|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |
Valeri Bure Press conference from Nov. 4, 1999
Posted: Friday November 05, 1999 11:53 AM
Question: I am wondering if your brother has given you any scoring tips that have helped out or are you the one now giving the scoring tips? Valeri Bure: I don't think I can give my brother tips; he's scored so many goals. But concerning my brother, he is trying to give me tips, but we are kind of playing a different style of hockey. He is always trying to get himself open for a breakaway and is kind of in front of the play. The way Brian wants me to play, I've got to come from behind the play, to come back, way deep, and get the speed and get open on either side of where the play is developing and that way I got the speed and I can carry it into the zone and create offensive chances. Question: Looking at some of the other teams around the league and looking at their top scorers, there are guys like Stu Barnes, yourself, Larionov, these are all small guys, 5-9, 5-10, all under six feet, what do you attribute that to this year? Is there more room on the ice for guys like yourself? Valeri Bure: I don't think there is that much more room. I think you've got to create your own room. You got to be able to skate well. Officials have been calling a lot of obstruction penalties which has helped the smaller guys, if you can skate really well, you know the bigger guys are the guys who cannot skate as well; they cannot keep up with you and that way you get a little advantage on them. Question: Kind of along those same lines, years ago there were guys that really were successful in the league when obstruction wasn't such a big deal. Then in the '90s it kind of went the other way and the smaller guys fell by the wayside. They really seem to be coming back. In your eyes, is that good for the game? Valeri Bure: Well, I think it depends which way you want to go. But, in my perspective, yeah, I think it is great for the game. The guys that are skilled and can skate, they can take advantage of the rules and their skill, I think it makes it more fun to watch -- the good players can do their stuff without being held up or any other stuff and makes them create things, which the fans probably like. That only makes the game better. Question: I was wondering if you could talk about going up against your brother on Saturday night. Is that always a special moment for you to play against him? Valeri Bure: It is always a great time to play against my brother, not only because he is my brother, but because he is such a great player and to watch him in real life or go against him is just a pleasure. He does some crazy moves on the ice that even the players from my team can go, "Wow, that was unbelievable." Unfortunately (the Panthers) come in late and they are gone, leaving right after the game, so I can't spend the time with him. But that is one of the big things for me that we can see each other and spend some time. Question: Following up, do you like the new rule? Do you like crashing the crease? I know you are not a big player but when you go in there, is there a heavy price to pay? Valeri Bure: Oh, yeah, you get a crosscheck and your face is up against the post or something like that; your back is a little sore next day, but you got to pay the price to get in there and that is the way it has been played, so I like the rule. Question: Saturday's game against your brother will be the only one this year. How often do you guys talk to each other and when you do talk, what do you talk about? Valeri Bure: : We talk probably around two to three times a week. We talk about -- we really don't talk that much about hockey. We talk about normal life, what is going on. I tell him about my daughter, what she says or what she is doing every day and he tells me where he has been. So it is a normal conversation, nothing really special. Question: When is the last time you remember having better stats than your brother in any hockey season? Valeri Bure: I don't really remember unless he was out for a year and I get 10 points and he won't get any. But other than that, I can't really remember. Question: You guys have struggled a little bit overall, but your performance in overtime has been spectacular. How do you guys account for the success you have had in overtime this year and do you think the new format fits your team's style of play? Valeri Bure: : Yeah, as long as we get to the overtime, but -- we have a good team and I think Brian just keeps us in shape, I think we are one of the fittest teams in the league. We work so hard in the practice. We are skating a lot, a lot of skating drills and when we get into overtime, I think we have a lot of juice left. We have a really good skating team. Our club is really skilled and we've got a good mixture, so that 4-on-4, you've got to be able to skate really well because it is open-ice hockey. You get a chance offensively then you really got to go hard back to make sure you get back to help your "D" otherwise there will be 2-on-1's or 3-on-2's. It has been great for us so far. We have a lot of not very big guys that go to the net and we are skating well. Question: Much has been made about the growing number of Europeans in the game over the past several years. In your mind, is Europe producing more skilled players and, if so, why is that? What are some of the reasons? Valeri Bure: I think, just in Europe in general it is a different style of play. It is a bigger ice surface and there is not that much hitting. Growing up there was just -- I think it is two different schools and that is how it creates, you know, you can't really compare the Canadian style to European. It is just a different hockey and I think when you mix the two together, I think it comes out a pretty good mix and that is what happened in the National Hockey League. Question: Is there something North American youth players should be doing in general to produce more skilled players? Or North American coaches to produce more skilled players like Europe has? Valeri Bure: Well, I think North America has been producing a lot of skilled players, so I don't think they really have trouble in that. You look around the league, so many young, quality skilled guys come in and are dominating in their level and coming up to National Hockey League and they have been doing well, so I don't really think they have that big of a problem. Question: You said that you talk to Pavel a lot. Did you talk with him about him going back to Vancouver tomorrow night and what he is anticipating? Valeri Bure: I called him today and I couldn't get a hold of him. But we talk and he just said he was going to be busy seeing all his friends and stuff like that, but you know, it is his first time back since he got traded and I know for myself it is a weird feeling. He had been there a few years. I don't even know exactly how many years, but -- to be on the other side now it would feel weird; come out of another dressing room and to be just on another side, it is totally weird. Question: What about yourself, do you feel that the Montreal Canadiens never really gave you a chance or are you happy that they did indeed trade you to Calgary? Valeri Bure: Absolutely. I have been really happy in Calgary. Things really worked out for me, but concerning Montreal -- they just decided, I guess, to go in a different direction. They picked their players and there was no room for me and I think for both sides, for me and for Montreal, it was a perfect timing to go in different directions and that is what happened.
| |||||||||||||||||||||
