The reported phone call between Russia President Vladimir Putin and United States President Donald Trump has been all the rage, with the former proposing games between NHL and KHL players on U.S. and Russian soil to the latter. Vancouver Canucks legend Pavel Bure is one of many hockey legends to come forth to publicly support the proposal.
Bure, 53, joins a number of his former NHL opponents and countrymen in backing the idea, joining players like Igor Larionov and Valeri Kamensky in supporting, or at least entertaining, the possibility of it all.
Bure, of course, played 12 years in the NHL, including seven with the Canucks, and has been in the Hockey Hall of Fame since 2012. There is no denying that his opinion, as well as those of his peers, will hold significant sway, especially on the Russian side of things.
It helps that Bure is buddied up with Putin and has recreationally played hockey with Russia's head honcho before.
"Our president, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, has always supported hockey and it is no coincidence that at such a crucial moment for our country and for the entire world he proposed holding matches. Our teams played each other for many years in a row, even during the most tense periods of the Cold War," Bure said, according to the Russian Ice Hockey Federation. "National teams and clubs played - all this contributed not only to the unprecedented development of world hockey, but also to the rapprochement of our countries. I am sure that such matches can now become a large part of rapprochement, a symbol of peace and harmony not only for Russia and the United States, but also for many other countries.
"I think it is necessary to hold meetings not only at the club level, but also at the national team level - there are opportunities for this. We can play at home, in the USA, or in other neutral countries."
Bure, as previously reported by Hockey News Hub, serves as the Russia Ice Hockey Federation's special representative for international affairs, attending hearings while trying to get the IIHF to allow Russian teams back into international competitions, including the 2026 Olympics in Italy.
The Russian Ice Hockey Federation sent a letter to all IIHF Council members on behalf of Pavel Bure. The decision on Russia will be made on Tuesday via MatchTV: pic.twitter.com/oPRLNDllK2
— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) February 3, 2025
"After the IIHF suspension from competitions, the Russian Hockey Federation is doing a lot of work to promote national teams, gathering full stands in different cities," Bure continued. "In matches with the USA, not only the national team can compete, but also the youth team, and junior teams of younger ages can measure their strength with their peers."
It is unclear if or how much the Canucks legend's words will affect future proceedings, but if one thing is clear, it is that Bure and many others are genuinely interested in the concept.