Injury, brother's trade doesn't diminish season

BY DAVID J. NEAL

It wasn't only Pavel Bure who made his first public appearance at National Car Rental Center since the Mar. 18 trade from Panthers to Rangers. Saturday, in the press box, was also the first Valeri Bure sighting by anybody outside the locker room.

The day after his brother's trade, it was announced Valeri would be out for the season with a recurrence of the knee problems that took him out of 37 games earlier this season. He had more cartilage-repair surgery on March 21 that ended his season with only 31 games played.

Still, he doesn't consider it a lost season nor does he figure he will have a tough time going back into a locker room that has shown public discontent with his brother.

''It's obviously not the year I was hoping for,'' Bure said. ``But I can get a lot of things out of it. I got a chance to play with my brother. I got to assist on his 400th goal. That's big for me. And I got the chance to play in the Olympic Games.''

The number of Panthers games with both Bures in the lineup was only 26 -- with some strange symmetry. The game before Valeri came back from his knee injury, Pavel suffered a broken hand against Dallas. Both played their last game of the season as Panthers on March 17 against Ottawa -- Valeri was injured that evening, and Pavel was traded the next day.

''I was disappointed, of course,'' Valeri said. ``I didn't want to see my brother leave under any circumstances. I know he wanted to stay here and he loved this city, but that's the way it goes.''

Bure's right knee was bothering him coming out of training camp and early in the season. The Panthers have insisted that the cartilage injury Bure got Oct. 16 in Vancouver had nothing to do with the previous problems. That would be easier to swallow if Bure hadn't been limping badly the night before the Vancouver game.

Bure just started bike riding in his current rehabilitation. Even if he can get back on the ice by the April 26 start of the World Championships, he said he won't play. He wants to give his knee time to fully recover.

''I think we'll stay here for a little bit,'' he said. ``My kids are still in school. We like it here. Then, we'll do a little traveling.''

What also might take time to recover is the relationship between Bure and the teammates who criticized his older brother after the trade. The brothers lead very different lives, but their familial bond is strong.

''I have a slim chance of playing this year, and there are going to be so many changes in the summer, it'll be a completely different team,'' Valeri Bure said.

''There's nothing you can do about it,'' Bure said. ``The guys can say whatever they want. Obviously, they have a right to say whatever they want. That's the way they handle themselves. If you ask me if I think it's right, no.

``I know what kind of person my brother is. His friends know what kind of person he is and what kind of player. He's the best player the Panthers ever had and probably will ever have. He's a legend.''