To fully comprehend it, you had to live it, but suffice it to say: There was no love lost between these teams. Vancouver and Toronto were long time rivals both on and off the ice. Vancouver fans resented Toronto for thinking themselves the center of the universe, while Leaf fans thought Vancouver was always whining for attention. No matter the right or wrong, it made for a heated rivalry.
On this night, the crowd was particularly boisterous and both teams responded well to the energy in the building. It was an entertaining back and forth contest with the Leafs taking the lead at 15:32 of the first, only to see us storm back to tie 27 seconds later. In the second we forged ahead 2-1, but this time the Leafs battled back to even the score.
Then with the game tied 2-2 in the third, the Russian Rocket decided it was time to kick in the afterburners... Taking a harmless looking pass in the neutral zone, Bure accelerated (in the blink of an eye) to full speed, blowing through the Leaf defense like a tornado in a trailer park.
As he sped in alone, the entire bench stood in anticipation. Barreling right in on goal, Pavel deked to the backhand before quickly pulling back to the forehand, dancing around the stranded goalie. As the puck crossed the line, the bench exploded!
Highlight of the Night
Player in the Spotlight: Pavel Bure | OGR 86 | G 1 | A 1 | TOT 20:12 | 3rd Star