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Many have speculated as to what caused Pavel Bure's right knee to deteriorate after his initial injury in 1995. Some have incorrectly attributed it to him simply having had poor knees, some have attributed it to his playing style, while others have assumed that nothing could be done to keep his knees in a stable condition. While the latter eventually became a reality, neglect played a major role in destroying his knees in the latter years of the 1990s. In fact, his chronic knee problems came as a result of a failure to manage his knee properly after his initial injury, subsequent misdiagnoses from his team doctors, and the failed surgery to repair the ACL tear in 1995. For the most part, there has been a very murky understanding of what went wrong with Pavel's knee after his initial "recovery." He never actually recovered fully after his first operation as the procedure itself did not adequately hold his knee together.
According to Dr. David Attarian in 1999, the 1995 reconstructive surgery on Pavel's ACL failed. Subsequently, the Panthers misdiagnosed the re-torn ACL in 1999 and not enough was done to repair it properly. While the doctors who conducted Bure's surgical operation in 1995 can not be blamed entirely as surgeries do, unfortunately, fail, the problem perhaps lies in how the knee was maintained. Both the Canucks and Panthers ignored signs for him to reconstruct his knee, allowing it to gradually tear again between 1996 and 1999; the Panthers even misdiagnosed it, as Bryan Murray says, "that's news to me." The knee was left untreated until it was injured again, hampering it and leading to its collapse by 2003. Could it have been prevented? One can only speculate. Mistreatment of the knee, however, ended Pavel's career much earlier than it should have ended.
The excerpts below document the entire knee injury saga:
Upon returning, Pavel played two more seasons with the Canucks, though a problematic neck injury caused headaches for him and prevented him from playing at an adequate level in 1996-97. His final season in Vancouver was a transitional period for the team as management and ownership changes left the franchise in a very dark place. After Pavel held out for the entire first half of the 1998-99 season in Vancouver, he was traded to Florida. Immediately, he began to notice problems with his knee:
As a result of this, Bure continued to have knee problems for the remainder of his career as well-indicated by his final season with the New York Rangers:
According to Dr. David Attarian in 1999, the 1995 reconstructive surgery on Pavel's ACL failed. Subsequently, the Panthers misdiagnosed the re-torn ACL in 1999 and not enough was done to repair it properly. While the doctors who conducted Bure's surgical operation in 1995 can not be blamed entirely as surgeries do, unfortunately, fail, the problem perhaps lies in how the knee was maintained. Both the Canucks and Panthers ignored signs for him to reconstruct his knee, allowing it to gradually tear again between 1996 and 1999; the Panthers even misdiagnosed it, as Bryan Murray says, "that's news to me." The knee was left untreated until it was injured again, hampering it and leading to its collapse by 2003. Could it have been prevented? One can only speculate. Mistreatment of the knee, however, ended Pavel's career much earlier than it should have ended.
The excerpts below document the entire knee injury saga:
Russian Rocket grounded: Canucks' Bure out for season: [FINAL Edition]
The Gazette [Montreal, Que] 12 Nov 1995: D.1.
The Vancouver Canucks realized their worst fears yesterday.
They will be without scoring star Pavel Bure for the rest of the National Hockey League season due to a knee injury that requires surgery.
``Obviously devastating news to the organization,'' coach Rick Ley told radio station CKNW. ``It's the type of injury you'd like to see no athlete sustain.
``It can be a career-threatening injury. But in Pavel's case, with his youth and being one of the top-conditioned athletes probably in the world . . . we're expecting a complete recovery.''
Bure, known to fans as the Russian Rocket, will be operated on soon to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
...
Bure was injured Thursday in Chicago when cuffed to the ice by robust defenceman Steve Smith of the Blackhawks.
Smith grabbed Bure around the head in the first period and when Bure fell behind the Chicago net, he caught his skate at the base of the boards, with his knee bending at an unusual angle.
Bure said in Chicago he was leaning one way and twisting the other. Smith, playing his first game of the season, said he was trying to shield Bure from the puck during a Vancouver power play.
Quick fix possible: Bure could set rehab record: [Final Edition]
Jamieson, Jim. The Province [Vancouver, B.C] 12 Jan 1996: A54.
Never say never.
