November 02, 2013 - 4:50 PM
VANCOUVER - One of the most exciting players to ever play for the Vancouver Canucks had his jersey retired Saturday night.
Pavel Bure, nicknamed the Russian Rocket, had his No. 10 raised to the rafters at Rogers Arena prior to the Canucks playing the Toronto Maple Leafs in a nationally televised NHL game.
An emotional Bure thanked the crowd who chanted "Bure, Bure."
During a 12-year career with Vancouver, Florida and the New York Rangers, Bure scored 437 goals and added 342 assists in 702 games. As a Canuck he scored 254 goals, won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie in 1992 and had consecutive 60-goal seasons in 1992-93 and 1993-94. In 2012, Bure became the only Canuck player to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Joining Bure at centre ice during the ceremony were the Canucks owners, general manager Mike Gillis, former Canuck GM Pat Quinn and Gino Odjick, Bure's former teammate and long-time friend.
Bure's jersey is the fourth retired number at Rogers Arena. It will hang beside Stan Smyle's No. 12, Trevor Linden's No. 16 and Markus Naslund's No. 19.
Smyle and Naslund both attended the ceremony. Linden, who was captain for six of Bure's seven seasons in Vancouver, had a commitment in the United States and could not attend.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013