Classic Rewind: Bure Scores 2 to Lead Panthers to Win in Debut

It didn't take long for the "Russian Rocket" to blast off with the Florida Panthers.

In his first game after being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in a mega-deal for the ages, future Hall of Famer forward Pavel Bure netted a pair of goals to help guide the Panthers to a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Jan. 20, 1999.

As part of their "Panthers Rewinds" series, FOX Sports Florida re-aired the game on Thursday.

"Everyone knows who he is and what he can do," Panthers coach Terry Murray said after the win. "Pavel had an impact on the game, no question, scoring two goals. But he has an impact on our team right away with his resume that he brings. He's a game-breaking kind of player."

Long before joining the Panthers, Bure had indeed amassed an astounding resume.

Originally selected by Vancouver in the sixth round (113th overall) of the 1989 NHL Draft, the Moscow, Russia native made his NHL debut during the 1991-92 season. That year, he posted 60 points (34 goals, 26 assists) in 66 games to claim the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie.

From there, he only got better. Over seven seasons with the Canucks, he tallied 254 goals and 224 assists for 478 points. He was named to the All-Star Game four times and led Vancouver to the Stanley Cup Final in 1994. In his final campaign with Canucks in 1997-98, he had 51 goals.

And although the Panthers had to part with a lot of good pieces - including a first-round pick and defenseman Ed Jovanovski - to acquire Bure, it takes a king's ransom to acquire a king.

"I played against Pavel for four or five years in San Jose, and I've seen him at his best," former Panthers winger Ray Whitney told the Sun Sentinel the day before Bure's debut. "He just has what most guys in this league don't: another level of speed. I'll tell you, he's exciting to watch."

Fans didn't have to wait long to get a taste of that excitement. Playing on a line alongside fellow Russians Viktor Kozlov and Oleg Kvasha, Bure, who hadn't played competitively in roughly five months while waiting to be traded, shook off the rust quickly.

Taking a pass from Robert Svehla, the dynamic winger cut straight through New York's defense before sending the puck past Felix Potvin to give Florida a 2-1 lead at 7:32 of the second period.

"The Russian Rocket has landed!," Panthers broadcaster Jeff Rimer exclaimed after the goal.

In the third period, Bure was back at it again. Finishing off a tic-tac-toe sequence, he one-timed a pass through the crease from Whitney right past Potvin's glove to up the lead to 4-1 at 11:17.

Despite being limited due to injuries during the 1998-99 season, Bure gave fans a nice taste of what was to come. In the 11 contests that he suited up in, he lit the lamp a stunning 13 times. In addition to his two-goal night against the Islanders, he had three other multi-goal performances.

Picking up right where he left off, Bure led the NHL with 58 goals in 1999-00, winning the first of two consecutive Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophies. His 94 points that season would also stand as a franchise record for nearly two decades before Aleksander Barkov recorded 96 in 2018-19.

Want to see more of Bure's time in South Florida? FOX Sports Florida has your covered.

For the full broadcast schedule of upcoming "Panthers Rewinds," click HERE.

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