When Pavel Bure made the astonishing statement Wednesday that he thought he'd be skating within two weeks, it sounded like the most outrageous optimism.
The Vancouver Canucks' superlative winger, as everyone who doesn't reside in a cave hereabouts knows, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee Nov. 9 in Chicago and had reconstructive surgery six days later. The time frame to get back to full-out competition after such surgery is generally six to 12 months.
Bure is well known in the Canucks' training room for being a miraculously fast healer -- but lacing up the blades less than two months after ACL surgery?
While the Canucks' medical people are still taking a conservative approach to Bure's injury -- initially Bure was not expected back till training camp -- they're not ruling anything out.
"I'm not surprised (at Bure's statement)," Dr. Doug Clement, one of the Canucks' team physicians. "If there's going to be a world record set in rehab of an anterior cruciate surgery, Pavel and his father are probably going to do it. His life is hockey and he's removed from that. He's like a fish out of water."
Happy Pavel on ice: Injured Bure is skating and thrilled with progress: [Final Edition]
Bell, Terry. The Province [Vancouver, B.C] 28 Feb 1996: A53.
It was only an optional skate, but Pavel Bure was fired up about being back on the GM Place ice Tuesday.
Bure skated with his Vancouver Canucks teammates for the first time since tearing anterior cruciate ligaments in his right knee in a game Nov. 9 in Chicago. He skated for the first time on Monday, alone at Burnaby 8-Rinks, before the Canucks regularly scheduled practice.
"It feels great to get back but there's still a long way to go," said Bure, who whirled around the ice in a Canucks track suit and brown baseball cap.
With any luck, Bure back at practice in one week: [FINAL Edition]
Pap, Elliott. The Vancouver Sun [Vancouver, B.C] 23 Mar 1996: C.2.
Pavel Bure will put on his hockey equipment for the first time in four and a half months Monday as he moves closer to a premature return from reconstructive knee surgery.
Barring any setbacks, the Vancouver Canucks' Russian Rocket will join his teammates for full practice the following week. If all goes well again, Bure may play in a regular-season game. If not, he still appears a distinct possibility for the playoffs that begin in mid-April.
``It's exciting,'' said Canuck trainer Mike Burnstein, who has been resisting the urge to admit Bure is headed for an early return. ``It's exciting not only for the medical people, but for the players and everybody else in the organization. If you had asked me two years ago about a torn anterior cruciate ligament, the answer would have been the player will be out for a year. It seems the time line has changed.''
Bure blew out his right knee in Chicago Nov. 9 and had surgery five days later. He began light skating Feb. 26 and has increased that to six days a week for about 60 minutes a session. Canuck conditioning coach Peter Twist gave Bure the weekend off to prepare for the rehabilitation home stretch.
``Everything is going great,'' Twist said. ``Right now Pavel needs to do some read-and-react drills and once I'm comfortable he can do those with me, he should be able to handle the team drills. If I had a set date when I thought he would be ready, I'd tell you. It's week to week.''
Pressure on Bure builds: [Final Edition]
Gallagher, Tony. The Province [Vancouver, B.C] 27 Mar 1996: A46.
The degree to which the Vancouver Canucks and the people who manage the team are becoming desperate can be seen in the Pavel Bure reports.
At first there was absolutely no chance he would even think about hockey until next season. It was inconceivable with such an artist.
Then it was maybe for World Cup in August, but that was unlikely. Then it was maybe if they get into the late rounds of the playoffs, then the start of playoffs and now all of a sudden he's practising with the team with full gear with a full week left in March.
Just how goofy is this? The way things are going, he could be ready for Chicago Friday, Monday against Edmonton to be on the safe side. Next thing you know they'll be calling him a malingerer.
Right now there are only two possible sparks left for this team as it lists to and fro. One is the gassing of Rick Ley to be replaced by His Divine Eminence Pat Quinn himself. But getting a sedan chair in behind the bench is tough these days. The other is the return of the Russian Rocket.
Canucks' Bure on fast track to recovery - The Russian Rocket turns
Times - Colonist [Victoria, B.C] 22 Apr 1996: 1.
...
"It's hard to sit on the sidelines because you know you could help.
You see things you could do for the team but ...
