News from September 1998

Bure quietly goes about his task

He is not the Russian Rocket. He doesn't make $8-million a year. He doesn't star in TV commercials or have teen-age girls fawning over his every move. He's just Pavel Bure's younger brother. What's his name again? Vladimir? Valeri? Yeah, that's it. Valeri Bure. The only Bure in the National Hockey League these days thanks to Pavel's month-long holdout with the Vancouver Canucks.

With big brother sitting in Monaco or Moscow or wherever it is he is camped for the moment, Valeri Bure has been diligently working out with the Calgary Flames, showcasing his versatility as a forward who can play all three forward positions and even man the point on the power play. What Valeri offers is what the Flames need most: a defensive-minded player with the quickness and offensive skills to score 25 to 30 goals.

For the Flames, scoring goals this season is going to be a concern. Theo Fleury and Cory Stillman led the team last year with 27 each. German Titov and his 18 goals were traded to Pittsburgh for Penguins goalie Ken Wreggett. Although the coaching staff insists defence is Calgary's primary concern, several players are being counted on for more offensive production. Those players include Jason Wiemer, Hnat Domenichelli, Jarome Iginla and Bure, who had only 12 goals last season in his time with the Flames and Montreal Canadiens.

"I want to get more points on offence but our club is really concentrating on defence," said Bure, who was acquired from Montreal before the Nagano Olympics in exchange for defenceman Zarley Zalapski and forward Jonas Hoglund. "We want to win games 1-0 or 2-1. You'll get your offensive chances if you play good defence."

Valeri, 24, has yet to set the NHL ablaze the way his brother has. Part of the reason for that is sheer skill. Realistically, there isn't anyone in hockey who can handle the puck and do the things Pavel, 27, does at the most amazing speeds. Valeri also weighs just 168 pounds, 20 pounds less than his brother. Without breathtaking speed and a sturdier build, he has been prone to injuries. Last year he managed just 66 games and required surgery at season's end to repair a wonky shoulder.

"This year I'm looking forward to playing 82 games. My goal is to stay healthy," Bure said. "Expectations are high for our team. We've made great changes. We've added some toughness [defenceman Steve Smith, centre Bob Bassen], skill [defenceman Phil Housley] and good goaltending. I was excited to come here last year. I'm more excited now."

Bure has admitted he would like his brother to be settled and happy in Vancouver so the two could see each other more often, even as divisional rivals. Throughout their careers, Valeri and Pavel have played together only twice -- in 1990-91 as Central Red Army teammates and in Nagano seven months ago with the Russian Olympic team that won the silver medal.

Being with his brother at an Olympics is a memory that will never fade for Valeri.

"I remember the time right before the final game. I was sitting on the bus with him and he said, 'This is the best time there is -- the waiting. Your adrenalin is pumping. That's what it is all about,' " Valeri said. "The game of hockey is a business now. We went to the Olympics and nobody cared about money. If you scored five goals or nothing there were no jealousies. It was the pure joy of hockey. I had two of my best weeks over there."

Ironically, it is the younger brother who now offers advice to the star, who has vowed not to play until he is traded.

"I tell [Pavel] to relax. I try to keep him up," Valeri said. "He wants to compete and win. It is difficult to sit and see guys playing when you're not injured. He's frustrated. I hear it in his voice. I hope he is back soon."

Does that mean Valeri is willing to give up the momentary distinction of being the best, albeit the only, Bure in the NHL?

"Oh yeah. He's a very good player. I like to watch him play, too."

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

Where will Pavel land?

With Keith Tkachuk and Phoenix Coyotes general manager Bobby Smith putting their little personal feud behind them for the good of the team, the path seems clear for the Canucks to proceed with a Pavel Bure deal.

While it still may take some time, there are two teams emerging as the leading contender for the Russian Rocket's services, costly though they may be.

The Rangers have been investigating the possible availability of Jaromir Jagr at the ownership level and who knows whether such a move is possible. There has been considerable speculation that the Penguins agreement with the Igloo managers contains a clause that says if attendance dips below a certain point, the team would be clear of its lease. There have been those who think as a result of this and a possible desire to move to a better rink situation in a new city, the Pens might move high level talent and let attendance fall. After over a year of holding Petr Nedved out of the league to the detriment of his team, GM Craig Patrick now suddenly says he's willing to move the centre, likely for a player and draft picks.

Moving the now very frustrated Jagr, however, is a major step and would involve the total remake of the franchise regardless of where it was playing. Such a move, regardless of what economic factors are at play, is extremely unlikely despite all the rumors that include the gifted Czech heading for L.A. next year when their new building is up and running.

