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Rambler's Top100

31 марта 2002 года
In a wink, Bure takes charge - Sun-Sentinel

SUNRISE · In the middle of it all, at the center of the night, in the game he returned from the cold to find a colder shoulder, the first snapshot you'll want to see is this one:

Pavel winked.

You have to admit, the guy never lacked for style. Substance, occasionally. Defense, usually. Panther linemates to help him on the ice, always and forever.

But on the night Pavel Bure returned to his former home he stood on the ice late in the second period, skates together, face forward, stick held high in the air like the torch of that island statue in his new New York home.

And he winked.

It came after his goal, of course, which had come after an earlier assist and before he started the play that led to the Rangers' winning goal in the third period. So there was this for Bure: A goal, a win and another statement about what kind of an offensive catalyst he can be when, of course, he wants to be that kind of a catalyst.

Which he didn't by the end of his Panther run. Which was obvious to everyone.

He wanted to be it Saturday night.

"Obviously, it was a special game," he said after the New York Rangers' 4-2 win.

Obviously, the crowd thought so, too, which is why as he stood there with his stick in the air for an expanded second after tying the game at 2, it gave him everything it had. Boos. Cheers. Hoots. Hollers. And Bure, being the star, knew just how to take it.

"The most important thing is getting a reaction," he said.

And then there was the wink.

"I was winking to some friends," he said. "I know right where they were sitting. I had seen them earlier in the game."

This was 20 minutes after the game, and he was dressed in a black suit. He gave a half-smile before his next line.

"I have a lot of friends here," he said.

Was he serious? Or was this (wink-wink) a jab at what some of his teammates, notably Trevor Kidd, said about how happy they were to see him go?

Of course, it was all on display again, all the reasons why the Panthers had to get rid of him for both sides' sake. It was a terrible fit at the start and never got better when, year after year, he was left naked on the ice by poor linemates.

These Panthers have some good young players who ran the game for a while Saturday night. But what these Panthers do best is what they did often in the first period Saturday night. Rocky "Hey, Adrian" Thompson fought. Brad Ference instigated a fight, his third instigation of the season, meaning he was booted from the game and will be suspended. Peter Worrell dropped his gloves and New York's Dale Purinton wisely skated away, sending Worrell to the penalty box alone.

A lot of Panthers try to send the message they're tough. The only message being sent is they have no other ticket in the league. This team now has 102 fighting major penalties (Worrell's wasn't a major Saturday). Last year Philadelphia and Atlanta led the league with 69 each.

Where did a one-way player like Bure fit on a team that lacks so much, needs too much? He didn't. His $10 million salary could be spent better elsewhere. And now he is paired with center Eric Lindros, who isn't the player he once was but still scored his 32nd and 33rd goals.

Bure now has five goals in six Rangers games. After the game, there were Panthers owners Alan Cohen and Jordan Zimmerman congratulating him on his night. The Panthers wind down their dismal season. Bure packs up for another trip, chasing from probably a place too far behind Montreal to get into the playoffs.

"We have six games to go," he said. "We can make it."

For the record, he wasn't winking as he said so.

Страничка Павла Буре на сайте "Звёзды с Востока"

 МАТЕРИАЛЫ ПРЕССЫ

29 декабря. Павел Буре: Я, возможно, вернусь. Не пройдет и полгода…

24 декабря. Павел Буре: Меня сломал мой стиль игры

28 января. Павел Буре может пропустить весь оставшийся сезон.

11 декабря. Павел Буре - "Даже Оджик не спас меня от беды" - Спорт-Экспресс.

16 сентября. Павел Буре претендует на звание нового рекордсмена "Рэйнджерс".

17 марта. Павел Буре: "Последнего слова в хоккее я ещё не сказал" - Спорт-Экспресс.

27 февраля. Bures appear upbeat despite bronze fate // Sun-Sentinel

23-25 июля. Бурное лето русской ракеты - "Советский Спорт"

7 марта. Татьяна Буре: У Паши – романы, у Валеры – семья

28 января. Павел Буре может пропустить весь оставшийся сезон.

20 января. Павел Буре может вернуться в строй уже к концу января. 

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