"My job is to get better."
Doctors say Bure's rapid recovery from surgery Nov. 18 is beyond expectations, but they stick to the original prognosis: the quadriceps and hamstring muscles above and below the healed knee have to be naturally strengthened.
Canucks medical trainer Mike Burnstein said that takes time.
"Ask anyone in the public who's had an ACL injury and they'll tell you it's a long, long rehab ... not from surgery but to get that little bit of strength back," said Burnstein. "The hamstring is the recovery muscle in the skating stride and the last to return to normal. His quads are fine, but you have to have a balance."
Motivation for Bure wasn't a problem. Seven days after slipping the stitches from surgery, the two-time 60-goal scorer started rehabilitation.
He began with swimming, moved up to light weights and for the last month has been skating two or three times a day.
The mental side of recovery never lapsed.
"The main point, right from the start, is you can't get down on yourself," said Bure. "No one can do it but me. I had goals to score 60 goals again this year. I can't do that. Fine. I change that goal to working hard to get my knee healthy again."
Upon returning, Pavel played two more seasons with the Canucks, though a problematic neck injury caused headaches for him and prevented him from playing at an adequate level in 1996-97. His final season in Vancouver was a transitional period for the team as management and ownership changes left the franchise in a very dark place. After Pavel held out for the entire first half of the 1998-99 season in Vancouver, he was traded to Florida. Immediately, he began to notice problems with his knee:
Bure to miss one week: [Final Edition]
Nanaimo Daily News [Nanaimo, B.C] 08 Feb 1999: B5.
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Pavel Bure will miss at least one week because of a slight muscle strain to his right knee, Florida Panthers coach Terry Murray said Saturday.
Shots from the point: [Early Edition]
The Ottawa Citizen [Ottawa, Ont] 12 Feb 1999: B3.
...
Pavel Bure, out with a sprained right knee, accompanied the Florida Panthers on their two-game road trip (they play tomorrow in Montreal) and has been working out on the exercise bike, but coach Terry Murray has no idea when the Russian right-winger will return. Bure has already missed two games and almost a week since being injured Feb. 5 and it could be Monday before he's back. "It'll probably take the same amount of time whether he's here on the road or at home," said Murray. "But being here so that our trainer can be hands-on in his therapy is good."
Is Bure up to his old tricks? Alarm bells may be sounding in Panther offices: [Final Edition]
Ed Willes, Vancouver Province. Calgary Herald [Calgary, Alta] 22 Feb 1999: D4.
...
When Pavel Bure tweaked his knee earlier this month, he was supposed to be out for a week.
It's now 18 days and counting and the earliest he'll be back is Wednesday's Florida Panthers' tilt against the Philadelphia Flyers.
OK, Bure is hardly the first hockey player who didn't come back from injury on schedule.
But there's more to this story.
NHL Games of the Day: [National Edition]
Adams, Alan. National Post [Don Mills, Ont] 13 Feb 1999: A18.
...
Unspoken question: Why won't the Panthers say how long Pavel Bure is expected to be out of the line-up with a knee injury?
Russian Rocket grounded again: [Final Edition]
Nanaimo Daily News [Nanaimo, B.C] 05 Mar 1999: B1 / FRONT.
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Pavel Bure's season took another detour Thursday when the Florida Panthers found torn cartilage in his right knee that will sideline him at least two weeks.
Magnetic resonance imaging tests found a torn meniscus in the knee, along with a bone bruise. He was scheduled to undergo surgery on Friday to repair the damage.
Bure is expected out of action from two to three weeks. That would leave less than a month in the regular season, as Florida seeks the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Heading into Friday, the Panthers had 60 points and were in a tight race with Montreal, Boston and the New York Rangers.
The injury took place when Bure was bent backward by an open-ice check from Colorado's Adam Foote
...
"It was getting worse and worse in the second (period)," Bure said after the game. "With about five minutes to go in the second, there was just so much more pain. The doctors said it was not safe to play."
The injury happened to the same knee he strained in a Feb. 5 game at Pittsburgh, causing him to sit out eight games. His return lasted just four games.
[BURE TO HAVE SURGERY]: [1 Edition]
Toronto Star [Toronto, Ont] 05 Mar 1999: 1.
