I hate getting into arguments about who should be in the hall but this one is cut and dried for me. Pavel Bure was one of the most dominant players of his generation, not to mention one of the most exciting players of all time. As for pure entertainment value, Bure is right up there with Guy Lafleur and Wayne Gretzky. When he was in his prime in Vancouver, there were many nights when he was an ustoppable scoring force. He was also one of three Russians who made the biggest initial impact on the NHL along with Sergei Fedorov and Alex Mogilny. Bure may not be popular with the fans in Vancouver but that shouldn't play into his Hall worthy credentials.
If Cam Neely is in the Hall of Fame, why not Bure?
Here's the relevant stats:
Games Played
Bure: 702
Neely: 726
Goals
Bure: 437
Neely: 395
Points
Bure: 779
Neely: 694
Playoff Games
Bure: 64
Neely: 93
Playoff Points
Bure: 70
Neely: 89
Stanley Cups
Bure: 0
Neely: 0
In case you've forgotten how good Bure really was, here's a few videos to remind you.
And now, "The Mother Of All Elbows". Bure had a nasty streak that people tend to forget. If this happened nowadays, Bure would have gotten 20 games.
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