure, but the goal was nullified by a holding penalty on Florida's Chris Wells behind the play.

Bure had an opportunity to win the game in overtime, but his slapper from the left circle off a partial breakaway was stopped by Osgood.

Pavel ended up with 9 shots on goal.

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Vancouver Canucks announce 30 greatest Canucks

-- Vancouver Canucks

Saturday, October 9, 1999 marks the 30th Anniversary of the Vancouver Canucks first National Hockey League game. The held a special presentation prior to their game at General Motors Place vs. the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday to commemorate the milestone. Fans were encouraged to arrive early as the club recognized the 30 greatest Canucks of all time 10 minutes prior to the opening face-off.

The unveiling of a new display exhibiting the 30 Canucks on Level 300 of General Motors Place will also be part of the special presentation to honour the 30 greatest Canucks ever.

A committee was formed and met on September 26th to select the 30 greatest Canucks of all-time. They were asked to select “the 30 individuals that have made the greatest contribution to the Vancouver Canucks over the team’s 30-year history.”

It is therefore no suprise to learn that Pavel garnered the top spot.

The full list is as follows.

Pavel Bure, Trevor Linden, Kirk McLean, Harold Snepsts, Dennis Kearns, Gary Smith, Greg Adams, Cliff Ronning, Jim Robson-Tom Larscheid, Orland Kurtenbach, Doug Lidster, Garth Butcher, Larry Ashley, Petri Skriko, Jack McIlhargey, Stan Smyl, Thomas Gradin, Don Lever, Tony Tanti, Andre Boudrias, Richard Brodeur, Patrik Sundstrom, Pat Quinn, Griffiths family, Glen Hanlon, Jryki Lumme, Dave (Tiger) Williams, Darcy Rota, Geoff Courtnall, Gino Odjick.

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Big test for Bure & Co.

-- NHLPA

SUNRISE, Florida -- The Florida Panthers aim to start the season with three wins for the first time in franchise history as they host the Detroit Red Wings.

Viktor Kozlov, Mark Parrisha and Pavel Bure scored in the final 1:51 as Florida defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 on Wednesday.

The Panthers are drawing their emotion from Bure, who is showing no ill-effects from his knee injury last season. In two games this season, Bure has recorded two goals and an assist and produced many other scoring chances with his speed.

In 13 games with the Panthers since being acquired last January, the Russian right winger has 15 goals and 19 points.

Florida started the season with consecutive wins twice in the team's six-year history, last season and in 1996.

The Red Wings are coming off a 7-1 rout of the expansion Atlanta Thrashers on Thursday. Steve Yzerman scored his first goal of the season and added two assists in the win.

The victory was a costly one as goaltender Chris Osgood left the game with 6:18 remaining after suffering an undisclosed injury when he got tangled up with the Thrashers' Kelly Buchberger.

The Red Wings went 1-0-1 against the Panthers last season, and are unbeaten over the last five meetings.

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Naslund explodes from blocks using Bure trick

When you're looking for more explosive power from your legs as an NHLer, there's no better lead to follow than that of Pavel Bure.

With that in mind, Markus Naslund set to work over a summer longer than most Canucks would prefer to increase his explosiveness. It worked.

People talk about Naslund being more confident this season and that's true. But he also has a lot more physical presence and appears set to take the next step to 40 goals and beyond.

"I worked out pretty much the same except I wanted a little more from my legs," said Naslund, who has goals in each of the Canucks' first two wins. "So I went on the program I hear Pavel uses, a lot of squats."

To say the regimen sounds somewhat demanding is an understatement. Apparently Pavel gets his power from three sets of 25 reps of 75 kilograms or more five times a week -- you know, the normal sports writer's workout.

"I took weekends off but otherwise it was pretty regular," said Naslund. "I tried to do it like Pavel in that you go slow down and try to come up quick. I think it's helped me."

He doesn't quite have Bure's speed of course, but then nobody does.

