Pavel Vladimirovich Bure (born March 31, 1971 in Moscow, Russia) is a professional ice hockey player. He is a right winger and plays in the National Hockey League.
Playing Career
Nicknamed The Russian Rocket for his blazing speed, Bure was picked 113th overall in the 6th round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks out of the Central Red Army. However, he did not start playing for the Canucks until the 1991-1992 season. Bure was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year for 1991-1992.
He was named after his great-grandfather, watchmaker to Tsar Alexander III. From 1815-1917, the family made precious watches for the tsars. The dynasty's founder, Swiss watchmaker Eduard Bure, is said to have been the first to attach a tiny strap to a watch so that it could be worn on the wrist. In 1996, Bure presented 3 of the 50 gold replicas of the company's last model to then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov.
On January 17, 1999, he was traded to the Florida Panthers with Bret Hedican, Brad Ference and Vancouver's 3rd round choice in the 2000 NHL draft for Ed Jovanovski, Dave Gagner, Mike Brown, Kevin Weekes and Florida's first round draft choice in the 2000 draft. On March 18, 2002, Bure was acquired by the New York Rangers along with Florida's 2nd round pick in the 2002 draft for Igor Ulanov, Filip Novak and the Rangers' 1st and 2nd round choices in the draft and a 4th round choice in the 2003 draft. He did not play in the 2003-2004 season due to a lingering knee injury even after two operations.
His brother, Valeri Bure, is also an NHL player. Their father, Vladimir, competed for the Soviet Union in the 1968, 1972, and 1976 Olympic Games. He won the bronze in 1972 (100m), falling short of the gold by half a second.
Awards
Calder Memorial Trophy - 1992
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy - 2000, 2001
Played in 6 NHL All-Star Games - 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001.
