[VIDEO]Pavel Bure: The Lost Shifts 4(A Case Study of Bure's Dominance & Two-Way Play)

JA

Guest
This is a continuation of JetsAlternate's "Lost Shifts" video series, documenting and analyzing the style of play of Pavel Bure. This is the fourth video in the series, released in August 2014. Enjoy.

Over the past two years, a positive reformation has occurred with regard to how Pavel Bure's style of play is viewed. After many discussions and much analysis of Pavel's game through video footage and testimonial evidence, we have reached the conclusion that Bure before and after his injuries can be separated into two distinct categories. Prior to our exploration of Pavel's game beginning in 2012, the misconception that Bure was a so-called "cherry-picker" was common among observers, particularly due to memories of his time as a Florida Panther.

For a variety of reasons, including the more widespread availability of games on television in the late 1990s as opposed to the early 90s, and due to the change of scenery, Pavel received a much greater audience as a Florida Panther and was thus profiled for the type of game he played there. This was not the way he played in Vancouver, though. What need to be taken into account when understanding the changes to his game as a Panther are several factors. By that point, Pavel had already required two major knee surgeries due to the lasting effects from his career-threatening knee injury in November 1995. He had lost much of his mobility, and for other reasons that may be explored at a later date, including potentially coaching, his game took a drastic turn.

Regarding his time in Vancouver, less could actually be recalled about the player than people claimed. Only vague ideas about his offensive abilities could be articulated; generally speaking, knowledge of the dimensions and nuances in his game were seemingly lost. Unfortunately, this translated into a very inaccurate understanding about what kind of game he played as a Canuck. Since 2012 and the discussions we have had, we have finally recognized that Pavel in Vancouver was completely different from Pavel in Florida.

Bure in Vancouver was someone who was relied on by his team to be a major defensive and offensive contributor. Under Pat Quinn's coaching, Pavel abode by his team's philosophy and was a committed player in all three zones of the ice. He played in all situations, from penalty killing to even strength to the powerplay. Prior to his 1995 injury (I have called Bure in this state "pre-injury Pavel"), he was one of the most complete skaters in the league: in 1993, he was recognized by NHL coaches in Bob McKenzie's yearly poll as the league's best skater for not only his speed and acceleration, but also his agility. He anticipated where the puck would be and always assessed the play when he was on the ice, reacting in accordance. He frequently started offensive plays in his own zone, and his hockey IQ was very good. For those who have not yet seen my previous videos documenting and explaining these nuances, they can be found in the links at the end of this post. Below is an excerpt from my explanation of his game in a previous thread:

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1320299
...

He anticipated where the puck would be in all zones of the ice, and using his speed and natural skating ability frequently positioned himself to intercept passes, cut off the opposition’s lanes, or reach the puck before the opponent could. In mere moments, he could position himself effectively to make a difference for the Canucks. In many of the clips, he is matched against other top players such as Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Phil Housley, Jarri Kurri, and even Wayne Gretzky, and it is he who draws potential penalties from them as in Housley’s case, frustrates them as in Gilmour’s case, or tracks them down defensively and generates a subsequent scoring chance of his own.

Due to his tendency to begin plays in his own zone, he was quite focused on retrieving pucks via strong defensive play, then winding up for an attack at breakneck speeds. As much as some would like to call him a “cherry picker,†his signature play was the end-to-end rush. The excitement from fans was almost always generated whenever he touched the puck in the defensive zone, as once he began to skate, he became incredibly difficult to contain.

Pavel’s anticipation in all three zones of the ice made him a threat to the opposition at all times, and his agility, speed, and acceleration allowed him to attain ideal positioning very quickly. He always had his head on a swivel in order to read his situation, and would react accordingly. He could elude players with the puck, pick up loose pucks to keep his own team’s plays alive and to cut short the opponent’s, and was always a threat to overwhelm the opponent with his combined skating ability and apt stick work. As a player hailing from the Soviet Union’s hockey program and adopting their complete team philosophy, Pavel was equipped with a great understanding of his role on the team, especially defensively, and what was required for success.

Pavel desired nothing greater than for his team to succeed, and throughout his first few years with the Canucks was tremendously passionate about the game and about his teammates. He played for them, and was a kid whose presence his teammates appreciated. One may speculate that the dark and painful relationship he had with team management might have tempered his love of the game by the time he left Vancouver in 1999, but prior to that he would stop at nothing to help his team.

The reputation that has developed for Pavel over the past decade has been an unsatisfactory and unjust one, to say the least. In Scott Morrison’s 2010 book, “Best of the Best: Ranking the Greatest Players of All Time,†Pavel is described as one who would “drift around without interest or purpose, then suddenly turn on the jets…†while E.J. Hradek in 2012 called Bure “more of an offensive guy [who] didn’t maybe come back into his zone.†Pavel’s reputation, especially regarding his time in Vancouver (a majority of his career), has been decimated by misnomers, “revisionist history,†and perhaps a lack of media coverage, televised games, or general access to them in his days with Vancouver.