That leaves one very prominent team with all the ingredients necessary in the Rangers to do a deal with Vancouver. Whether that comes to pass remains to be seen but certainly the Rangers must do something to inject some interest and some offensive talent to play with Wayne Gretzky and get the fans talking about the team again.

Clearly Brian Leetch will have a better season and so will Mike Richter now that his contract has finally been settled. But they need more up front, and now that Tkachuk and Jagr are profoundly remote possibilities, that leaves Bure as the object of their affection.

There have been pretty reasonable sources the Canucks offered Bure to the Rangers for Adam Graves, Alexei Kovalev and fiery goalie Dan Cloutier, the gifted young backstop who challenged the Islanders bench last year during a goon show. This was turned down allegedly because the Rangers feel Kovalev is ready to flourish but chances are it was as much that they are already too small up front and can't afford to lose Graves on the ice or in the locker room.

The perfect deal maker might be Alexander Karpovtsev. While he isn't the offensive defenceman Sergei Gonchar is, a defender Brian Burke has been coveting to fill the cavern which is a puck-moving power-play specialist on his team, he is still pretty gifted. He, Cloutier and Kovalev makes a pretty good trade for the Canucks, especially given the huge payroll savings.

The Kings remain as contenders for Bure as well but they figure to be less anxious. With young goalie Jamie Storr now under contract they are in a decent position to make a deal and would be in better shape yet when they get young defenceman Aki Berg away from his Swedish team and back in the fold. The difficult call for Burke is to make a deal with L.A. While he will tell anyone who will listen he'd make the best deal he could anywhere, it's a risk to have a player like Bure in your conference and returning to Vancouver on a regular basis. It's only reasonable to expect any GM in the league to shy away from such a trade.

Given Vancouver's interest in the holdout Gonchar, Washington is also a possible destination. But having reached the final last year, there is no pressure to pick up the steep Bure salary.

Whatever deal is selected by Burke, the sooner it's made, the sooner we all see what kind of team the Vancouver Canucks can be.

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

BRIEFLY.....

The Vancouver Canucks offered Pavel Bure to the New York Rangers for goaltender Dan Cloutier and forwards Alex Kovalev and Adam Graves. The Rangers turned it down, largely because they feel Kovalev is about to emerge.

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

Bure no rocket scientist

He answers to the Russian Rocket. But the vast majority of hockey fans don't think Pavel Bure's a Russian Rocket Scientist for his threat to sit out perhaps the entire season and chuck $8 million Cdn down the loo if the Vancouver Canucks don't bow to his wishes and deal him.

The malcontent Bure, 27, was suspended yesterday by the club.

He certainly has public opinion squarely against him, but a few diehards still staunchly sit in his corner.

"He's my brother and I'll respect whatever he does," says Flames winger Valeri Bure.

"It's a difficult situation. To sit out a whole year, well ... it has to affect you somehow. I mean, it's hard to come back after missing a month because of an injury. And he'd be giving up a lot of money.

"We talk a lot. I can tell him what I'd do. Our mom can tell him what she'd do. Maybe I'd say, 'Play out the season and see what happens.' But Pavel has to live his own life.

"For three years now, they've been promising him and promising him, and he just got sick of it. The good thing here is that he's not mad at anybody. He just wants to ... go.

"If he says he'll sit out the entire year, it could happen."

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

Bure suspended

 WHISTLER, British Columbia (AP) -- The Vancouver Canucks suspended Pavel Bure without pay Wednesday, after the club's leading scorer made good on his threat not to show up to training camp.
 The announcement of Bure's suspension was delivered in a terse, one-sentence press release issued following the team's training camp scrimmage. Canucks president and general manager Brian Burke refused to comment, sticking to a promise he made to the media last Sunday that he would no longer talk about Bure.
 Bure, who led the Canucks with 51 goals last season, went public last month citing "personal reasons" that he wants to be traded and will never play in a Vancouver uniform again. The three-time 50-plus goal scorer, who broke into the NHL with the Canucks in 1991, has one year left on a contract that is reportedly expected to pay him about $8 million.
 Burke has previously said that if the right deal doesn't come along, he is prepared to let Bure miss the entire season.
 The suspension is more of a formality at this point, as it will not have any real impact until NHL players begin getting paid at the start of the season on Oct. 12.
 

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

Canucks life goes on without Bure

Whistler -- Out of sight, out of mind. That's the party line the Vancouver Canucks have taken in dealing with the holdout of scoring star Pavel Bure.

