Artwork by Ken Henderson
A few weeks ago the Vancouver Canucks retired the sweater number of Trevor Linden, that being # 16.
Now I've never been as HUGE a fan of Linden as most Vancouver Canucks fans. He was a good but not great player. His real claim to fame was the attachment he fostered with the Vancouver and British Columbia community and the fact that he played a lot of games for the Canucks over the 15 1/2 years he was with the team.
I'm not here to argue whether or not Linden's sweater deserved to be retired. But the reason's should be clear. This honour was for his service to the community and not for his on ice performance.
Linden's numbers are really not that impressive. His highest goal total never exceeded 33. His highest point total was 80. Hardly Hall of Fame figures. I've always thought Linden was an underachiever.
He had size, was a very good skater and possessed a pretty good shot. He was on the number 1 line and pretty much on all the Power Plays, at least he was in his prime years throughout the early '90's.
Linden should have been a consistent 40 goal scorer, especially during the goal happy era in which he played.
Makes you wonder if he truly deserves the acclamation he has received over the years.
For my part, I don't care what the players do off the ice. I don't care if they are lying, cheating drunks. I don't care if they are the reincarnation of Mother Theresa.
For me, the only thing that matters is their performance on the ice and their contribution to their teams' success.
With that in mind I will say that Pavel Bure was without a doubt, unquestionably the greatest player ever to play for the Canucks and one of the best players ever in the history of the NHL.
His talent was phenomenal. And his numbers prove these statements. 437 Goals in only 702 NHL games! That's .62 goals per game. Compare that to Linden's paltry .27 goals per game.
And let's not forget that Pavel did not have a LaFontaine or a Brian Trottier or Adam Oates feeding him sweet passes all game long. No way. Bure had to make due with the likes of Clif Ronning, Linden and a host of substitutes, none of which deserved to be called a first line centre. That's an important point.
I've been watching hockey pretty regularly since 1969. As a kid I saw Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito, I saw Bobby Hull, Guy Lafleur, Mike Bossy, Gretzky and Lemieux.
With the possible exception of Lemieux, Bure was the most exciting, entertaining and heart stopping player I have ever seen.
He had incredible speed and was able to handle the puck at that top speed. His shot was among the best in the league.
But the one thing that set Bure apart was an insatiable desire to score goals. Something that Trevor Linden never had. Every time Bure scored, it was as if he had won the lottery. He had a need to score like no other player and played as if he felt he HAD to score on every shift.
Granted Pavel's career with the Canucks was short. He played only 427 games for the Canucks, scoring 254 times while collecting 478 points. I was lucky enough to see him in his prime and those back to back 60 goal seasons from 1992 to 1994 will probably never again be duplicated anytime soon by anyone. And surely never again by a Canuck.
Sadly, as did happen with Bobby Orr, injuries forced him to prematurely end his career at the end of the 2003 season at the age of 32. The guy is still in his 30's! It's quite possible a healthy Bure could have scored close to 1000 goals in an injury free career.
No, he did not ingratiate himself into the local community. But remember that Pavel was born and raised in Communist Russia. The cultural differences must have been immense. There is a big difference in a kid coming to the Canucks from Moscow and another from Medicine Hat.
Yes Bure left on not so good terms. He asked to be traded, which was his right. Why he felt he needed to be traded is between himself and the team. It doesn't take away from what he did on the ice.
He's been accused of being selfish. Well maybe he was, depends on how you define that term. Bure knew what his role was, that of scoring goals. Perhaps if Trevor Linden would have been a bit more selfish his stats would have been that much more impressive.
One thing is for sure. Neither the sweaters of Stan Smyl nor Trevor Linden will ever see the inside of the Hockey Hall of Fame while Pavel Bure's is sure to.
Pavel Bure was the greatest Canuck ever. There is no question about it. He was our first Superstar.
As long as I live I will remember the excitement and the hope he gave to every Canuck fan after years of misery.
I don't expect to see his sweater retired but I make the case that it should be.
