Valeri Bure is sitting on top of the world. 

"I've been pretty fortunate," said the talented forward of the Calgary Flames, who meet the Coyotes at 8 tonight in America West Arena. "Sometimes, I still can't even believe it." 

Believe it. 

The 25-year-old Russian is enjoying his finest season as a pro, already having collected a career-high 28 goals to go along with his team-leading 53 points. Sunday, he and brother Pavel were the stars of the 50th NHL All-Star Game in Toronto. Pavel, 28, snared a hat trick and Val set him up for two of the scores. 

"Life is good," Valeri said, smiling. 

It's a Hollywood story, really. For both Bure brothers.

Pavel, the Florida Panthers' super sniper, is in a race with Pittsburgh's Jaromir Jagr for the league's goal-scoring title. He is south Florida's most eligible bachelor, and one of his newest gal pals is pro tennis player Anna Kournikova, who will be playing in a tournament here beginning Feb. 28. 

Valeri is more of the family man. He is married to actress Candace Cameron, who played D.J. Tanner on the television series Full House. They have a daughter, Natasha, and are expecting another child any day now. 

"They are incredibly different, and yet they couldn't be closer," said Cameron, who was in Toronto to watch her husband's first All-Star appearance. "They talk to each other all the time."

The Bure boys have a lot to talk about. Like how they managed to make it out of poverty-stricken Moscow, where they lived in a single-parent home with little hope of ever experiencing a promising future. 

Their father, Vladimir, was a championship swimmer who was afforded luxuries most Russians couldn't even fathom. But when Valeri was 8, Vladimir walked out on the family. The boys' mother, Tattiana, was forced to work three jobs to make ends meet and put what little food she could afford on the table in their small, two-room apartment. 

Sometimes, they ate like birds. 

"My brother and I will sit down and talk for the longest time about the past," Valeri said. "We can't believe where we came from, like the times where we would share an apple once a week for three of us. It's really amazing. 

"There were times you had a hard time just finding something to wear. We had no clothes. I probably don't even know how bad the situation was with my mom. She was trying to manage everything on her own." 

Tattiana Bure also made it to Toronto last weekend to watch her sons in the All-Star Game. The Bures helped the World Team beat the North Americans, 9-4, and Pavel was named the game's Most Valuable Player. One of the prizes that came with the award was a new Dodge truck.

"Maybe he'll let me sit in the back seat someday," Valeri said, laughing. 

Valeri might get a better deal than that. He said the two had such a good time playing together in Toronto that he'd like to skate alongside Pavel on the same NHL team. 

There is probably a better chance of Valeri joining the Panthers, who are in first place in the Southeast Division. The Flames, in a fight for their playoff lives, simply don't have resources to pay Pavel's staggering salary. But they'll try to find a way to keep Valeri around. He's been the offensive catalyst for a Calgary team struggling to score goals. 

"He's quick. He's got a great ability to go laterally, as well, and he's not afraid to pay the price to go to the net, either," Coyotes Coach Bob Francis said. 

After what he went through as a child, Bure isn't afraid of much these days. 

"Yes, it was pretty tough. But everybody goes through tough times," he said. "Our family was no different than any other. But to tell you the truth, the tough times are the best times for us. That's what brings a family close and you realize there's really nothing as important as your family. 

"In a way, maybe it was good we went through it."