Bure was not at training camp yesterday for the opening on-ice session and is reported to be skating with the Russian national team in Moscow while the Canucks wrestle with his trade demand.

Another Russian sniper, Alexander Mogilny, has taken over Bure's right-wing position alongside team captain Mark Messier while general manager Brian Burke attempts to trade Bure, a 51-goal scorer last season.

Head coach Mike Keenan put up a brave front minus his top scorer, noting that younger prospects will be given an opportunity to claim roster spots on the National Hockey League team that finished last in the Western Conference last season, missing the playoffs for the second straight year.

The early mood in the camp at Whistler resort north of Vancouver was remarkably upbeat without Bure or anyone with the label of No. 1 goaltender.

"We can't waste time and energy worrying about what's beyond our control," Keenan said. "Pavel's not here and doesn't intend to be here.

"The position I'm taking is that we may not get anything for him. It's our responsibility as coaches to develop the team we have and that's what we plan on doing."

Burke reiterated he's in no hurry to trade Bure, who stands to earn an estimated $8.5-million (U.S.) in the final season of a five-year contract. Bure issued the trade demand in July and has refused to divulge his reasons.

Bure has not been suspended, a step Burke may not officially take until the opening of the regular-season schedule Oct. 12. There are no acceptable offers from rival NHL teams, Burke said, and the team is prepared to go an entire season without trading Bure.

Burke has examined the larger picture, most notably the expected migration of more top players to richer teams based in the United States.

"I worry about the notion here that we have a player that wants out and the likely suspects are American teams," Burke said. "We only had a couple of 50-goal scorers in the league last year and I worry about [losing a star attraction].

"That's why the deal [for Bure] has to be right. Otherwise, it probably does make sense for us economically if he misses the entire year. Morally, it's certainly the right thing to do because the player is under contract."

The Canucks could use an influx of fresh talent from a Bure trade to re-enforce a weak team that underwent major change last season, with half the roster traded following a slow start.

There is no proved goaltender in camp, with unpredictable Garth Snow being the likeliest candidate to being a No. 1 stopper.

Messier, for one, looks forward to additions when Bure inevitably is traded. Messier confirmed he didn't try to talk Bure out of leaving Vancouver.

"I don't have a problem with Pavel or the decisions he's making," Messier said. "I would love to see him here -- he's a great player -- but we're going to concentrate on the positive things in camp and take it from there."

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

Mogilny just wants to win

WHISTLER -- Alexander Mogilny is apparently going to take a middle road in discussing the behaviour of fellow countryman Pavel Bure, who has turned his back on the Vancouver Canucks and possibly $8 million US in salary.

The two Russian-born stars never became the close pals people expected when Mogilny was acquired three years ago, so their parting is not creating much anguish either. In fact, Mogilny is expected to benefit the most by taking Bure's first-line spot and ample ice time.

"If Pavel's not happy with his work, there's nothing you can do about it," Mogilny said Sunday as the Canucks opened their 29th NHL training camp in the mountain resort. "It's his decision not to come and if the guy doesn't want to make $8 million, that's his choice. I wouldn't do it but Pavel can because he knows he can probably get it somewhere else."

Mogilny, who missed the Canucks' 1997 training camp as an unsigned player, will make about half of Bure's money and be expected to score just as many goals. He is more than capable after twice hitting the 50-mark in his career.

Six seasons ago, he netted an astonishing 76, which stands as the fifth highest single-season total of all-time. Three seasons ago, his first as a Canuck, he scored 55, most of those coming when Bure was out with major knee surgery.

"I'm going to have to play a little bit more with Pavel gone and I look forward to it," Mogilny said. "But I can't fill his shoes. He's a horse. He can beat five guys by himself and put the puck in."

Mogilny says he has not spoken to Bure during the off-season, not surprising given their distinctly separate lives. Mogilny is married, has a daughter and will become a father again in the near future. His pregnant wife is still at their off-season home in the Los Angeles area and Mogilny intends to be by her side when their son [they know the gender] is born.

Bure, of course, is single and has not put down any family roots despite seven years in Vancouver.

"I've got enough to worry about -- kids, a wife, dogs -- so I can't worry about Pavel," Mogilny said, shrugging his shoulders. "I didn't follow anything after the season ended. I try to stay as far away from it as I can. I don't think about these things and I don't even care. I have to focus on my game, get in shape and worry about my own performance. I want to try and help the team as much as I can and what other guys do with their contracts, that's their thing."