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Bure: CBC show lots to do about nothing

SUNRISE, Fla. (CP) -- The CBC's The Fifth Estate was barking up the wrong tree when it said the NHL is monitoring the relationship between Panthers superstar Pavel Bure and alleged Russian mobster Anzor Kikalischvili, says Bure.

"There's nothing to say. All that is stuff they keep writing over and over," Bure told the Miami Herald.

In response to the TV show aired Wednsday, NHL legal counsel Bill Daly released a statement claiming the report stated nothing new, that no NHL player has had his visa revoked in Canada or the United States nor been indicted for anything stemming from organized crime charges, and that separate investigations by the league and FBI had turned up no evidence of an attempt to fix an NHL game.

Bure said he has never been contacted by the league, much less asked to discontinue his friendship with Kikalischvili.

"They can be concerned, but there's no reason to be," Bure said.

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NHL looking into Bure's 'best friend'

SUNRISE -- The relationship between Florida Panthers star right winger Pavel Bure and a man he has called "my best friend" has raised concerns within the NHL hierarchy, the Canadian Press reported Wednesday.

Bill Daly, the league's chief legal counsel, told Canada's CBC television that Bure's friendship with Russian businessman Anzor Kikalischvili "is a relationship we're concerned about and a relationship we're monitoring."

Kikalischvili and Bure have apparently known each other since childhood, and Bure used the help of his longtime friend in recently trying to revive a watchmaking business that had run in his family since his great-great-grandfather.

In 1996, the FBI identified Kikalischvili as one of the heads of the Russian Mafia responsible for overseeing operations inside the United States. His Moscow office was bombed in recent weeks and the U.S. government does not allow him on its soil.

Also in 1996, ESPN reported Bure was a corporate officer in a company suspected of being a major front for the Russian Mafia, and Kikalischvili was on a CIA list as one of the top crime bosses of the former Soviet Union.

Wednesday's season premiere of CBC's "The Fifth Estate" profiled Russian-born players and their rumored associations to organized crime. Those profiled include Bure, New York Rangers' Valeri Kamensky (who owns a home in BallenIsles in Palm Beach Gardens) and former player (and current New Jersey assistant coach) Slava Fetisov.

The NHL released a statement Wednesday, saying no connection between NHL players and Russian organized crime members has ever been proven.

Bure said Wednesday morning the latest concerns are nothing new. Asked if he had discussed the situation with league officials, he replied, "There's nothing to say. It's old stuff they keep writing over and over."

So what have they been writing? For one, the Miami Herald reported last month Kikalischvili once lived in Miami Beach, and FBI agent Anthony G. Cuomo once testified Kikalischvili told an informant he had "over 600 people under his control in this area."

Bure shrugged off the allegations, telling the Herald that Kikalischvili is "my best friend. What really matters in life is how people have treated you. Even if he was doing something bad, I think he would be my best friend anyway because of what he's like as a person.

"He doesn't do anything wrong in his life," Bure added. "He does only good things for people. And people just say a lot of bull about him."

Bure blamed the media for keeping the story in the forefront on Wednesday.

"Obviously, if they're reading all these articles I'd be concerned too," he said. "But there's nothing to be concerned about."

The TV show aired across Canada Wednesday night featured an interview with reporter Linden McIntyre with Bure at his Fort Lauderdale apartment. Pressed about his ties to Kikalischvili, he replied, "Yeah, I know all those rumors about him. But it's rumors."

Burke sits one out: Goaltender Sean Burke was held out of Wednesday's game as a precaution after team doctors determined he might have suffered a mild concussion after receiving two blows to the head over the previous four days.

Richard Shulmistra was called up from Louisville to back up Trevor Kidd, whom Terry Murray had indicated would be his starter a day earlier.

"(Burke) got kicked in the head in the game against Washington and had a little headache," coach Terry Murray said. "In practice (Tuesday) he got hit again (apparently by Rob Niedermayer) in a drill, a knee in the side of the helmet, and the headache flared up again.

"Our doctor recommended to just give him a day off."

