Who was the better sniper in their prime? Luc Robitaille or Pavel Bure?

[Infinite Vision*]

Bure so easily it's not even funny.

 

[tony d]

The Russian Rocket

 

[Zuluss]

If we compare peak performance, Bure easily. Outside of the 92/93 season, Robitaille in his prime was 50 goals player, Bure was more of 60 goals player.
Just compare four best seasons by Bure (60g, 60g, 59g, 58g) with four best seasons by Robutaille (63g, 53g, 52g, 46g).
And there was a big difference in the skill set, but you had to watch the games to see it.

 

[JT Dutch*]

1) Luc's sniping skills are all based on going 5 hole all the time. He's said it so himself. Does that mean he's a sniper or just that he's really smart?

... Making up things is pretty fun.

And there was a big difference in the skill set, but you had to watch the games to see it.

... I thought the thread was about who was the better sniper, though? It is a mystery.

 

[tjcurrie]

That is why I can't make a decision in the poll.

1) Luc's sniping skills are all based on going 5 hole all the time. He's said it so himself. Does that mean he's a sniper or just that he's really smart?

2) Bure could score all over the place but many of his goals were based on breakaways, dekeing, and setting up to the right of the goaltender on the PP for one-timers/tap-ins.

When I think of sniper, I usually think of someone that can rip it to the net and can beat a goaltender high/low/5-hole/corner, etc. Someone along the lines of Bossy, Hull, Lemieux, Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, Semin, etc.

Robitaille was one dimensional how he beat you but he was phenomenal at it. Bure could beat you so many ways, including ways that don't involve sniping.

It is a tough call. As I said, many are likely gonna initially think Bure simply because he was flashier. Robitaille was 100% sniper no matter if he's one dimensional or not, that's the one dimension we're discussing here. Tough call indeed.

 

[LeBlondeDemon10]

At the end of the day, a player like Bure would of benefited from having a better first pass D-man over a better playmaking center imo.[/QUOTE]

I had the same thought. Bure scored more goals on breakouts usually occurring from a pass from a defenseman as he was a step ahead of the other team. Or he would pick up a loose puck and go. Without that blazing speed, I don't think he would have scored more than 30-35 a year. He just wasn't the type of player that relied a lot on a teammate's skill. I don't mean he was selfish. Its just the way he played.

 

[Zuluss]

I thought the thread was about who was the better sniper, though? It is a mystery.

What I was saying is that Bure had much more ways to score goals than Robitaille.

 

[Brooklanders*]

This is a tough question. I love both these guys. Two of my favorite players ever. WOW

 

[RECsGuy*]

(3) DPE 50-goal seasons and (2) pre-DPE 60-goal seasons in a 12-year career

vs.

(2) pre-DPE 50-goal seasons and (1) pre-DPE 60-goal season in a 19-year career

Hmmmm...

 

[Killion]

In defining "Sniper" Id interpret it literally. "Stationary". Robitaille was a sniper. Bure was all over the place. Had he hit the Target as many times as he missed or coughed up the puck as scored he'd be in a league of his own.

 

[Torspo21]

Pavel Vladimirovich

 

[Blackhawks26]

Pavel Bure..

 

[Sentinel]

Unless I grossly misunderstand the word "sniper," it means a "player with a good shot." Bure had a far superior shot, making him a better sniper by definition. Luc had longevity and a benefit of good teammates, unlike Rocket. Pavel had a greater peak and skills.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Unless I grossly misunderstand the word "sniper," it means a "player with a good shot." Bure had a far superior shot, making him a better sniper by definition. Luc had longevity and a benefit of good teammates, unlike Rocket. Pavel had a greater peak and skills.

bure is my favourite player ever. but it's not cut and dry whether he did have the superior shot, let alone the "far superior shot." bure's was certainly harder, and he was able to get it off on the rush in mid-stride like few others. but robitaille had incredible hands, uncanny timing, always found the goalie's holes, got it off incredibly quickly, and all this without the benefit of even average NHL speed or a particularly hard shot. different criteria, and very different scoring styles, but let's not sell luc short here.

 

[Big Phil]

Bure quite easily. Who would you want on a penalty shot? On a breakaway? Bursting down the wing with speed? Robitaille was called "Lucky Luc" for a reason. Hey, he was a good player, a HHOF player, but if I described Robitaille as a player who scored some goals on his stomach on the third rebound with the goalie way out of position is that wrong? He had his share of those "ugly" goals.

