“When I look at the net, I don’t see a goalie.”
As with so many other people around my age group in Vancouver, I fell in love with the game of hockey during the 1993-94 NHL season. This was when the Vancouver Canucks went on one of the most epic playoff runs in franchise history, culminating in a seven-game series with the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers. The final result wasn’t exactly what Vancouverites wanted to see, the ’94 playoffs have become the stuff of legend around these parts.
There were some big names on that roster. Trevor Linden was the captain, backed up by the likes of Gino Odjick, Cliff Ronning, Sergio Momesso, Geoff Courtnall, Kirk McLean, Dave Babych, Martin Gelinas… and some guy named Pavel Bure. And while there were some political and management issues that ensued in the years that followed, most Canucks fans from the 90s will agree that the “Russian Rocket” was one of, if not the most exciting players to ever wear a Vancouver jersey. His positively electric play dropped our jaws and got us cheering in the stands.
You may recall that Bure was inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame late last year, but the reason why I decided to feature Pavel in this week’s Sunday Snippet is that he was recently in town (I think he’s still here, but I’m not sure) to support the Canucks For Kids Fund Telethon. This sparked the added conversation of whether the Canucks franchise is ready to retire his number, hoisting #10 next to #12 Stan Smyl, #16 Trevor Linden, and #19 Markus Naslund. This was debated in a recent episode of CHBTV and I’m with the camp that Pavel’s number deserves to be hoisted into the rafters.
While he certainly didn’t do it alone, Pavel Bure can take a lot of credit for creating an aura of excitement around the game of hockey here in Vancouver. Even if you didn’t follow the NHL prior to 1994, you certainly got caught up in the hype that spring. And Pavel was definitely a big part of that. As he says in the quote above, he is able to see past any obstacles when he has a clear objective in mind. He wanted to score lots of goals, so the goalie standing in his way almost became a non-issue.
Many kids growing up today may idolize the likes of a Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin, but for Vancouver kids from the 90s, it’s all about the Russian Rocket.
Image credit: Håkan Dahlström on Flickr
The most exciting player to ever wear a Canucks jersey deserves to be honoured. Do it. Retire his jersey.
One of the best Russian players that was absolutely suited for the NHL version of hockey.