Noteworthy: Defenseman Bret Hedican, who missed two days of practice earlier in the week after tearing scar tissue remaining from a groin pull he suffered last March, was back in the lineup. . . . Louisville defenseman Dan Boyle was named AHL Player of the Week after totaling two goals and three assists in the Panthers' first two games of the season.

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Kings dethroned

Panthers rally in third to topple Kings

Florida Panthers right wing Pavel Bure, center, is congratulated by teammates Rob Niedermayer, left, and Viktor Kozlov, right, after Bure scored the fourth Panthers goal against the Los Angeles Kings in the third period Wednesday, Oct. 6, 1999, at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Fla. The Panthers beat the Kings 4-2. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

MIAMI — Mark Parrish and Viktor Kozlov each scored in the final two minutes as the Florida Panthers rallied for a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.

Trailing 2-1, the Panthers struck for two goals in a 20-second span of the third period against Kings goalie Stephane Fiset.

Pavel Bure pounced on a loose puck in the King end and sent a pass to Ray Whitney, who found himself sailing down the ice with Kozlov who ended up scoring to tie the game with 1:51 left.

Just 20 seconds later, Bret Hedican picked up a loose puck and fired it from the blue line towards Parrish, who deflected it from in front of Fiset for the game-winner. Pavel Bure, who has 31 goals in 37 career games against the Kings, added an empty-net goal with 34 seconds left as Florida won for the second time in as many games.

The three goals by the Florida Panthers in 1:17 is the fastest 3 goals ever scored in their franchise history.

"We were going for the win, but obviously it's real hard, almost impossible, to score three goals in the final few minutes," Bure said.

"That was a great win because it reinforces our system and what we're trying to do," Florida coach Terry Murray said.

"Whenever you have Pavel Bure in the lineup, that type of superstar, you believe you can do everything."

With a goal and an assist in Wednesday's win, Pavel Bure now has 15 goals and 19 points in 13 games for the Panthers since being acquired last January

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NHL keeps eye on Bure because of Russian friend

CBC probes possible gangster links to players

TORONTO --Pavel Bure's friendship with a certain Russian businessman-politician has attracted NHL scrutiny.

"It's a relationship we're concerned about and a relationship we're monitoring," says Bill Daly, the league's chief legal counsel.

The admission is made towards the end of an investigative report, Major Misconduct, to be broadcast tonight (6 p.m. MDT) as the season premiere of CBC's 5th Estate. The show delves into Russian organized crime and possible links with Russian players in the NHL.

The players mentioned in the documentary deny any improprieties.

"Hockey, once a pillar of national prestige, has fallen on hard times in post-Soviet Russia," veteran reporter Linden McIntyre states on the show. "Connections with gangsters these days are almost impossible to avoid."

NHL players have been targets of extortion because of their big salaries. Vancouver forward Alexander Mogilny was the subject of a $150,000 shakedown when he played for the Buffalo Sabres. A Russian acquaintance was convicted following a U.S. trial.

Major Misconduct studies the alleged friendship between New York Rangers forward Valeri Kamensky and Vyacheslav Sliva. One of Sliva's contacts was a reputed Russian godfather in North America.

Sliva was deported from Canada to Moscow in 1997 for lying to Immigration officials in order to enter the country. In deportation hearings, court heard that Sliva was a "thief in law," who continued to run a criminal empire built on extortion, fraud and robbery during his 34-month stay.

Bure is to earn close to $9 million US this season with the Florida Panthers. When McIntyre asks him at the player's Florida apartment if Russian hockey players are targets, Bure laughs and denies he has ever been pressured to pay protection money.

Anzor Kikalishvili is a good friend, Bure says. Kikalishvili is no longer allowed to enter the U.S. because of alleged criminal ties.

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NHL eyes Russian mafia

Pavel Bure's friendship with a Russian businessman-politician has attracted National Hockey League scrutiny.

"It's a relationship we're concerned about and a relationship we're monitoring," says Bill Daly, the league's chief legal counsel.

The admission is made toward the end of an investigative report, Major Misconduct, to be broadcast tonight as the season premiere of the 5th Estate on the CBC. Produced by Neil Docherty, it delves into Russian organized crime and possible links with Russian players on NHL teams.

