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Calgary Flames/Atlanta Flames Greatest Players
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Thursday
Wednesday
Ron Stern
Here in Canada there has been a disheartening news story developing this summer. An organization called Imagine Adoption, which specializes in bringing orphaned African children to good homes in Canada, has gone bankrupt, leaving as many as 450 families in limbo. Also in jeopardy is the organization's efforts to build infrastructure such as schools and medical buildings in Africa.
One of the more high profile clients was former NHL tough guy Ron Stern. He and his wife successfully adopted a baby out of Ethiopia two years ago, and the couple has used their status to help raise money for the organization in the past.
Patrick Maloney of the London Press has the full story regarding Stern. It is just another example of what a great guy NHL tough guys can be.
I always considered Ron Stern to be more than a tough guy. True, he would drop the gloves without complaint and racked up some gaudy PIM totals, but I always considered him to be more of a honest, blue collar winger who knew his job and performed it to the best of his ability. He was a surprisingly good skater, allowing him to excel at a bang-and-crash game where he was a punishing hitter. He was a guy who you had to admire because he gave it everything he had on every shift.
Although he had decent offensive numbers in juniors and in the minors, Stern could never find his coring touch in the NHL. He only scored 75 times in his 638 game career, mostly by crashing the net for loose pucks. If he could hit 10 goals a year that was considered to be good production. He rarely handled the puck with much success. His best offensive play was to simply let his linemates carry the puck into the zone while he drove hard to the net opening up lanes for them.
Stern's best days were with the Calgary Flames, forming an effective grind line with center Joel Otto. He also played in Vancouver and San Jose, always employing his rugged game.
Frank Musil
This is Frank Musil. He split his career pretty evenly between the Minnesota North Stars and the Calgary Flames, also skating parts of a couple of seasons with Edmonton and Ottawa later on in his career. I best remember him as a Flame personally.
I remember Musil as a big, physical defender, combining strong skating and balance with a desire to play physically and unafraid. He even had a bit of a mean streak.
Musil was mostly a defensive-minded defenseman, more often than not making the correct safe play to get the puck out of the zone.
He made few contributions in the offensive zone. He had all the tools, just not the toolbox. He was a good skater with speed and mobility. He could handle the puck well under pressure. He had no great shot to brag about, but he he occassionally would slip down low for a back door goal.
Despite a promising array of talents, Musil seemed content to play ultra-safe on every play. He would always force a puck carrier wide rather than step up and take control. He would unfailingly fall back off the blue line rather than contain the point. He would carry the puck only a few strides, just enough to get to center ice and dump it in.
As one reporter put it, he was a reactive player rather than an active player.
I never really minded, because he was consistent and reliable. But I can understand being a fan of the North Stars or Flames being frustrated when they can see the talent was there and expected a little more.
Frantisek Musil was born in beautiful Paradubice. He would later play with Dukla Jihlava where he met the famous Holik family, legends in Czechoslovakia. Jaroslav and Jiri were brothers on the national team in the 1970s, and later returned home as coaches. Jaroslav had two kids - Bobby Holik, who of course you know as the long time NHLer, and Andrea Holikova, a world class tennis player. Frank would one day marry Andrea.
Drafted by the North Stars 38th overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, Musil had helped his country win gold at the 1985 World Championships. Back in 1983 he helped the national team win silver at the worlds even though he was still a junior player. At the World Junior championships he help
Musil had no real hopes of being allowed to leave Communist Czechoslovakia until maybe late in his career. So Musil took matters into his own hands. He obtained a holiday visa and travelled to Yugoslavia with a girlfriend. Musil then met with Minnesota GM Lou Nanne and player agent Ritch Winter, who had arranged for an American work visa. Winter and Nanne used the work visa to fool the border guards, who were unaware that Musil was a defecting hockey star. The North Stars had been working on this secret plan for 3 years, waiting for Musil to complete his mandatory army service so that he would not be known as a deserter. With the working visa completely legit, Musil technically never actually defected.
Frank Musil would go on to play in 797 NHL games, scoring 36 goals and 144 points. With a changed political world he was able to return home and even play for his country again, helping the Czechs win a bronze medal at the 1992 World Championships.
Last I heard Musil was back home coaching as well as scouting for the Edmonton Oilers. He had finished his career in Edmonton, albeit very painfully. He missed an entire season due to a spinal cord injury in a training camp practice. He made it back in the middle of the following season, but the nerve damage in his neck and arm ultimately forced him to retire.
