Pavel Bure named one of NHL's 100 greatest players

Pavel Bure has been named as one of the NHL’s greatest 100 players of all-time at the NHL 100 celebration in Los Angeles on Friday.

The NHL unveiled the list of top 100 players (in no particular order) as part of the league’s 100-year anniversary. The unveiling took place in Los Angeles as part of NHL All-Star Weekend.

It was an unprecedented gathering of the best players of all-time, which included the presence of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Bobby Orr.

“Honestly, speaking on behalf of the 100 players who are really fortunate to be here and be part of the National Hockey League, it’s a privilege to play the game, and we’re all fortunate enough that we’re part of this 100,” Wayne Gretzky said. “We’re all like young kids, we’re all thrilled to be here, and it’s a great honour.

Bure, who lives in Russia, was not in attendance.

The most exciting player to ever suit up for the Vancouver Canucks was named as one of the best wingers from the 1990s, along with Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, and Brendan Shanahan.

Lamps were lit all across the NHL by this group of wingers from the 90s: The Russian Rocket, The Golden Brett, Lucky Luc & Shanny. #NHL100 pic.twitter.com/OqLPrAT2nM

— NHL (@NHL) January 28, 2017

The only player in the Hockey Hall of Fame because of his play on the ice with the Vancouver Canucks, Bure belongs on this list. The Russian Rocket scored 779 points (437-342-779) in 702 career games. Bure scored more than 50 goals in a season fives times in his career, including back-to-back 60-goal seasons with the Canucks in the early 1990s.

Two other former Canucks have been named to the list – Mark Messier and Mats Sundin – although their play with other teams was the main reason why they cracked the top-100. Current Canucks Henrik and Daniel Sedin, as well as former Canuck Roberto Luongo, were likely close to cracking the top-100, but did not make the list.

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