Music: {allcanada} Report: Canucks to retire finally Bure's number

Thursday, November 8, 2012

{allcanada} Report: Canucks to retire finally Bure's number

The Vancouver Canucks and owner Francesco Aquilini plan to retire Pavel Bure's No. 10.

According to a report in The Province, Aquilini will meet with Bure in Florida over the weekend and is expected to reveal his plans to retire the Russian Rocket's jersey.

Bure is set to be inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday along with Joe Sackic, Mats Sundin and Adam Oates.

Former Canucks teammate and longtime friend Gino Odjick said he believes there's no doubt Bure's number will hang from the rafters of Rogers Arena.

Odjick told The Province: "Francesco called him with some really good news. He is extremely happy about it. It was touching, to have an owner that's involved and recognizes he's the first player with the Canucks to enter the Hall of Fame. For him to fly from Vancouver makes this a really great week, I tell you. Francesco has been talking about (retiring Bure's jersey) for quite a while. I don't see it not happening."

Bure finished his 12-year NHL career with 437 goals and 779 points in 702 regular season games. He also spent time playing for the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers.

"In Vancouver is where he was at his best," Odjick added. "There were a few years where he was the most exciting player in hockey. He was something special. You just never saw people with that speed and that courage."

Bure also wore the No. 96 for a short time while with the Canucks, but is more known for donning 10.

The 41-year-old's number would hang alongside Stan Smyl's No. 12, Trevor Linden's No. 16 and Markus Naslund's No. 19.