So from a pure sniper standpoint, and a guy who could score goals at will and on a much more individual basis, you've got to pick Bure here.

 

[Bure All Day]

Luc Robitaille and sniper shouldnt even be in the same sentence, unless you are saying "luc is not a sniper"...

He was like a super version of burrows, great hockey sense, but in no way a sniper...

Players like kovy and stammer are snipers, not burrows.

If you actually look at a lot of Bure's goals, not just the highlight ones weve all seen 100 times, he had a lot of goals based purely on his shot therefor hes a sniper

anyone who votes luc.. just smh

 

[Ohashi_Jouzu*]

Um... wtf? Robitaille in a "sniper" poll? Against Bure, no less? Wow. I don't care what kind of statistical Merlin alchemy suggested someone pose this question, it's just wrong.

 

[ot92s]

bure=world class sniper

robitaille=world class garbage man / puck magnet

they were both awesome but the way I remember it is that while very capable, robitaille's great production was not from "sniping". Luc scored with hard work, very patient & soft hands, and great awareness around the net.

to put it in perspecive, michael ryder is a better "sniper" than robitaille in his prime.

 

[billybudd]

Bure. Robitaille was a really handsy, really smart garbage collector. Bure was straight weapon.

 

[billybudd]

to put it in perspecive, michael ryder is a better "sniper" than robitaille in his prime.

"Opportunist" is probably the better word for Robitaille than "Sniper". Sort of like Brunette, but Robitaille scored more.

 

[Slapshooter]

Bure was a better goal scorer and a superior athlete, but I define "sniper" as someone who capitalizes his scoring chances more often than others. That's all prime Robitaille.

Bure had more goal scoring chances because of his unreal speed, near perfect skating and flashy puck handling skills (+ a free pass from coahes to float and cherry pick scoring opportunities while doing nothing else.) Bure had lot of breakaways, but he also missed them a lot. He was not some Supermario when facing a goalie.

Robitaille on the other hand was an awful skater who sometimes did not even look like a professional hockey player. But when "Lucky Luc" was near the crease he would kill you quickly much like a sniper does. And his "garbage goals" had nothing to do with luck. It was quick and steady hands and above all: cunning killer instincts in form of a hockey IQ.

 

[RECsGuy*]

Bure was a better goal scorer and a superior athlete, but I define "sniper" as someone who capitalizes his scoring chances more often than others. That's all prime Robitaille.

Bure had more goal scoring chances because of his unreal speed, near perfect skating and flashy puck handling skills (+ a free pass from coahes to float and cherry pick scoring opportunities while doing nothing else.) Bure had lot of breakaways, but he also missed them a lot. He was not some Supermario when facing a goalie.

Robitaille on the other hand was an awful skater who sometimes did not even look like a professional hockey player. But when "Lucky Luc" was near the crease he would kill you quickly much like a sniper does. And his "garbage goals" had nothing to do with luck. It was quick and steady hands and above all: cunning killer instincts in form of a hockey IQ.

Clearly an objective viewer.

If Luc could skate, he'd would at least try to do things other than sit on the goalmouth, but he couldn't, so he didn't. And if Bure was as unathletic as Luc, he'd have parked himself in front of the goal just like Luc, and would have outscored Lucky that way as well.

Having a deficiency doesn't immediately give you the superior "hockey IQ," it just means, in this case, Luc was a ****** skater.

Either way, Bure was superior to Robitaille in every facet of the sport.

 

[Sanfords*]

~~~~~~~~~

Oh, that's Great Sir !!

 

[WingsFan95]

Well thats the thing Bure never had a top playmaking centre feeding him the puck. Messier didnt have chemistry with him in Vancouver, his best was probably Petr Nedved in NY. Some of his best offensive seasons were in Florida where his centre was Len Barrie.

Exactly why Bure had so many unassisted goals. Guy took the puck himself and torched people.

I remember his Florida days pretty well. Did not see Robitaille's peak but Bure was just magnificent.

 

[RECsGuy*]

Number of times finishing Top-5 in the league in goals...

Bure: 5 (1st, 1st, 1st, 3rd, 5th)

Robitaille: 2 (4th, 4th)

...which is amazing considering Bure played only 9 relatively full seasons.