The players mentioned in the documentary deny any improprieties.

"Hockey, once a pillar of national prestige, has fallen on hard times in post-Soviet Russia," veteran reporter Linden McIntyre states on the show. "Connections with gangsters these days are almost impossible to avoid."

NHL players have been targets of extortion because of their big salaries. Vancouver Canucks forward Alexander Mogilny was the subject of a $150,000 shakedown when he played for the Buffalo Sabres. A Russian acquaintance was convicted after a U.S. trial.

Major Misconduct studies the alleged friendship between New York Rangers forward Valeri Kamensky and Vyacheslav Sliva. One of Sliva's contacts was a reputed Russian godfather in North America.

Sliva was deported from Canada to Moscow in 1997 for lying to Immigration Department officials in order to enter the country. In deportation hearings, a court heard that Sliva was a "thief in law" who continued to run a criminal empire built on extortion, fraud and robbery during his 34-month stay.

But Sliva did not disclose his background when he arrived in Canada in 1994 as a visitor, claiming he was visiting Kamensky (when Kamensky was with the Quebec Nordiques) and listing his sister-in-law as his wife.

A Russian related to Sliva, Vyacheslav Ivankov, operated a company known as Slavik Inc., and on company documents the president was shown to be Viacheslav Fetisov, now an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils and one of the Detroit Red Wings shown on video earlier in the program carrying the Stanley Cup through Moscow's Red Square.

"We investigated the situation," says Daly, the NHL's lawyer. "We're satisfied there was no personal association at all [between Fetisov and Ivankov]."

Neither could an association between Kamensky and Sliva be established by the NHL, Daly says.

Bure is to receive close to $9-million (U.S.) this season from the Florida Panthers.

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Q's and A's

1. If Bure hurts his knee again, could his career be over? What would the Panthers do? Try to trade for another quality player? Joshua Boilard, Hollywood, FL

Joshua, everything depends on the severity of the injury, but I put nothing past a gifted athlete like Bure. Many skeptics said that he would not be able to come back from two reconstructions of the same knee, but yet here we are a little more than six months after the surgery and Bure is back playing. As far as the Panthers getting another player if Bure goes down, everything depends on what the situation is like then. How long will Bure be out? What's the Panthers' playoff stature? What point in the season is it? But let's not kid ourselves. If Bure goes down, there's nobody in the NHL the Panthers could trade for that will fill his shoes.

2. How much does Bure open things up for the Panthers' other forwards? I imagine teams have to devote much of their strategy towards stopping Pavel, so that should create many prime scoring chances for other players, like Whitney. Brian Sethness, Des Plaines, IL

Ziggy Palffy

Pavel Bure

When Bure has everything pointed in the right direction, he is a devastating player. Palffy is a less flashy player, but a solid performer with terrific numbers. Anyone would love to have either player on their team.

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NHL denies Russian mob links to players

-- CBC News

The National Hockey League is playing down charges that criminals in Moscow may exert influence over some Russians who play in the NHL. The story is the result of a major investigation by the fifth estate in a documentary that aired Wednesday on CBC TV.

When the cold war ended, the NHL began importing the best hockey talent from Russia. Those players also attracted the attention of Russia's post-cold war underworld.

Millionaire hockey stars like Alexander Mogilny have been the targets of extortionists. But other Russian players have also developed friendly relationships with alleged crime figures in Russia.

the fifth estate turned up evidence Valery Kamensky and Slava Fetisov had links with criminal elements in Russia. The FBI says Fetisov was president of a company used for money laundering by Vyacheslav Ivankov, who was the Russian godfather in North America.

Fetisov, who now coaches for the New Jersey Devils, hints that questions about such business relationships smack of anti-Russian attitudes.

RCMP organized crime specialist Reg King worked undercover with the FBI. He says there are "more than five and less than 10" NHL players connected to organized crime. "I'm unclear of what those relationships are," King adds.

