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Sunday, October 31, 1999
Other Bure learns to bury it
"I don't think so," Valeri said yesterday.
"I kid him that I'm ahead, but he probably will come back and score 50 goals this year. He could be ahead of me tomorrow."
Including last night's third-period goal in a 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs, the younger Bure has scored 10 goals in 13 games compared with Florida Panther Pavel Bure's five in seven games.
When the Flames began their first full season without Theo Fleury, Valeri Bure arrived at Calgary's training camp eight weeks ago ready to fight for the extra ice time that became available with Fleury's departure.
Bure, who scored a career-high of 26 goals last season, set a goal of becoming a more complete player by concentrating more on his defensive duties and earning the trust of Calgary coach Brian Sutter.
But even with emphasis on defensive responsibility, Bure started scoring more.
FOUR-POINT GAME
Bure has seven goals and three assists in his past ten games, including a career-high four-point game against Ottawa Thursday.
"It has a lot to do with the ice time I'm getting this season," Bure said. "Brian has been giving me a lot of ice time in key situations. It makes me create a lot more things offensively."
Bure has averaged 20 minutes and 30 seconds a game this season, which is about four minutes more than last year.
"Once Theo left, and he played around 25 minutes a game, he left a big hole to fill," Bure said.
"Myself and other guys have an opportunity to step in and get more ice time. Any of us young players could step in and take the leadership role. I'm trying to take advantage of the opportunity."
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