The Anatomy of the “Russian Rocket”

Birth Date: March 31, 1971

Birth Place: Moscow, Russia (Back then: USSR)

Growing up in Vancouver, it was hard not to know who Pavel Bure was. Walking around town in 1994 feeling the buzz of a possible Stanley Cup championship, even though the hometown team wasn’t my favorite team, it was an exciting period of time. Pavel Bure, nicknamed the “Russian Rocket”, had blazing speed and electrified the crowd every night in the arena. Each time he touched the puck, he was a big threat to score. The minute you turned the other way, he was ready to pounce on the loose puck and put the rubber into the back of the net. The Russian Rocket was hungry to score the minute he touched the ice. Little did the people of Vancouver realized that they had one of the greatest Russian hockey players of all time playing in their backyard.

What made him a goal scoring machine on the ice? By analyzing his Four Pillars destiny chart, perhaps we can unearth more details. The branches of his birth chart is composed of the Rabbit, Dragon and Pig. Those familiar with combinations can quickly realize that he has a half combination of wood between the Pig and the Rabbit. This half combination was partially impeded by the Dragon; nevertheless, his birth month is still in the spring making his wood considerably powerful. In addition, there is water on his month stem to disperse the Yin Metal that is cutting into his wood. His wood was not only strong, but it was well fed by water. We can pretty much label him as a “Dominant Wood Self”. That would mean that when a Tiger comes into play in his luck cycle, it would form a complete “Directional/Seasonal Wood Combination.” This combination involved the Tiger, Rabbit, and Dragon. By having his chart as a Dominant Wood, we can just look back at history and evaluate what had happened between the ages of approximately 23 and 27 in Pavel Bure’s life. Those who are classified as dominant are often feisty, focused, competitive, and destined for great success when they encounter good luck.

Coincidentally, in 1994, Pavel Bure led the Canucks to the Stanley Cup finals and in the first round of the playoffs, scored a memorable goal that has been replayed almost every year in highlight reels. It was against the Calgary Flames in Double Overtime in the playoffs. He showcased his electrifying skill and speed in this highlight; watch the play develop.

During this same period, he signed a contract which paid him $4.9 million per season, third highest behind the greatest hockey player of all time, Wayne Gretzky (for an analysis of Gretzky’s chart, read Four Pillars of Destiny: Potential, Career, and Wealth).

In 1998, Pavel Bure had decided not to play for the Vancouver Canucks due to ‘personal reasons. In 1999, Bure was traded to the Florida Panthers and coincidentally, he had move to the next cycle in his life.

In Four Pillars analysis, dominant selves do NOT like to see the wealth element. Earth being his wealth element, it is most obvious that problems were going to occur. Less than a month into his Panthers debut, he suffered a strained right knee while kicking a loose puck during a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 5. This was the beginning of a number of setbacks and injuries. After a 3 week absence, Bure returned to appear in five more games, but was sidelined once more for the rest of the season with a knee injury that he suffered on March. Later that year, Bure was set to make his much-anticipated return to Vancouver to play the Canucks on November 5, 1999, but was instead kept out of the lineup due to a broken finger suffered in a game against the Edmonton Oilers. The injury came after having missed five games to a groin injury, which also kept him out of a home game against the Canucks.

One injury after another eventually led to his early retirement in 2005. 2005 was the year of the Rooster. With the Rooster combining with his Ox in his luck cycle, the metal had destabilized the wood flow putting him out of action on the ice permanently. After his hockey career, there were more drama to come. Nearly a year after his retirement, on October 31, 2006, Bure filed another suit after being kicked off a British Airways flight by the pilot, having been mistaken for a rowdy soccer fan. Despite an official apology from the airline company in June 2007, Bure took the issue to court, suing British Airways for 20 million rubles. In late-August 2007, the Tver Court of Moscow ruled in favour of Bure in the total amount of 67,000 rubles. Prior to this lawsuit, in 2002, Bure sued the Russian newspaper the eXile for publishing an article stating that he broke up with Kournikova on account of her having two vaginas. Although the newspapers’ editorial staff claimed the story was a mere joke, the court ruled in favour of Bure in the amount of 500,000 rubles (US$17,770).

Accomplishments with the Canucks:

·  Vancouver Canucks’ single-season record, most points by a rookie – 60 in 1991–92 (tied with Ivan Hlinka, 1981–82)

·  Vancouver Canucks’ single-season record, most goals – 60 in 1992–93 and 1993–94

·  Vancouver Canucks’ all-time playoffs record, most goals – 34 (tied with Trevor Linden)

·  Vancouver Canucks’ all-time record, most shorthanded goals – 24

·  Vancouver Canucks’ single-game record, most goals – four versus the Winnipeg Jets on October 12, 1992

On September 6, 2013, it was officially announced that Pavel Bure’s number will be retired on November 2, 2013.