The NHL says it has looked into the relationships and found no wrongdoing by Kamensky, and isn't convinced of Fetisov's connections to a crime figure. "We investigated the situation, and we're satisfied there was no personal association at all," said Bill Daly, chief legal counsel for the NHL.

Jim Moody, a former head of the FBI's organized crime unit, was hired by the NHL to look into the matter. He came to a different conclusion about Fetisov. "I'd have great concern, as the league, with the people that he's associating with, " said Moody.

Former Vancouver Canuck Pavel Bure, now with the Florida Panthers, is a friend and business associate of Anzor Kikalishvili, believed by police in United States and Russia to be a criminal. Bure says: "Yeah I know all those rumours about him. But it's rumours."

The NHL says it is concerned about Bure's relationship with an alleged crime figure, and is monitoring it.

Wednesday night the NHL issued this statement, saying the fifth estate report attempts to sensationalize old allegations. The league added that no NHL players have ever been arrested or had their visas revoked because of involvement with organized crime.

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PETER MANSBRIDGE: The National Hockey League is playing defence tonight. Playing down charges that criminals in Moscow may exert influence over some Russians who play in the NHL. The story is the result of a major investigation by the Fifth Estate. Eric Sorensen reports.

ERIC SORENSEN: When the Cold War ended, the National Hockey League began importing the best hockey talent from Russia. But those players also attracted the attention of Russia's post-Cold War underworld. Millionaire hockey stars like Alexander Mogilny have been the targets of extortionists. But other Russian players have also developed friendly relationships with alleged crime figures in Russia. CBCs the Fifth Estate turned up evidence Valery Kamensky and Slava Fetisov had links with criminal elements in Russia. Police say this man, Vyacheslav Ivankov, was the Russian godfather in North America. The FBI says Fetisov was president of a company Ivankov used for money laundering. Fetisov who now coaches for the New Jersey Devils, hints that questions about such business relationships smack of anti-Russian attitudes.

SLAVA FETISOV / NEW JERSEY DEVILS COACH: The Russian who make business somehow is a criminal right or every Russian who in a government position criminal also. I think it wrong.

SORENSEN: This RCMP organized crime specialist worked undercover with the FBI.

SGT. REG KING / RCMP: It's more than five and less than ten of NHL hockey players and the association to organized crime. I'm unclear of what those relationships are.

SORENSEN: The NHL says it has looked into the relationships and found no wrongdoing by Kamensky and isn't convinced of Fetisov's connections to a crime figure.

BILL DALY / NHL CHIEF LEGAL COUNSEL: We looked into the situation, we investigated the situation and we're satisfied there was no personal association at all.

SORENSEN: But the man the League hired to look into the whole issue -- the former head of the FBI's organized crime unit -- came to a different conclusion about Fetisov.

JIM MOODY / FORMER FBI AGENT: I'd have great concern as the League with the people that he's associating with.

SORENSEN: Then there's the Russian Rocket -- Pavel Bure is a friend and business associate of Anzor Kikalishvili believed by police in the U.S and Russia to be a criminal. Bure's reaction?

PAVEL BURE / NHL PLAYER: Yeah, I know all those rumours about him. But it's rumours.

SORENSEN: The NHL says it's concerned about Bure's relationship with an alleged crime figure and is monitoring it. Tonight the NHL issued this statement, saying the Fifth Estate report attempts to sensationalize old allegations. The League added that no NHL players have ever been arrested or had their visas revoked because of connection to organized crime. Eric Sorensen, CBC News, Ottawa.

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Pavel on TV

Pavel Bure will be one of the players to be interviewed on the Canadian syndicated TV show of investigative journalism, 'The Fifth Estate', shown on CBC TV across Canada tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 8pm.

'The Fifth Estate' will be re-broadcast Thursdays at 10 p.m. and Fridays at 3 a.m. on CBC Newsworld.

The following is a description of tomorrow's show, taken from their web site at http://www.tv.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/extlnk.cgi?/fifth.

Another season started just a few days ago, when the National Hockey League dropped the puck again. But this year, behind the scenes, the NHL is struggling with a scary new problem.

