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Rambler's Top100

22 сентября 2000 года.
Lace 'em up, Val

By RANDY SPORTAK -- Calgary Sun

It was just a pre-season road trip, but that didn't matter to Val Bure. 

It was time to play, and the Flames sniper didn't enjoy not being with the club during its three-game swing through Eastern Canada last week. 

Besides, with his family still in Los Angeles, he didn't have anything more exciting to do. 

"It was a boring time, actually," he said, spoken like a father used to having two children running around and making noise. "I was disappointed when they didn't take me." 

The saving grace, though, was the Olympics. 

"About 5 o'clock is when it starts to happen and I'm really into it," admits the 26-year-old Muscovite. 

"I could stay up all night to watch it because I love it, but I have to get some sleep and get some rest. It's too bad it's not in the summer." 

Bure's schedule will change when he plays during tonight's pre-season tilt against the Toronto Maple Leafs, which will begin a three-game homestand over five nights. 

Such talk perked up Bure. 

"It's been so long and we've been training hard," he said. 

"It's getting to the time to get it over with." 

In a most critical season for the franchise, hopes are huge around the Saddledome. While the development of young stars such as Jarome Iginla and the return of veterans Cory Stillman and Mike Vernon will play a big role in the team's hopes of reaching the post-season, a huge factor will be the Russian Pocket Rocket. 

Last year's leader with 35 goals and 70 points will be relied on heavily to pace the offensive thrust. Head coach Don Hay believes the best is yet to come for the budding star. 

"He's got to continue to build on that," said Hay. "He's still learning the game and his place in it. 

"It's really going to be up to him how high he raises the bar. He's pushing the bar up, but we want him to push it out of sight." 

How high that is will be fun to find out, but as well as he performed last season, there are parts of the game Bure can improve. For example, he had a scoring drought down the stretch, failing to tally in the last 15 games. As well, Hay thinks Bure will be even more effective offensively once his defensive game improves. 

"We want him to become one of the best two-way players in the league," Hay said. "When you say a two-way type of guy, we're talking about guys like Steve Yzerman and Mike Modano, guys who are really dependable players in all situations." 

Whether Bure can reach that level remains to be seen, but back-to-back high-scoring seasons prove that the 5-ft. 10-in., 185-lb. right wing is worthy of limelight. 

In fact, he's even managed to step out of the shadows of his brother, Pavel, though he barely regards such notions. 

"It's hard to step out of his shadow when he's one of the biggest superstars in the NHL but, sure, it's nice people have started to recognize what I can do," said Bure, who teamed up with his brother to set a record for goals scored by brothers in one season last year. 

As much success as he's tasted since coming to Calgary in that one-sided trade for Jonas Hoglund and Zarley Zalapski, there's one thing Bure hasn't sipped -- the taste of post-season play. He doesn't want to discuss the playoffs. 

"We've been talking about that the last three years," he said. "But talk is one thing and doing it is totally different. We just have to keep our mouth shut and just do it." 

Страничка Валерия Буре на сайте "Звёзды с Востока"

ПРЕССА:

13 августа. Федоров, Буре-младший официально отказались от участия на Кубке Мира. 

10 марта.Bure says this exit's for keeps - Florida Sun-Sentinel 

8 марта. “Флорида” снова обменяли Буре. На этот раз в Даллас. 

14 января. У Буре все в порядке! - Советский Спорт

11 января.  Еx-Flame Bure still loves Calgary - Calgary Herald

7 ноября. Засуха Буре-младшего закончилась на 363 дне.

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