How Pavel Bure Almost Became the Next Face of the NHL as of 1995.

[vadim sharifijanov]

Bure might have been the face of the NHL for a couple years if the Canucks won it all in 1994. He was certainly a very exciting and dynamic player to watch. He had very marketable style and looks. If he had a Stanley Cup to go with it, that might have put him over the top, at least until the Avalance/Red Wings started winning their Cups with flashy elite players.

But without that Cup, he was one of many hockey demigods, as another post stated well.

humour me for a second: young good looking kid scores two thrilling goals in the third period game 7 of SCF at friggin' madison square garden, rangers pot one late, then kid completes the hat trick in overtime (come on, humour me); wins playoff MVP, is on every highlight reel in the country (USA); does david letterman, the tonight show, the today show; signs endorsement deal with nike, and films a "rocket" commercial with hakeem olajuwon and spike lee; cover story in sports illustrated that plays up him being a mysterious international playboy who is just as private and reserved off the ice as he is ebullient on it; backorders upon backorders for bure #10 jerseys in LA and NY; nate dogg wears bure jersey in the "regulate" video; with jordan playing baseball and bure converting non-traditional hockey fans in vancouver, rocket-mania even begins to make inroads to hong kong and other parts of east asia; everyone's buzzing about this huge crossover star and excited for him to begin his scoring title defense when the new NHL season starts... and then gary bettman stops all that dead in its tracks and by the time the season actually starts everybody forgets that they were actually going to give hockey a shot this year.

 

[LeBlondeDemon10]

I remember when he tore up his knee early into 95-96. Can't recall if it was a dirty hit, but I believe it was against Chicago. Marchment maybe? I thought it was a tragedy that the NHL was going to lose its most exciting player for a season and maybe forever, at least at the level he was playing at.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I remember when he tore up his knee early into 95-96. Can't recall if it was a dirty hit, but I believe it was against Chicago. Marchment maybe? I thought it was a tragedy that the NHL was going to lose its most exciting player for a season and maybe forever, at least at the level he was playing at.

http://articles.latimes.com/1995-11-12/sports/sp-2413_1_pavel-bure

Bure suffered the torn anterior cruciate in a game in Chicago on Thursday when he was knocked to the ice by Steve Smith of the Chicago Blackhawks. The team said Bure will undergo surgery, but exactly when wasn't announced.


Smith grabbed Bure around the head in the first period, and when Bure fell behind the Chicago net, he caught his skate at the base of the boards, injuring his knee.

 

[BladesofSTEELwFIRE]

He doesn't look very tall. 5'10" or 5'11"?

With his talent I know the 6 foot rule doesn't matter but it's just an observation.