On an interesting note, Musil had a penchant for taking odd jobs in the summer time when he was still playing the NHL. He sold cars in Minnesota, and later worked a slaughter house in Alberta. He may have not made millions every season, but he certainly was paid well enough to have not worked.
I guess on or off the ice, Frank Musil just did not know how to stop working hard.
Sunday
Valeri Bure
This is Valeri Bure. Once his big brother Pavel was tagged with the nickname "The Russian Rocket," Val's obvious moniker was quick to follow - The Russian Pocket Rocket.
Pavel exploded on to the NHL scene back in 1991, putting some pretty lofty expectations on the younger Val. Pavel he was not, but he was a very creative little player who, when placed in the right situation, was a very good top six forward.
Val spent his main formative years in North America. He fled Russia at the same time as Pavel, but because of his age he spent three seasons playing with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League.
Drafted by Montreal way back in 1992, it was not until the 1995-96 season that he would stick with the Habs. He was used primarily as a third line winger in Montreal, seeing very little specialty team time. This affected his scoring totals severely. He topped 20 goals just once in four seasons with Montreal.
Listed generously at 5'10" and 170lbs, Bure really needed a big power forward on his line do the heavy work and create some space. Bure was strong for his size and was willing to pay the price, but he had to rely on smarts and speed to survive in the NHL. Fortunately for Bure, he was blessed with ample supplies of both.
Val was never as lightning fast as Pavel was, and could never electrify the crowd the same way. But he had excellent first step quickness greatly aided by superb sense of anticipation.
Hockey fans really witnessed that upon Val's arrival in Calgary. In February of 1998 Montreal sent Val and a draft pick to the Flames in exchange for Jonas Hoglund and Zarley Zalapski.
At first it did not seem like a great fit. Brian Sutter was the coach, and he demanded heavy physical play, just like how he played. But Bure won him over with a work ethic that exceeded his nice skills package. He was rewarded with ice time and power play time
Bure put together three good seasons in Calgary, scoring 26, 35, and 27 goals. He was a streaky scorer who could frustrate you when he was not scoring, but when he put it all together he was an upper echelon NHLer. For example, in that 1999-00 season his 35 goals and 75 point paced the Flames by a fair margin.
Yet he never could escape the enormous shadow of his brother. That same season Pavel scored 58 goals, and that was not even his best season. Had Valeri had a different last name, I think people would probably have better appreciated him then and now.
The rebuilding Flames moved Bure to Florida in exchange for Rob Niedermayer at the 2001 draft. It was an exciting time for the Bure family, as the two brothers would be reunited with the Panthers. Pavel was coming off a 59 goal season and Valeri looked to prominently help out the Panthers anemic secondary scoring.
The Bure brothers of course were together just a few months earlier at the 2002 Olympics, where they won a bronze medal. The two also helped Russia win the 1998 silver medal.
Things did not quite work out as planned. Valeri blew out a knee, missing a total of 51 games thanks to two knee surgeries. A pouting Pavel slumped through a poor season before being traded to the New York Rangers late in the season.
The knee injury cost Val 20 games of the 2002-03 season, too. And upon his return a broken wrist cost him 12 more games and hampered him the rest of the season. He scored only 5 goals, and was traded away the trade deadline to St. Louis.
Val's stay in the Gateway City was brief, playing just 11 games with the Blues, including playoffs. The Blues put Bure on the waiver wire during the off-season and, surprise surprise, the Panthers quickly reacquired him.
Bure had one last decent season in him. In 55 games with the Panthers he chipped in with 20 goals and 45 points, respectable numbers for sure. The Panthers traded him away at the trading deadline once again, this time to Dallas. He would play just 18 games with the Stars.
Bure opted to rest his weary body during the 2004-05 lockout. Back surgery in the summer of 2004 all but prevented any attempt to play hockey.
He and wife Candace Cameron, of Full House sitcom fame, enjoyed their life in California with their young family. When the NHL finally returned from the work stoppage, he signed with the Los Angeles Kings, hoping to play with his family nearby. But the injuries were too much. Valeri Bure retired from the game of hockey.
The Bure family has explored several entreprenurial pursuits, most notably Bure Family Wines in California.
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