...

While my previous videos have provided an in-depth look at the various aspects of Pavel's game through a juxtaposition of plays from a random selection of three games each to highlight his tendencies and the consistency of these plays, my approach to this video was different. I decided to focus instead here on one entire game to make sure every shift Bure took from a match could be seen. Further, this particular game was chosen primarily because of its significance as an historic match with no relation to Pavel at all. He just happened to be on the ice that night. I did not want to crop anything out of this video due to the high camera angle, so as opposed to my previous videos, this one features the game in 4:3 dimensions with side panels.

The match featured here is the game in which Wayne Gretzky scored his 802nd career goal, played on March 23, 1994. This video features that game from the perspective of Pavel Bure.



Everyone recalls this game for its importance to the entire sport and for a particular moment. Nobody recalls anything Pavel Bure did in that game. For him it was just another regular season match late in the 1993-94 campaign, although it was also an opportunity for him to score his 50th goal of the season. The fact that so few people recognize that Pavel's game is perfectly preserved in this match, albeit overshadowed by Gretzky's moment, suggests there is a reason Pavel's style of play as a Canuck has been forgotten -- few people watch old footage of Bure. I encourage people wanting to know more about Bure in Vancouver simply to watch old games featuring him. The games really speak for themselves.

Pavel played a very good game that night. In fact, he finished the 1993-94 season with 49 goals in the final 51 games; this was just one game in a lengthy stretch of tremendous matches for him. We see that he played with Gino Odjick and Murray Craven that night, as he did for the entire year. Although Pavel attempts to make plays with both players, they simply are not on his level. The level of play demonstrated in this game playing with those two makes one wonder how he would have performed playing with more talented linemates. In the final 47 games of the season, he contributed points to 46.45% of the entire team's goals and scored 29% of them.

This is an extended look at Pavel Bure prior to his 1995 knee injury; it is a look at a player who many always heard of and saw in highlight packages but could not always see first-hand. This is the Pavel Bure who played for Vancouver, who lit up the province of British Columbia with his play.

If you have not seen the previous three videos in the series, "Pavel Bure: The Lost Shifts," "Pavel Bure: Fearless, The Lost Shifts 2," and "Pavel Bure: Anticipation, The Lost Shifts 3," you can find them here:
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt5YW_GqO1c
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOCMPsv_5sQ
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-UARpq7ATU

Also, a side-project featuring Pavel Bure's playoff performance against the Dallas Stars in 1994, titled "Pavel Bure: Relentless, The Lost Series" can be found here:
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkQHaP9NoNE
 
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arsmaster*

Guest
Awesome video. Craven should have scored at least two goals. Bure seemed to be covering for him in the d zone lots too, always back supporting the puck on breakouts.

Still electrifying with those two guys, but I agree that if he didn't have to cheat to the defensive side to cover for these guys he could have had even more fantastic numbers.
 

Chairman Maouth

Retired Staff
Apr 29, 2009
25,711
11,934
Comox Valley
Good thread for the summer doldrums. Sometimes I wonder if we'll see another player like that in a Canucks uniform. The Sedins have been pretty good though.

You know what also might be of interest? An entire game from the 94 playoff run; maybe the series clincher against Toronto or Calgary.

I remember drinking at the Langley Hotel for one of the earlier Toronto games. There was a Leafs fan sitting beside me who wouldn't stop chirping at me. That's all I can tell you. I'm not sure the statute of limitations has run out yet.
 
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Barney Gumble

Registered User
Jan 2, 2007
22,711
1
There's a reason why a number of people "outside of Vancouver" became fans of the Canucks around this time - at that reason was Pavel Bure.

I'm afraid we might never see such a talent on this team again.

One can only imagine how many goals Pavel could get nowadays (his knees would certainly have stayed more healthy).
 

arsmaster*

Guest
Good thread for the summer doldrums. Sometimes I wonder if we'll see another player like that in a Canucks uniform. The Sedins have been pretty good though.

You know what also might be of interest? An entire game from the 94 playoff run; maybe the series clincher against Toronto or Calgary.

I remember drinking at the Langley Hotel for one of the earlier Toronto games. There was a Leafs fan sitting beside me who wouldn't stop chirping at me. That's all I can tell you. I'm not sure the statute of limitations has run out yet.

The Sedins let the puck do most of their work.

Pavel could do things that few to this day could at speeds nobody else could.

Both brilliant hockey players, but we'll see guys who rip you up with their minds again, I highly doubt we see an electrifying talent with unmatched athletic ability here for a long, long time.
 

skywarp75

Registered User
May 19, 2009
1,096
0
this is what some people dont get about bure, he didnt only school scrubs, he did it to Lidstrom, Borque, Hasek, Gretz/Kurri, all while being hooked and held without mercy.

in todays game, you cant hook or hold him, which means you really can do nothing about it as he blows past you and scores. he'd have been be better in todays game than he was during his era.
 

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