Playing behind Bure the last two years has clearly hurt Mogilny's production. He is an amazing talent when motivated and given responsibility as the go-to guy. He claims he did not mind playing second fiddle to Bure, that it gave him an opportunity to develop a more well-rounded game.

"It wasn't difficult at all to play behind him," said Mogilny, now 29 and entering his 10th NHL campaign. "I enjoyed it. I tried to play better in my own zone, stay back a little and not take so many chances. If you play well defensively, the offence will come. If you start blowing the zone early, you're not going to be very successful. You have to be playing team hockey and have some strategy."

Mogilny figures he doesn't have anything to show the hockey world, that his big seasons speak for themselves. His sole motivation these days, he insists, is to win games and championships. Mogilny and the Canucks haven't even made the playoffs the last two seasons.

"I just want to win something, that's why we're here," he said. "I scored 76 and 55 so I know I can do it. I don't have a big ego and I don't want to prove anything to anybody. Look at Stevie Yzerman in Detroit. Who cares if you score 60 when you can score 30 and do what you always dream."

Right now, the Canuck brass dreams of Mogilny returning to top form and making everyone forget Bure. To that end, head coach Mike Keenan put Mogilny alongside centre Mark Messier in the camp's first workout. They are expected to skate together as much as possible throughout the camp and pre-season games.

"That's probably in the plans," Keenan said. "They're not going to play every pre-season game together but it's a valuable combination that we're going to have to rely on so we might as well get started and give them an opportunity to work together. They can be leaders with the group they have and spend some time together and talk about their play."

Messier, who saw a lot of Mogilny when both were in the Eastern Conference, doesn't see any reason why the superb Russian can't again become a force in the league.

"I think he'll play as well as the amount of responsibility given to him," Messier said. "I think that he'll match any kind of request or challenges that Mike throws at him. He's a real competitor and I think he needs to be thrust into that position and that he'll respond. Last year, he missed camp, joined the team late and he never got himself organized.

"I think he's had a whole summer now to get himself ready to play this year. He knows the position he's going to be in and it's up to him to respond to the challenge."

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

Out of sight, mind

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

Keenan ready despite lack of #1 goalie, and Pavel

Despite Keenan's bravado, he readily admits expectations are not high for the team "based on the season we just had." He also admits the Pavel Bure boycott hardly helps matters and that he thinks Bure should play out his contract -- the Russian Rocket has one year remaining -- before declaring he is through with the organization.

"Whether Pavel is being completely honest, I don't know," Keenan shrugged. "Sergei Fedorov said he would never play for Detroit again either. I wish Pavel would play. It has nothing to do with me. He signed on and he owes it to the game and he owes it to the company to play out that contract.

"However, it's his privilege," Keenan added. "Maybe these personal reasons are a lot more deeply rooted than we can imagine. As I said, I would love to have him here and I loved coaching him last season. But if his head is not in it and he really doesn't want to play here there's nothing I can do about it."

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

Burke brazen with Bure threats

Province file photo by Chris Relke / Pavel Bure isn't falling for Brian Burke's hardline ways, and sitting him out all year will hurt team.

When it comes to pure theatre, it's difficult to top Brian Burke among NHL general managers.

His recent comments concerning the difficulty of trading Pavel Bure were understandable but the suggestion he may have to sit out the Russian Rocket all season certainly fell into the category of grandstanding as opposed to solid management.

Consider for a moment the natural consequences of such a decision. Suspend reality and pretend there were no teams sufficiently interested in Bure's services to satisfy some of Vancouver's obvious needs and Bure misses the entire season.

The Rocket then becomes a restricted free agent, whereby any team can tender him an offer sheet which the Canucks would have the right to match. If they choose not to match, they would receive five first-round draft picks in compensation.

Let's take it to the next step. Say a team like Detroit, Philadelphia or the Rangers don't advance as far in the playoffs as they might like and one decides to make an offer sheet to Bure, with a clause saying a $30 million US bonus must be paid immediately if the team that signs him does not make the playoffs in the first year. Or, if that was successfully argued to be a disincentive, say it's just a very high, straightforward offer sheet.

If the Canucks don't match they end up with five picks from say Detroit or the Flyers, picks which would be in the neighbourhood of 25th to 28th overall in the drafts of the foreseeable future. Is this adequate compensation for Bure? Hardly.

