Bure recalls growing up in Soviet Union, coming to NHL with Canucks

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday.
This week Fischler features his popular segment, "Voices From The Past" and his subject is Pavel Bure. Fischler interviewed "The Russian Rocket" in 1992 when Bure was a member of the Vancouver Canucks. The interview originally appeared in Fischler's book "Hockey Stars Speak," published by Warwick in 1996.

How did you learn to skate so fast?

"It wasn't easy. The first time my father put me on the blades in Moscow, I couldn't even move. At the time dad didn't know anything about hockey and he forgot to get my skates sharpened. My blades were so dull that for the whole practice I skated along the boards and held on for my life. He would yell at me, 'C'mon, you've got to go!' Meanwhile, other guys my age were flying around the rink like they had wings on their skates! Dad gave me two months to shape up or forget about hockey."

What happened?

"Because it got as cold as 30-degrees below zero (Fahrenheit) I found a lot of outdoor ice to practice on, and because I wanted to play so much I didn't care how cold it was. But sometimes it got so bitter cold that a doctor would come out and say, 'Guys, you're not allowed to play today.' But I got enough ice time in and got better and better. My goal was to get up the ladder from age seven and eventually get on a Junior team like the Red Army club, until I reached the top."

Who were your heroes?

"Boris Mikhailov and Valeri Kharlamov who played for the Red Army team. What I liked about Kharlamov was that he could do everything with the puck. He could grab it behind the net and beat everybody as he skated down the ice. Then he'd put the puck in the top corner of the net. Mikhailov had that talent as well but Boris was more stubborn. He was a small guy but nobody could move him away from the net."
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When did you actually make the Red Army roster?

"The Red Army coaches had been following me since I was a kid so by the time I was 16 they knew how I played. I even heard them say, 'There's no question about it, this kid can play.' Even though I was only 16 I was playing against veterans like Slava Fetisov, guys who were 27 and 28 years old. They were like pros and here I was just a kid."

Were you very worried about getting hurt?

"No but the bosses were. They said, 'We'd better wait another year because Pavel might get killed.' They didn't want to take a chance on me getting hurt. But I said to them, 'You have to put me in because I can play with them.' Finally my chance came when a bunch of guys from the Red Army squad went to play in the Canada Cup. While they were away, the coaches put me on the fourth line."

How did that go?

"I wound up getting a 2-on-1 break.The other fellow carried the puck all the way down the ice. Then, at the last split second, he passed to me and I put it into the empty net. Slowly but surely, my confidence started to build. I went to the World Junior Championship and began to play really well. Soon, at age 18, I had my own apartment, a car and a good salary."

How much money were you paid?

"We got paid but it was nothing like North American salaries. Prices were cheap in Moscow and I could get a lot of stuff for free. I can assure you that I made out better than the average person in the Soviet Union. Life was pretty good but it was changing in my country and Russian players started going to North America. Guys who'd gone over included Sergei Makarov, Vladimir Krutov and Slava Fetisov. Life had changed a great deal and the Soviet Union soon became Russia and life was easier; less restrictions."

When did you start thinking about a new hockey life in North America?

"I remember when Alexander Mogilny left, conditions were still tight and what Mogilny did was called a 'defection.' They even talked about him going to jail if he came back home, maybe even eight years in jail. Then a year later Sergei Federov left the country and there still were some restrictions but not like before. They even thought he might be able to come back if he wanted to but they weren't sure."

When did you follow them to the NHL?

"A year later I did the same thing, it was legal. That's how much things changed. For me it was easy. When I went to Vancouver in 1991 I just got the visa, bought a ticket, said goodbye and left the country. Right after me, lots of guys did the same thing. Lives changed because it wasn't the Soviet Union anymore. You had freedom and whatever you wanted."

You were selected in the sixth round (No. 113) by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1989 NHL Draft. What did you know about them and Vancouver, the city?

"I knew nothing about the hockey team and nothing about the city. The first time I showed up for a Canucks practice in Vancouver, there were 200 people there. I was really surprised at the big crowd and even more surprised that the people recognized me when I walked down the street. Later a friend was driving me to dinner and we got lost. I was sitting in the passenger seat and when I saw a pedestrian I asked for directions. And the guy said, 'Oh, I know you.' Was I ever surprised that the fellow recognized me. Everywhere I went, people knew me."

Looking back, how did you feel about the whole first experience coming to the Canucks?

"To start with, in my first NHL game against Winnipeg I didn't score but to this day I say it was one of the best games I ever played. Here I was in the NHL when only a few years earlier my dream was just to play on the Soviet National Team, have a Lada (Russian car) and a Moscow apartment. That was about it." (Then, a pause and a smile.) "Just look at me now!"