04/18/24
November 02, 2005
Russian Rocket Retires: Never mind the alleteration hockey has lost one of it's greatest goal scorers. This guy lost a step after knee surgery and he was still one of the top scorers (when healthy) He is also the new GM of the Russian National Team.
He was the fastest thing on skates until that knee surgery and even after he could blow away 90% of the guys in the league. 437 goals in 702 games during the "clutch & grab era" he would have scored over 700 goals if the game was played the way it is now and he could stay healthy.
posted by HATER 187 at 09:50 AM on November 02, 2005
Oh god - Bure and no redline would cause heart-attacks for both goalies around the league and his coach. He'd score 70.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:05 AM on November 02, 2005
How did he do on the international level? Just out of curiosity.
posted by NoMich at 10:25 AM on November 02, 2005
I hope he gets recognized for the job he did in helping to open up North American hockey to Russian talent. He wasn't quite the pioneer that, say, Larionov or Mogilny were, but his success and charisma made it a lot easier for the first wave of Russian players to cross over and have an impact on the game. I don't know for sure, but I'd suspect he's a total rock star back in Moscow, and the minute he retired his phone rang with a million job offers. It's a shame he couldn't take advantage of the new rules, but he made out alright. Good on him.
posted by chicobangs at 10:48 AM on November 02, 2005
He and Mogilny made for a heck of a line in NHL 94. Cliff Ronning was no slouch either.
posted by yerfatma at 11:03 AM on November 02, 2005
The dude stole Anna K from Sergei. He's gotta be a rock star.
posted by garfield at 11:20 AM on November 02, 2005
The poll they are/were running on Sportsnet.ca was: Which argument is the strongest for Pavel Bure making the Hall of Fame? [ ] 437 goals in 702 games [ ] Scored 50 or more goals five times [ ] Career cut short by injuries (like Cam Neely) [ ] If Clarke Gillies can make it, Bure's a shoe-in I think someone at Sportsnet.ca has been reading my posts on SpoFi! BTW, the Hockey Hall of Fame was made for a player like this. He won't hold any records that anyone will be reading about in 20 years, but he was so exciting and dynamic that he must be remembered. This is the same argument that should/will be made for Ichiro Suzuki when he retires (assuming he plays 10 seasons).
posted by grum@work at 12:03 PM on November 02, 2005
Oh yeah, he's gotta be in the Hall, but as we've discussed before, given the class he'd be going in with, it might take a couple of years before it happens.
posted by chicobangs at 12:32 PM on November 02, 2005
The timing of these new rules sucks ass for him. Could you imagine how many goals Mr. Cherry Picker could've scored if these rules had been in place since his rookie year? And do you think that his Russian teams are going to play any defense at all? I can see it now: all five guys hanging out at their offensive blue line, calling for the puck from their poor goalie.