Pavel Bure's season took another detour yesterday when the Florida Panthers found torn cartilage in his right knee that will sideline him at least two weeks. He was scheduled to undergo surgery today to repair the damage.
Bure skating: [Final Edition]
The Province [Vancouver, B.C] 24 Mar 1999: A64.
Pavel Bure, the Florida Panthers star idled since knee surgery March 5, skated Tuesday with the team for the first time since the injury.
Bure pronounced himself unfit to face the New York Rangers today. He's hoping to play Friday at home against Nashville or Sunday against New Jersey.
Bure gone for season after surgery ; Sniper decides on operation to reconstruct knee: [1 Edition]
Toronto Star [Toronto, Ont] 30 Mar 1999: 1.
MIAMI (AP) - Pavel Bure's first season with the Florida Panthers is over after just 11 games, lost to the second reconstructive surgery on his right knee in less than four years.
The high-scoring Russian underwent surgery yesterday in Birmingham, Ala., to replace the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee.
Doctor says Bure was destined for further knee injuries: [Final Edition]
Nanaimo Daily News [Nanaimo, B.C] 01 Apr 1999: B2.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Pavel Bure's reconstructed right knee was destined for a series of injuries when he joined the Florida Panthers Jan. 17, according to the team orthopedist.
Since the trade, Bure twice injured his knee, and Monday had a second reconstructive surgery in Birmingham, Ala. His first reconstruction was in 1995, after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament with Vancouver.
Dr. David Attarian told the Palm Beach Post there were problems with the knee when he first examined Bure -- three games after the goal-scoring threat arrived from the Canucks.
"That's all news to me," Panthers general manager Bryan Murray said when told of Attarian's comments.
Attarian said his examination revealed Bure's first reconstruction was already stretching when the Panthers signed him, and "that set him up for a series of injuries."
Bure, who was in Moscow when the Panthers made the trade, joined the team on a road trip in New York. The team asked New Jersey Devils physicians to look at Bure's knee and they said he was fine. Attarian examined Bure when the team returned to Florida.
Bryan Murray said there was little difference in Bure's healthy and reconstructed knee when the Panthers first examined him.
"He was fit and healthy enough to play," Murray said.
Bure was diagnosed with a muscle strain Feb. 5 which could have actually been a partial tear, Attarian said.
...
Attarian said an arthroscopic surgery he conducted March 5 -- after Bure's second knee injury with Florida -- showed the reconstruction done in 1995 had failed.
Attarian said he knew a second reconstruction was necessary but Bure wanted to try to play on the injury. Bure got as far as practice but his knee never came close to being fit enough to play.
"A lot of information was never made public," Attarian said. "We felt it would be OK to conceal it if he was able to play safely."
As a result of this, Bure continued to have knee problems for the remainder of his career as well-indicated by his final season with the New York Rangers:
Bure injures knee: [Final Edition]
Nanaimo Daily News [Nanaimo, B.C] 25 Sep 2002: B2.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Pavel Bure hurt his twice rebuilt right knee Tuesday night and the speedy New York Rangers forward is expected to undergo tests to determine the severity of the injury.
Bure, 31, doesn't know how or when he was injured but said the knee started bothering him between the second and third periods of New York's 2-1 overtime exhibition loss to the New Jersey Devils.
"I can't really explain it, it's just sore," Bure said. "Pretty much my whole knee is sore. I just want to make sure everything's fine and we'll find out tomorrow."
The Russian Rocket, whose high-flying offensive game centres around his quickness, didn't have the knee wrapped, nor was ice applied as he spoke to reporters. He had a slight limp as he walked.
"Usually after something happens to your knee you have to wait a few hours," he said.
Pavel Bure undergoes knee surgery, should be back in two weeks: [Final Edition]
Daily Townsman [Cranbrook, B.C] 27 Sep 2002: 6.
NEW YORK (CP) -- There was good news on Pavel Bure Thursday,
The star winger underwent successful arthroscopic knee Thursday and the New York Rangers learned that the Russian Rocket should only be out two weeks.
Bure, 31, had the surgery to repair a posterior tear of the medial meniscus in his right knee.