So the Canucks decide to match this offer. Then what? If Bure still refuses to report, the Canucks have a suspended player who can't be traded for a year and then is even more difficult to trade than he is now because of a choking salary and having sat out two full seasons. What if after sitting out a year and signing the offer sheet which the Canucks match, Bure comes back on the ice after missing a season? Imagine the atmosphere of booing after the club-loyal media has been abusing Bure for a full season, blaming the player for anything and everything simply because he wants to play in another city. What if Bure dogs it, collects the money and makes himself impossible to trade while creating a totally untenable atmosphere in GM Place?

The other option would be to keep him permanently suspended, but then all that has accomplished is robbing NHL fans of one of the most exciting talents in the history of the game, hardly what you would call clever marketing.

None of these options are even remotely close to what Burke has now, which is the opportunity to make a trade that will help his team make the transition to a younger, better team.

In fact, Burke had best fall on his knees and pray Bure doesn't unilaterally decide to sit out the season and leave him in this predicament. Yes, it would cost Bure somewhere around $8 million US in salary and would keep him away from the NHL for a year and perhaps for good in a scorched earth approach. But when you already have $8-10 million US in the bank and you were brought up modestly in Russia, retirement at age 27 isn't the worst fate.

Burke may feel like doing something to change the power the players have these days, given he's just come from the league office. That's understandable. But the time and place to do that is when the collective bargaining agreement is re-opened, just as the NBA is presently attempting to achieve. Sitting out Bure now will only rob the Vancouver fan of a better team. It will do nothing to stop the escalation of salaries. Only a new CBA will get that job done.

The tough-guy approach makes wonderful headlines and gets people fired up but does nothing to provide solid management.

As anyone who watched this team last year knows, what's needed here is a bright person capable of making some clever moves to gather a group of enthusiastic, capable players. Only then will this team get to where owner John McCaw claims he wants it to be.

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

Bure, agent still don't get it

I was just carved a new orifice by Pavel Bure's agent, Mike Gillis. Fortunately the operation was done via long distance (being an agent he of course called collect) which is good because judging by his career total of 33 goals he wasn't much of a surgeon with his stick.

Gillis was upset after being informed by some mole in Vancouver that I had taken cheap shots at Bure for not having the jam to stand up and give a reasonable explanation as to why he basically gave the fans and the city the one-finger salute.

I went on to say that, based on what this team and paying customers had done for him after he came here with nothing, was the least he could do. I didn't then, nor do I now, feel Bure has shown any class and more then anything comes across like a spoiled two-bit jerk who has conveniently forgotten how people here have put him on easy street for the rest of his life.

What really got the agent ticked was when I said every day I hear different rumours as to why Bure wants out of here and that none of the reasons on the street are something I would ever pass on because I'd have my ass and that of CKNW sued because they are not at all flattering.

Gillis asked what they were and as you would expect, he categorically denied all of them.

Maybe I'm being naive in thinking that someone making the millions that Bure hauls down owes anything to the people that pay his salary. All I know is sports and the people it employs only exist because of people's emotions.

Let's face it, a lot of people live their lives through those that they rightly or wrongly label as heroes. With that comes a commitment and an obligation, two things obviously Bure knows little about because the bottom line is he is still under contract to the Canucks.

If I'm going to be blasted for using a lot of innuendo then what can you say about Gillis, who says Bure should be applauded for taking the high road and not getting into any mud slinging which would hurt innocent people.

That comment does nothing but let people's imaginations run wild as to why he wants out.

I doubt if either Bure of his agent will ever think differently because there's so much money involved and the sooner they can get out of here the better.

I just hope that both of them saw Mark McGwire and the city of St. Louis show how much they respect and admire and mean to each other. Unlike Bure, McGwire is all class.

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

'We're going to miss Pavel'

In all likelihood, the Canucks will start the season without star right winger -- and Messier linemate -- Pavel Bure. It may be a while before a trade brings anyone in return.

There's also the black hole in goal and the likely training camp absence of defenceman Bryan McCabe. But Messier says the players must focus on who is in Vancouver.

"We're going to miss Pavel É but it's important for us to concentrate now on what we have to do as a team," said Messier. "It's important that everyone this year wants to be here and everything outside of that will take care of itself."

Alex Mogilny -- who scored 55 goals three seasons ago -- will take Bure's place on Messier's wing and the Canuck captain expects big things.

"I think the more responsibility is put on Alex's shoulders, the better he'll respond," said Messier. "With Pavel not going to be here, he's the man to go in that situation. Alex will have a great year."

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

Russian Rocket in dry dock

Canucks still playing a waiting game after Bure's demand to be traded

MARK VAN MANEN, VANCOUVER SUN / Pavel Bure waits for news on his trade demand at his Vancouver home.

