Pavel Bure's name is in the news this week, spearheading talk of a new Legends Hockey League that will start play this fall.
As 43-year-old Jaromir Jagr laces 'em up for his 26th pro season this fall, Bure's league will feature players just a shade older than that—45-plus, with IIHF international tournament experience, according to
this report from EuroHockey.com
The paperwork for the league is in place, with Bure at the helm and fellow Russians Alexei Kasatonov and Alexander Yakushev running the show for the World Legends Hockey League.
Six nations are expected to take part in the inaugural season—Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia.
Here's how the season will unfold:
First week of October: All-Star Game to introduce the league. Team Russia will make up one side; the other side will be a collection of players from all countries, including the U.S. and Canada, who won't ice full teams this year.
The game will be played at the VTB Ice Palace Arena in Moscow, which will also play host to the 2016 IIHF World Championships next spring.
November: Preliminary-round games will be played in three countries.
Finland and Sweden will face off in Lappeenranta, Finland
Russia and Germany will meet in Dresden, Germany
Czech Republic and Slovakia will play in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
It's not clear whether these will be single games or some type of playoff series. The winners of the three series and the "best loser" will move on to the playoff round.
The playoffs will return to Moscow in January to crown a winner and name tournament MVPs.
It's a fun idea—bringing together Europe's hockey legends to spark some international intrigue and build excitement for next year's World Championships in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
It's also interesting to see that Pavel's ties to Russian hockey remain strong. He had that brief stint as general manager of the Russian national team from 2006 to 2009, overseeing the team for the first of three straight Olympics where Russia has failed to medal in 2006 in Turin. Seems that Bure will still answer the call for mother Russia when required.
Will he lace up the skates, though? It'd be great to see Pavel play again but it's interesting that the league's structure dictates that players must be 45 or older. Pavel's 44 right now—he won't turn 45 till March, after the inaugural season is complete.
With the way the league is structured, I expect the Russians will ice the team with the most firepower. Sergei Fedorov and Alexander Mogilny both fit the age qualifications.
Stars from other countries who could participate include 45-year-olds Nick Lidstrom of Sweden and Teemu Selanne of Finland, as well as Dominik Hasek for the Czechs—a 50-year-old who still looked like he was in playing shape when I saw him inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in Prague in May.
Though I cringe a bit at the idea that players in this age range are now "old timers," I'll be keeping my ears open for more news as the games draw closer. It'll be especially interesting to see which players step up to represent their countries with national pride on the line.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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