Bure suffer season-ending knee injury: [Final Edition]
Sudbury Star [Sudbury, Ont] 08 Dec 2002: B1 / FRONT.
NEW YORK (CP) -- Pavel Bure sprained his left knee on Friday night and could be out of the New York Rangers' lineup for the remainder of the season.
Bure limped off the ice after colliding knee-on-knee with Buffalo Sabres centre Curtis Brown. The hit did not appear to be illegal and drew no reaction from the Rangers.
A Rangers source told the New York Post that Bure would be out for the year.
NHL NOTES: Bure awaits injury news; Rangers star sidelined by cartilage, ligament damage: [Final Edition]
Star News Services. The Windsor Star [Windsor, Ont] 09 Dec 2002
New York Rangers star Pavel Bure will have arthroscopic surgery this week to determine the extent of the injury to his left knee.
The 31-year-old right-winger, one of the NHL's most prolific scorers, does not know how long he will be out.
"They have to wait until my knee settles down a little and the swelling goes down," he said after Boston beat New York 4-1 Sunday.
"After that, they will schedule the surgery."
Bure underwent an MRI exam Saturday and the Rangers placed him on injured reserve.
Team spokesman John Rosasco said Sunday the test showed torn cartilage and a sprain of the medial collateral ligament.
The test for damage to the anterior cruciate ligament was inconclusive.
Bure was hurt Friday night in a 4-1 loss to Buffalo.
Pavel Bure misses key Rangers game against arch-rival Islanders: [Final Edition]
Whitehorse Star [Whitehorse, Y.T] 18 Mar 2003: 21.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Rangers forward Pavel Bure didn't play Monday night because of recurring problems with his oft-injured knees.
The decision that Bure would stay off the ice was made Sunday when the speedy right wing met with coach-general manager Glen Sather. Sather said after the Rangers defeated the New York Islanders 1-0 that he and Bure mutually decided to scratch the right wing from the game.
"He had no swelling in the knee," Sather said. "It's bothering him. It could be psychosomatic -- he's had three operations in that knee this year."
Bure has been limited to just 39 games this season. He has five goals and four assists in 12 games since he returned from a 31-game absence following simultaneous operations on each knee.
...
Sather asked Bure during practice on Sunday if his knee hurt. Sather was concerned with Bure's recent play and Bure responded that he was troubled by his knee.
"There are a lot of things that happen to people that you can't put a finger on," Sather said. "Mentally you feel it's not 100 per cent so it becomes a problem. Whether it's physically or not, it's still a problem. He could be fine in the next couple of days."
Bure had torn cartilage in his left knee repaired on Dec. 16, 10 days after being injured in a loss at Buffalo. He also had exploratory surgery on his right knee then.
Bure, who has played in six NHL all-star games, missed the first three games of the season because of illness. He also had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Sept. 26 after injuring it during a preseason game.
The league's leading goal scorer in 2000 and 2001, Bure has 19 goals -- including one on a penalty shot Thursday at Ottawa -- and 30 points this season. He had a team-leading 14 goals at the time of his injury.
Pavel Bure agent says Russian Rocket is `facing a very uncertain future': [Final Edition]
Daily Bulletin [Kimberley, B.C] 28 Aug 2003: 7.
...
Mike Gillis, the Kingston, Ont., agent for Bure, has confirmed that his New York Rangers client is having all kinds of difficulty with his knees despite an extensive workout regime and weeks of physiotherapy since he stopped playing last season.
Bure will report to the Rangers training camp for physicals but playing at any time this year is extremely unlikely.
"Pavel is facing a very uncertain future right now," said Gillis, who became Bure's agent when he was still a Canuck and worked out the player's present contract which still has this year to run at $10 million US.
"He's worked extremely hard and he's in phenomenal shape, as always, but skating is a real problem. He's having all kinds of problems pushing off, he can't pivot on his right knee at all, and skating and turning right now make it pretty difficult."
Bure's injured knee fails Rangers exam
The Globe and Mail [Toronto, Ont] 12 Sep 2003: S.3.
Right winger Pavel Bure's injured right knee failed a team physical examination yesterday, and the New York Rangers declared him medically unable to play.
"I have been through surgeries so many times and I always want to come back and play, and I still want to come back and play right now," the 32-year-old Bure said.
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