The Canucks open training camp Saturday, and it's almost certain they'll do so without Bure, their talented winger and undoubtedly the greatest player in franchise history.

The 27-year-old Russian Rocket, who has surpassed the 50-goal plateau three times -Êincluding last season, when he scored 51 -Êand reached 60 twice, demanded a trade early in August, citing "personal reasons."

Bure is hardly breaking new ground. In late August 1997, following a one-on-one meeting with former Canucks general manager Pat Quinn, he made a similar demand. Whether Quinn placated him or not, Bure spent the season in Vancouver and, following three consecutive inconsistent campaigns, enjoyed success.

Nonetheless, the mysterious and often elusive Bure once again is disenchanted. He has a year remaining on a contract that pays almost $8 million U.S., but has decided a change of scenery is required.

He has blamed the local media for his decline in popularity, and has suggested he lacks privacy in Vancouver. But obviously, Bure doesn't mind being recognized in Toronto. This summer, he attended a women's professional tennis match at York University with close friend and former teammate Gino Odjick, rubbing shoulders with thousands of fans.

Canucks general manager Brian Burke said he has been unable to make a suitable trade for Bure, and won't be pushed into completing a poor deal simply to appease the player. Burke said he's prepared to wait even a full season, if necessary, and will place Bure on the suspended list should he fail to report to camp.

Possible destinations for Bure are Toronto, where he would be reunited with Quinn, now the Maple Leafs coach; Los Angeles, where the Kings need a scorer and gate attraction as they prepare to move into a new arena; the Rangers, seeking a replacement for the retired Pat LaFontaine; the Islanders or the New Jersey Devils.

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

Canucks work out minus Bure

With training camp drawing nearer some Canucks players gathered for informal workouts at the clubs practice facility in Burnaby, B.C. Pavel Bure, staying true to his word, was not among his "former" teamates.

Bure is now in Moscow, and before he left he talked to the media. Well sort of. Yes he still wants to be traded, he is willing to sit out an entire season. He loves the city, he loves the fans, blah, blah blah. His reasons for wanting out are personal. End of story.

I have gone on record as saying I am sad to see Pavel go. And that is true. I will miss watching him play. I will not miss the evasive, leave me alone Bure. Pavel Bure has made a lot of money playing in Vancouver. And the fans that buy the tickets are ultimately the people that pay him. So if John McCaw gets to know the reasons he wants out why doesn't the fan? The kid who bought the jersey's, both No.'s 10 and 96. The fan who kept buying season tickets even though the team he played for under achieved. If Pavel Bure wanted privacy, why did he become a National Hockey League player? Does he really think he can hide from his fans in any hockey city? The story that Bure wouldn't mind landing in Toronto was amusing. The Leafs are scrutinized far more than the Canucks are. The pressure there would be enormous, and wanting to win a cup? The leafs are a ways away, another reason some say Bure wants out.

But in the end Brian Burke holds the cards. Bure will not have a say in where he goes. He could end up staying in Moscow all winter. Maybe while he's there he'll notice the ruble, the crisis of the economy there. He'll realize life in Vancouver was pretty good after all.

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

Bure walkout behind lag in ticket sales

No matter how you slice it, Pavel Bure is still the Canucks' major gate attraction. Several Orca Bay executives believe the main cause for season ticket sales being off almost 10 per cent (which equates to approximately $4 million) compared to this time last year is Bure saying publicly he has played his last game in a Vancouver uniform.

The Bure braying should make for a lively assembly next Wednesday night at the Waterfront Hotel when Canucks president and GM Brian Burke hosts what he's dubbed the "1st Annual State of the Franchise Address," exclusively for season ticket holders.

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

Bure not fazed by delay

Nick Didlick, Vancouver Sun / WORKING OUT: Pavel Bure walks out of 8 Rinks ice complex after a skating session with other NHLers.

The personal reasons that drove Pavel Bure to turn his back on the Vancouver Canucks will forever remain personal, the Russian Rocket stated Wednesday.

"I don't want to discuss them and I will never discuss them," said Bure, who was corralled in the Burnaby 8-Rinks parking lot following an on-ice workout. "I think you media guys are trying to put me against the people here and I think it's really wrong."

However, without a satisfactory explanation from Bure, public sentiment will continue to run against the player for his decision to walk out with a year remaining on his contract. The fact Bure may forfeit some, or all, of his approximate $8 million US salary appears to be an additional cause for bewilderment.

"It has nothing to do with the people and the city," Bure insisted. "It's a great city, maybe one of the best in the world. It's beautiful here in the summertime and everything. I don't read the papers but from what I've been told lately, you guys have been trying to put me against the people . . . you know, like, I hate the people, I hate the city. It's not true at all.

