This is a presentation I have wanted to create for quite a long time. I am proud to finally be able to share it with everyone. The film, titled Pavel Bure: A Rocket Through Time, is an 85-minute retrospective about the career of one of the NHL's most dynamic, electrifying, compelling figures of all time, Pavel Bure -- The Russian Rocket. There are many hockey films that communicate the history of their subjects through interviews and narration, but often a lack of footage of the players undermines the illustration of their impact on the sport. In the case of Pavel Bure, more often than not, people are only ever told about Pavel's tenacious, mesmerizing ways on the ice; most highlight reels only capture a small fraction of Bure's brilliance. Words and phrases such as "electrifying" and "he could bring people out of their seats" need to be reinforced with a corresponding visual representation. This feature is a non-stop show-and-tell of Bure's abilities as a player and his effect on the hockey world.
Over 300 of his goals at the NHL and international levels are on display here, as well as a plethora of other defining plays and attributes including his end-to-end rushes, assists, explosive body checks, forechecking, creative, improvised plays and intelligent decisions in all three zones. He was the complete package -- a sniper, playmaker, end-to-end rusher and warrior on the ice with a lethal goal-scoring instinct and an ability to elevate his game to even greater heights when the stakes were high. There were many additional nuances in Bure's game that were often overlooked during an era when the odd late-night highlight may have been all that many people saw of him. Many of those lesser-known elements are on display in this presentation.
Each stage of Bure's career is highlighted during the film, from his days with CSKA Moscow to his final days with the New York Rangers. The images are accompanied by a soundtrack of carefully-chosen excerpts from film scores and popular recordings of songs from the 1970s to 2000s designed to reflect the themes and tone of the events throughout Bure's story. It's a soundtrack for a star whose presence and aura transcended the sport. He became an idol to an entire generation and had a transformative influence on the hockey culture of the cities he played for, especially Vancouver. The phenomenon was known as Pavelmania, and the on-ice reasons for it are fully exhibited here.
Pavel Bure was a special player, once called unstoppable. He was the sixth-fastest player in NHL history to score 400 goals and continued to be a dominant force to the very end in spite of the injuries and challenges that robbed one of hockey's all-time greats of consistent opportunities. His jaw-dropping brilliance was a unique gift to the sport, and thus his legacy must not be lost with time.
Enjoy the presentation.
