- he was one of the best players ever to play on the vancouver canucks. we
will always remember the 93-94 season when they almost won the cup!
Russian Hockey Star Bure to Become Olympic Team Manager General
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/11/01/bure.shtml
Russian NHL star Pavel Bure has officially announced his retirement to
take
over as manager general of the Russian Olympic team.
Bure, nicknamed the Russian Rocket for his explosive speed and firepower,
has not played since he injured his right knee in March 2003. He has made
several unsuccessful attempts to resume his career before finally deciding
to hang up his skates for good.
"There comes a time when you have to make a decision and move on," Bure
said.
Russian hockey chief Alexander Steblin quoted by Reuters said Bure would
lead the team at February's Turin Olympics.
"I can promise you one thing, from now on you won't see such a mess with
the
national team that you've seen here before. You won't see grouchy players
here any more. Only those who really want to play for Russia will be
called
into the team."
Russia, a hockey superpower in the old Soviet days with a record 23 world
champion****ps and eight Olympic gold medals, have not won a world title
since 1993. "When I played I only strived to be the best, to win the gold
and that's what I'm planning to achieve here as general manager," Bure
said.
Bure was a right winger for the New York Rangers. His brother, Valeri
Bure,
is also an NHL player. Their father, Vladimir, competed for the Soviet
Union
in the 1968, 1972, and 1976 Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal in 1972
in
the free-style swimming event, falling short of the gold by half a second.
Bure twice won the Maurice Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goalscorer,
notching 58 goals in 2000 and 59 in 2001. He also achieved back-to-back
60-goal seasons in 1993 and 1994. As captain, Bure led Russia to a silver
medal at the 1998 Nagano Games by scoring an Olympic record five goals in
a
7-4 semi-final victory over Finland. He also helped his country win an
Olympic bronze four years later in Salt Lake City.
|