"I have my personal reasons, which I'm not going to discuss, and again I want to thank all the people for supporting me for seven years. They were great to me."

Despite his claim of fondness for Vancouver, Bure reneged after last season on a promise to fully explain to the media -- and fans -- why he wants to leave the Canucks. Instead, he went public on the August long weekend, speaking to a columnist hand-picked by his agent, Mike Gillis.

"Mike's in charge of all this stuff," Bure explained. "My job is to play hockey and he is responsible for all the comments I make and how to deal with management."

Bure, who has earned almost $20 million US the last four seasons, seemed unfazed by general manager Brian Burke's declaration that he may sit out the entire season if a trade suitable to the Canucks cannot be made.

"Brian has to do what he has to do," Bure replied. "I can't really judge him. He's a good manager and he knows what he's doing. It's out of my hands."

Asked if he would be upset at missing a complete season, the 27-year-old Russian said: "Yes. I want to play hockey, especially because I had fun playing last year."

Bure did not seem concerned about finding ice time and a place to stay in shape once NHL training camps begin next weekend. He has recently been skating at conditioning sessions run by Canuck fitness coach Peter Twist. On Wednesday, Bure packed his equipment and was not expected back at the Twist workouts.

"I think I'm going to deal with it when the time comes," Bure said when queried about his training plans. "We've still got 10 days before training camp so who knows what's going to happen."

Bure's decision to skate and work out in Vancouver seems at odds with his known desire for more privacy. Questioned on this topic and his plans for the short term, he managed to bring some levity to the situation.

"This is the first time you guys found me," he smiled, adding "in the really short term, I just want to go home and have lunch."

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

Bure not fazed by delay

CP Photo / Pavel Bure takes part in conditioning workouts Wednesday at Burnaby's 8-Rinks.

He came, he skated but even though Pavel Bure attempted to duck out of Burnaby 8-Rinks half-way through a conditioning workout on Wednesday he still wasn't able to elude the media or the autograph hounds.

The Russian Rocket had little to say after what's believed to be his last appearance at instructor Peter Twist's summer conditioning camp, which he attended on Monday and a couple of times last week. Tracked down in the 8-Rinks parking lot, while the rest of the group scrimmaged, Bure did, however, seem unfazed with the prospect of missing part or even all of the coming NHL season. Canucks new GM Brian Burke has said since Bure's trade demand last month that the right deal could take until mid-November or longer to materialize.

"Brian has to do what he has to do," said Bure, in a two-minute scrum that ended as abruptly as it began. "I can't really judge him. The whole thing is in his hands. He's a good manager. He knows what he's doing."

Burke said earlier this week that he's prepared to go the whole season without trading Bure if he's not satisfied with the offers. That could be construed as sabre-rattling, but Burke wants to make it clear he won't be painted into a corner.

"(How long it takes) is out of my hands," said Bure, who says he won't honor the final year of his contract until the Canucks trade him.

Bure wouldn't elaborate on his plans if the season starts without a move to a new team and again refused to comment on the reasons he wants out of Vancouver.

Canucks defenceman Bret Hedican, who's now the second most senior in the dressing room -- next to Dana Murzyn -- and the only other remaining player who participated in the Stanley Cup final in 1994, said the team is better off turning the page when a teammate wants out.

"If a guy has made a decision that he wants to make a move, then I don't think his teammates want him to be here," said Hedican. "Anybody can use a guy who can score between 50 and 60 goals, but you have to be part of the team and that's what we're trying to put together here."

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

Bure has to learn lesson

  It's time to defuse the Rocket in Vancouver.
 The selfish de-mands of whiner Pavel Bure have been a thorn in the side of the Vancouver Canucks for too long.
 It's sad that such an electrifying player can be such a dud.
 Many hockey ob-servers took great comfort in this week's news that Canucks GM Brian Burke will sit out the petulant star for a full season rather than make a bad trade.
 Bure said yesterday he is willing to sit out the season and forgo his $8 million salary.
 And Bure isn't alone in this insanity. NHL contracts are worthless with many players.
 For some reason it has become the norm in the NHL for teams to abandon contracts, signed in good faith, with its stars when the latest league signing reshuffles the dollar pecking order.

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

Pavel is pouty but polite

-- Toronto Sun

Pavel wants out!