As the league has grown and grown, it's been a long time since there were enough Canadians to go around. Now, the names on many uniforms are European, and often, they're Russian.

The Russians are good, all right, but they hail from a country where organized government has largely given way to organized crime. The Mafia bosses of Russia know a lot about hockey, and money, and gambling. And they've found ways to become friends--and even business partners -- with Russian NHLers. With some of the NHL's biggest stars getting chummy with Russian mobsters, the question is obvious: how long can it be before someone gets called for Major Misconduct?

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Panthers spread the wealth

On 2nd line, Whitney's free to focus on goals

Pavel Bure is no different from most superstars -- he makes the players around him better. As the Panthers discovered Saturday, Bure doesn't have to be on the ice to improve a teammate's game.

Case in point, left wing Ray Whitney.

Bure and Whitney no longer are linemates as they were during most of the former's 11 games with Florida last season. Rather than pair them on the first line again, coach Terry Murray opted to move Whitney to the second line. The result was a pair of Whitney goals and a 4-3 season-opening win over the Washington Capitals at the National Car Rental Center.

The logic is this: Whitney's talents are better served looking to score rather than looking to feed Bure. With Whitney on the second line, the Panthers have a legitimate offensive threat when Bure is not on the ice.

``Everybody would like to play with Pav,'' Whitney said. ``I still play with Pav on the power play, which might be the better place to play with him. You can get a little more time to make the plays that you want.''

Even with Florida looking to a healthy Bure for most of its goals, there's no reason Whitney shouldn't top the 60-point plateau for a third straight season. Unlike last season, Whitney in 1999-00 will spend most of his ice time playing against opponents' second-line defenses.

``There's always a big difference between one and two defensemen and three and four,'' Whitney said. ``That's just the nature of the game. It makes what Pavel does even more remarkable because he's playing against the top defenders all the time, . . .''

Facing lesser-skilled defensemen will enable Whitney to be more creative. Nonetheless, he regularly will be the beneficiary of center Oleg Kvasha and right wing Mark Parrish's hard work.

``The big thing with us is puck possession,'' Whitney said. ``For Oleg to play hard and use that speed of his every night is going to be huge for our line. So far so good.''

In addition, Whitney is free from the burden of protecting Bure. Coming back from reconstructive knee surgery, Bure needs a greater physical presence on his line than the 5-10, 175-pound Whitney. Enforcer Peter Worrell was a candidate before suffering a preseason knee injury.

Enter team captain Scott Mellanby. Centering the line with Bure and Viktor Kozlov means the 6-1, 205-pound Mellanby is responsible for keeping defenders off Bure.

``We talked about it many times, having a big, tough guy to give Pavel support,'' Murray said. ``We were very pleased with the progress of Peter Worrell, and right now I'm happy with Mellanby over there. I know he's going to be in there, any scrums that happen he'll support and do his share to help protect Pavel and still be able to play the kind of game that Pavel needs to play.''

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One shot, one goal: Bure reminds us why he's the one

SUNRISE -- For more than six months Pavel Bure, surgically repaired superstar, tried to remember how it feels to poke a puck past an NHL goalie. Saturday night, in his first game back from reconstructive knee surgery, it took no more than 208 seconds for the sensation to return.

"I saw the puck coming," Bure said, "and I deflected it with my blade."

So matter of fact, so simple. This is the way gardeners speak of planting seeds, or cooks of mixing ingredients. When the Russian Rocket started Florida's new season by steering home a long Robert Svehla shot, the conclusion was just as easy to follow.

Crowd goes goofy. Visitors, in this case the Washington Capitals, slump. Panthers, less than a break-even proposition last year, win, win, win.

Bure's bankshot was the Panthers' first offensive charge of the game, an opening-night energy rush reminiscent of his 13 goals in 11 games last year after coming over from Vancouver in a mid-season trade.

Saturday it was one shot, one goal, one quick answer to all who doubted Bure's readiness. Now there's a pace for a superstar. More vital to the Florida Panthers, however, is a finely measured dose of Bure magic, with enough to last until season's end in April.