Ice hockey player Valeri Bure is a Russian-American. Bure, who was born in Russia, moved to the US as a young man to play hockey. He finally built a prosperous ice hockey career that lasted 14 years, playing for both the Russian national team and the “National Hockey League” (NHL), before retiring to manage a vineyard in California. Additionally, he competed in and won a reality skateboarding competition. Pavel, Bure’s brother, is also a well-known ice hockey player, and the two of them share an NHL record. Both of the brothers attribute their tenacious work ethic to their father, a former “Olympic” swimmer. Actress Candace Cameron Bure and Bure are currently married. Three kids were born to the couple.
Early Childhood & Life
On June 13, 1974, Valeri Vladimirovich “Val” Bure was born in Moscow to Vladimir and Tatiana Bure. Pavel, his older brother, is known as the “Russian Rocket” in the “NHL.” Vladimir Bure earned four medals for the Soviet Union in various ‘Olympic’ competitions between 1968 and 1976 as a former ‘Olympic’ swimmer. Later, Vladimir was able to guide his sons to ice hockey triumph in the US using his athletic abilities.
Bure’s parents split when he was nine years old. His father moved to the US with both of his kids to begin developing their hockey careers when he was 17 and Pavel was 20. Bure left Russia in 1991 and evaded serving in the “Red Army.” He delayed his return until he aged 28 and became an American citizen in 2002 out of fear of being forced into military service.
To begin their training routine, the family initially relocated to Los Angeles. Vladimir was infamous for being harsh with both sons. Although at first, they had a cordial relationship, lately Pavel and Valeri have cut ties with their father and no longer communicate with him.
Valeri Bure’s Career
During the 1990–1991 season, Bure had a brief appearance for HC CSKA Moscow (the “Red Army” team) in the “Soviet Championship League.” While Pavel signed with the “Vancouver Canucks,” Valeri participated in Western Hockey League (WHL) play with the “Spokane Chiefs,” making history as the first Russian player to play in the league.
Bure established a reputation as a “good competitor” in his debut season (1991–1992), scoring 49 points in 53 games. Due to this, the “Montreal Canadiens” chose him in the second round of the 1992 “NHL Entry Draft” as part of their selection.
For the 1992–1993 season, he went back to “Spokane,” where he helped the squad reach a league-wide rating of number two. With 68 goals that season, he also set a Spokane Chiefs franchise record, earning him a spot on the WHL West Division First All-Star team.
Even though he trained with the “Canadiens,” he went back to the “Chiefs” for one last season in the “WHL” in 1993-1994. As a consequence of his efforts, he was chosen to be a member of the “Second All-Star” squad and rose to the fourth spot on the “Chief’s all-time scoring list.
He played for the Russian national junior and senior teams at the 1994 “World Junior Championship” (where his team won the bronze) and the “World Championships,” respectively, making his international debut.
Bure spent a significant amount of time in the 1994–1995 season competing for the Fredericton Canadiens, Montreal’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.
He was able to win them over with his performance and was thus called back to “Montreal,” where he made his “NHL” debut in February 1995. Although Bure performed admirably in his first full season with Montreal, the next campaign was marred by many injuries and the stress of trying to measure up to his star brother.
In February 1998, he was traded to the “Calgary Flames,” a move he embraced. While playing for the “Flames,” Bure was perhaps at his finest, becoming well-known as one of their top scorers. Bure achieved his first hat trick with them. He once scored game-winning goals for the “Flames” in four straight contests. In 1998, he played for Russia and made his debut “Olympic” appearance alongside “Pavel.” Silver was won by their squad.
With “Pavel,” he was able to participate in the 2000 “All-Star Game” because of his performance. Later in the season, the combined 93 goals scored by Valeri’s goals for the Flames and Pavel’s goals for the Florida Panthers set an NHL record for the most goals scored by a set of siblings.
His ability to score goals started to wane after the 2000–2001 season, and he finally got into a tactical argument with one of the coaches who requested that he play on defensive lines instead. Bure requested to be traded, and in June 2001, the “Florida Panthers” (Pavel’s franchise) acquired him.
He was sidelined for a large portion of the 2001–2002 season due to contract negotiation delays and a recurring injury that eventually necessitated surgery. Due to a wrist injury, his performance downturn persisted into the following season. As a result, he was briefly traded to the “St. Louis Blues,” where he was limited by yet another injury.
In 2002, when he made a comeback, he helped Russia win a bronze medal. For the 2003–2004 season, he returned to the “Panthers” injury-free, with his offensive ability fully recovered. In 2004, despite being their top scorer, he was traded to the Dallas Stars because the Panthers were out of the postseason race.
Even though he committed to a one-year deal with the “Los Angeles Kings” for the 2005–2006 campaign, he was forced to retire due to continued injuries. In 2010, Bure participated in the reality skating competition “Battle of the Blades.” He won the competition and was given US$ 100,000 as prize money along with Ekaterina Gordeeva.
Recognition & Achievements
The 1992–1993 and 1993–1994 seasons of the World Hockey League saw Bure selected to the “First All-Star” and “Second All-Star” teams, respectively.
He participated in an NHL All-Star game in 1999 after being selected for the 1994 “World Junior All-Star” team. Along with his brother Pavel, Bure holds the record for the most goals scored by a set of brothers in the NHL.
Valeri’s Individual Life
On June 22, 1996, he wed Candace Cameron Bure, a member of the “Full House” cast and a spokesperson for the Conservative Party. Candace and Valerie have devoted Christians. Lev, Maksim, and Natasha are their three kids.
He obtained American citizenship in December 2001. This allowed him to leave without being drafted into the military and go back to Russia.
He announced his retirement in 2005, citing his family as the cause. The athlete and his wife started a café named “The Milk and Honey Café” in Florida in 2007 before moving to California to run a winery in Napa Valley. This was their first foray into the food and hospitality industry.
Estimated Net Worth
A retired professional hockey player from Russia named Valeri Bure has a $14 million dollar fortune. Pavel Bure, a fellow professional hockey player, has a younger brother named Valeri. Valeri spent ten seasons in the NHL as a player, spending time with the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, and Dallas Stars, among other clubs.
Trivia
The Bure brothers, who started their careers in the “NHL,” are infamous for putting up with their strict father’s two daily exercises. He was regarded as a little player in the “NHL” at 5’10”. He was referred to be a member of the “Smurf Line” with two other similarly sized “Montreal” teammates.
Switzerland’s Furna is where the Bure family has their roots. For more than a century, they built a solid reputation as watch suppliers and manufacturers for Russian tsars. Bure’s ancestors were given noble status because of their closeness to the royal family.
Valeri and Candace both want to introduce their kids to Russian culture. Val primarily converses with them in Russian.