Will we ever see another Pavel Bure?

[YNWA14]

Just wondering if anyone thinks this will happen. A player that electrifies the ice every time he's on it. Consistently gets breakaways and has unreal handling at top speed. Pure goal scorer that can blow by anyone on the ice.

There aren't any prospects right now that can amount to this, are there?

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[Kevin Forbes]

Likely some coach at the junior levels destroying that hope by trying to force the kid to stop cherry-picking and "round out his game"

 

[Franck]

No.
Sadly Bure was one of those one-of-a-kind type of players. I doubt we will ever see a player with the same combination of speed and stick handling again.

 

[YNWA14]

Likely some coach at the junior levels destroying that hope by trying to force the kid to stop cherry-picking and "round out his game"

I'm all for well-rounded players...but a Bure type player brings a lot to a team too. To get that kind of goal scoring prowess sometimes you need to give up a little and hope your team can support you.

I really hope to see another player like that in my lifetime. I didn't get enough time with Bure.

 

[zorz]

I wish that happened, but I don't believe that. Just like KF said above even if he existed he would probably be forced to change his game early in his career and he coudn't develop the way he should

 

[Beerfish]

Yes we will for sure. There are great players from various generations and someone will come along that is close to him.

 

[parineum]

I wish that happened, but I don't believe that. Just like KF said above even if he existed he would probably be forced to change his game early in his career and he coudn't develop the way he should

Pavel Bure style play is a proven way to win the cup.

 

[Analyzer*]

Part of Ovechkin's game is like Bure's

 

[zorz]

Pavel Bure style play is a proven way to win the cup.

If I was a fan of Bure's team, I'd enjoy watching that guy in every game much more than few nights of partying after the Cup winning. But I completely understand that many people prefer the other thing.

 

[Corey Perry*]

Part of Ovechkin's game is like Bure's

I came here to say this. Yes, Ovechkin can make some Pavel Bure like plays, but he isn't as fast. Other than Ovie, I don't know anybody close to Bure in playing style.

 

[Bakayoko Ono]

Nope. Your average NHL player is too good at defending and most of the teams have tight and effective defensive systems. It's pretty hard to score those great individual rush, highlight reel goals in today's game.

 

[kuick]

Darren Helm + hands

I've heard people compare Nail Yakupov (2012 top prospect) to Bure but I can't comment personally on that comparison. He may be slightly similar but I don't think we'll see anyone like Bure in for a long long time.

 

[nanzenkills]

Part of Ovechkin's game is like Bure's

Ovechkin isn't as fast as Bure was, nor are his hands as good. Plus he's a lot bigger and uses his size well, that is different from the way Bure had to play due to being smaller. One thing I will say is that Ovechkin likes to cherry pick the way Bure did.

 

[arsmaster*]

No one has Bure's speed, let alone the skill to handle the puck at that speed.

Ovechkin has similar characteristics, in terms of taking guys on one-on-one, but the speed isnt there.

Stamkos has the speed factor down, he just has too much responsibility as a center ice man to get the breakaways.

I hate the Leafs, but Kessel has Bure like characteristics, but he isn't close to the same type of player.

My two favourite plays by Bure as a player all-time were the retalliation elbow on Shane Churla in the 94' 2nd round (youtube it) epic in terms of fighting your own battles.

And the skill required to put the puck between your legs off your skate on a real time breakaway (it was a preseason game, but unmatched skill and speed).

I still cant think of any player EVER that on a breakaway, I never thought he wouldn't score. YOu knew he was going to go 5-hole, Im sure the goalies knew too, but the speed just opened the legs up and that hands put the puck where it needed to go.

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

Eventually I would think we'll see someone similar but not quite the same.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

we've seen a bunch of players who play a similar style to bure but who just plain aren't as good. gaborik may have been the closest. afinogenov, grabner, kessel, ovechkin and kovalchuk have their similarities (ovechkin of course is better than bure, but isn't quite in bure's league when it comes to skating or especially dangles).

will we ever see a guy that good with that exact skill set again? maybe not exactly, but if the lower leagues can still produce guys like kessel, they can surely still produce a guy like bure if the raw talent and the burning desire to score goals is there. and if the world can produce such supreme talents like gretzky and lemieux in the same generation, i don't see there wouldn't be another bure at some point.

 

[Reign Nateo]

Apologies in advance, but I hate the Ovechkin/Bure comparisons. Not. Even. Close. They just aren't that similar to me.

Will there be another Pavel Bure? I don't know, but I hope so. An electrifying skater with insane strides off the jump, and pulled Datsyukian dangles at top speed. When he got a head of steam he was gone, and most of this was in the clutch-and-grab era. Can only imagine how explosive he would be in today's game. This guys scored 60 goals on piss-poor teams and made the tickets to the games worth every cent. He also had a pretty heavy wrist shot and got the one-timer off as quick as anyone. He had his warts, but as far as skilled, fast, snipers go, Bure is the cream of the crop.

Hard to see another player like that coming along, but like I said, I hope so. Just pure joy to watch him play back in the day.

 

[Systemfel]

Nope. Your average NHL player is too good at defending and most of the teams have tight and effective defensive systems. It's pretty hard to score those great individual rush, highlight reel goals in today's game.

The whole NHL was one giant defensive system when Bure popped those 60 goals, though.

 

[TheBradyBunch]

Grabner is the closest but he's still behind Bure in speed and nowhere NEAR Bure in terms of hands

 

[GM17*]

Gaborik and Filatov have had some comparisons to Bure, but neither is anything close it would seem.

 

[luby3131]

Nail Yakupov is the closset thing I've seen to Bure

 

[BluechipBulletin]

Yes. Taylor Hall is a poor man's Bure.

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

Nail Yakupov is the closset thing I've seen to Bure

really? someone who hasnt even played in their final year of junior hockey is the closest thing youve seen to one of the most dynamic scorers in nhl history? I havent seen yakupov play other than in some videos, but ive heard he has a lot of physical edge to his play too?

 

[DKH]

I am by no way making the comparison as players but this post is amazing to me because as I sat their watching Seguin rip thru the Bolts last night up the gut like a jet I thought of the Russian Rocket.

Of course Bure had a complete offensive game and Seguin is a green banana. If Tyler gets 85% down of what Bure was i'll be ecstatic, but Bure was a unique talent. He was ultimate game breaker.

 

[nanzenkills]

The whole NHL was one giant defensive system when Bure popped those 60 goals, though.

Not to split hairs, but it wasn't during 1992-93, Bure's first 60-goal season. That season set an NHL record for goals scored. Bure scored 60 that year and wasn't even in the top 4 in goal scoring. In total, 14 players scored 50 goals or more and 21 reached 100 points, setting NHL records for both.

Bure did have a couple of 58-to-59-goal seasons with Florida later on in his career, those were even more impressive because the NHL was extremely defensive then, plus Bure led the NHL in goals those years.

Grabner is the closest but he's still behind Bure in speed and nowhere NEAR Bure in terms of hands

I actually think Grabner has better straight-line top speed than Bure did. Bure had better acceleration and better hands, though.