  Vancouver's Pavel Bure yesterday refused to get into a hissing fight with general manager Brian Burke over the star forward's trade demands.
 But Bure lashed out at reporters whom he accused of trying to turn a city full of Canucks fans against him.
 Burke this week said he was prepared to make Bure sit out the season if he couldn't make a favorable deal for the pouty superstar.
 "Brian has to do what he has to do," Bure said after working out with a handful of teammates at a suburban Vancouver rink.
 "I can't really judge him. He's a good manager and he knows what he's doing."
 Bure, who risks forfeiting $8 million in salary by sitting out, hopes to be back in the NHL soon. "I like to play hockey and I had fun playing hockey last year," he said.
 So, why does Bure want out of town so badly?
 "I have personal reasons and I will never discuss them," he said before snapping at the reporters interviewing him.
 "I think you guys are trying to put me against the people here and it's really wrong," he said.
 "It's nothing to do with the people and the city. It's a great city, maybe one of the best in the world. It's beautiful here and the people are really nice to me."

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

---

Wednesday, 2nd September, 1998

Bure says he's willing to sit out season if not traded

 BURNABY, B.C. (CP) -- Pavel Bure likes the city of Vancouver and its people but still not enough to continue his NHL career there.
 The Russian Rocket reiterated his desire to be traded Wednesday and said he's willing to sit out the entire season if necessary. But Bure again refused to divulge why he is demanding Vancouver general manager Brian Burke trade him.
 "It's personal reasons and I don't want to discuss them," Bure snapped Wednesday as he dashed to his car from an arena where he had skated with several other NHL players.
 Earlier this week Burke said he's willing to let Bure, who is scheduled to earn about $8 million US this year, spend the entire season on the suspended list until the right trade deal comes along.
 "Brian has to do what he has to do," Bure shrugged as he signed autographs for a group of children between sips from a can of pop. "I can't really judge him.
 "It's totally in his hands. He's a good manager and he knows what he's doing."
 Bure continued to say he won't be at the Canucks training camp when it opens Sept. 12 in Whistler, B.C.
 Bure, a 50-goal scorer three times during his seven years in Vancouver and arguably the most talented Canuck last season, has publicly demanded a trade.
 He has said Vancouver is too small and doesn't offer the privacy he craves. There are reports Bure wants to play for a Stanley Cup contender in a large, U.S. city where he can become lost in the crowd when away from the arena.
 Burke has said he won't be rushed into any deal and is prepared to wait until the right offer is made.
 "It's out of my hands," said Bure. "I want to play hockey.
 "I'm going to deal with (being suspended) when the time comes. We still have 10 days before training camp. Who knows what is going to happen."
 Bure chastised the media for suggesting he wants out of Vancouver because he doesn't like the city or its fans.
 "You guys try to put me against people here and it's really wrong," he said. "It's nothing to do with the people and the city.
 "It's a great city, maybe one of the best in the world. It's beautiful here and the people are really nice to me."
 Bure earned $5.5 million US last season. He would receive between $7.4 and $8.5 million this year under terms of a deal that demands he be paid the average of the NHL's top three salaries.
 Mike Gillis, Bure's agent, said the Canucks have not balked at the money and salary isn't an issue.
 So why the trade demand?
 "I have my personal reasons which I am not going to discuss," Bure said before sprinting to his car and driving off.

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

---

Wednesday, 2nd September, 1998

Canuck players won't worry about Bure deal

By JIM JAMIESON -- Vancouver Province

The week before training camp is about as deep into the heart of optimism as it gets for an NHL club and, not surprisingly, some members of the Vancouver Canucks were groping to find the bright side of the upcoming Pavel Bure holdout. After a throng of media members had turned up at Burnaby 8-Rinks in the empty -- as it turned out -- expectation of a Bure appearance at Peter Twist's conditioning camp, a couple of vets were asked about the likely prospect of Bure being in limbo for the start of the season and a trade not bringing something back until well into the season. "In Buffalo (his ex-team), when Pat LaFontaine was injured (missed all but the first16 games after surgery for a torn ACL), we became the best defensive team in the league," said left-winger Brad May, one of several Canucks at the workout. "Sure, we had Dominik Hasek (the goalie who won the first of his four Vezina Trophies that season), but you try to make up in other areas for what you've lost. Obviously, we'd love to have Pavel, but that's got nothing to do with me. You bring in character guys and worry about the team." Canucks general manager Brian Burke hasn't exactly been bowled over with interest from other teams and has said since Bure's trade request last month that he expects a deal might not come until mid-November at the earliest. This week, Burke even went so far as to suggest he'd let Bure sit all season if the right offer doesn't come along.

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

---