While most teams believed he was ineligible, the Canucks' head scout at the time, Mike Penny, discovered that Bure had played in additional exhibition and international games to make him an eligible late-round draft choice a year early.[3][4] Jack Button, the Washington Capitals' director of player personnel, admitted "everybody would have taken him earlier. We assumed he was not eligible... you've got to give the Canucks credit for doing their homework."[25]
Several other teams either had similar knowledge or had pursued Bure, but there was confusion as to the legitimacy of the extra games. The Detroit Red Wings had inquired to league vice president Gil Stein as to Bure's supposed availability prior to their fifth-round pick, but were told that he was not eligible.[24] According to General Manager Ken Holland of the Detroit Red Wings, their European scout Christer Rockstrom insisted that the Wings select Bure while he was still available in the fifth round, but upon being told of his ineligibility the team selected Shawn McCosh instead. The Red Wings then decided they would select him with their sixth-round pick, 116th overall, "no matter what" and then settle his eligibility later. The Canucks selected Bure three picks ahead of Detroit's turn.[26] Winnipeg Jets general manager Mike Smith, meanwhile, claimed he travelled to Moscow prior to the draft and made an offer to the Soviet Ice Hockey Federation. The deal involved a transfer fee to be paid to the Soviets over three years, after which time, Bure would join the Jets as a 21-year-old. Smith did not have any plans to draft Bure in 1989, however, as he believed Bure was ineligible.[27]
General manager Pat Quinn originally intended to draft Bure in the eighth round, but after receiving word that the Edmonton Oilers had similar intentions, he selected him in the sixth.[24] Detroit's European scout Christer Rockstrom immediately began protesting, while several other unidentified team representatives reportedly stormed the Met Center stage in Minnesota, where the draft was being held, following the announcement of Bure's draft.[28] The Hartford Whalers and Washington Capitals then filed formal complaints to the league, resulting in an investigation into the selection.[24] After the pick was deemed illegal by league president John Ziegler in a press release on May 17, 1990, the Canucks appealed the decision, procuring game sheets proving Bure's participation in the additional games with the help of recent Soviet acquisition Igor Larionov. It was not until the eve of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, in which Bure would have been re-entered, that the draft choice was upheld.[24]
