Editor’s note:  The following is a rough translation of an interview with Pavel Bure on his election to the Hockey Hall of Fame.  The interview appeared in the Russian publication Sovietsky Sport.

Bure joins six other Russian-born players in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Q:  Are you surprised that in 2012 you were elected to both the IIHF Hall of Fame and the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Pavel Bure:  Oh, for sure. I did not even care!  So, I made a double?  A funny coincidence!

Q:  Do you think the Hockey Hall of Fame’s decision was affected by Igor Larionov’s presence on the selection committee?

Bure:  I have seen Igor often in recent years — in Helsinki, when I was accepted into the IIHF Hall of Fame, at the funeral of [Russian hockey great] Vladimir Krutov … On this subject he did not say for sure. But I have many things in common with Larionov. I lived in his house when [I] first came to the Vancouver Canucks.  Igor was a great player and a very good man.

Q:  For you to get into the Hall of Fame, where only six Russian players have been accepted, is very prestigious?

Bure:  Yes, it is very honorable. I know that the NHL Hall of Fame is a conservative organization. They consider greatly before making a choice. But, [if] I had my way, I would have even more of our [players] in the museum.

Q:  They are mostly taking those who distinguished themselves in the NHL?

Bure:  Not a fact. What?  Vladislav Tretiak and Valeri Kharlamov played for the Montreal Canadiens?  Or  Anatoli Tarasov coached the Toronto Maple Leafs? Look at what they contributed to the development of hockey.

Q:  What do you say to critics who write that Pavel Bure has no business in the Hockey Hall of Fame without a Stanley Cup?

Bure:  To be honest, I do not read them.  And the attitude is simple — do not change the past. Some things happened, some things not. This is life.  And I’m glad it worked out that way.

Photograph:  Wiki Commons

Slava Kozlov will chase the Gagarin Cup with a new team.

Former NHL star and current KHL player, Slava Kozlov, has changed his club right before the playoffs. His former team — CSKA Moscow — is having a poor season and the move enables him to continue his career on a more successful team. Kozlov has joined Salavat Yulaev — one of the strongest clubs in the KHL. The team’s coach, Slava Bykov, is a former player and a current manager of Russia’s national team.

On Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Slava joins several other former NHLers including Viktor Kozlov, Dmitri Kalinin and Alexander Radulov. According to the official Salavat site, Slava will wear No. 32.

The player himself commented his transfer, saying that his new colleagues were masters and it was pleasant to be with them on one team. Let’s see now how far Salavat will go through the playoffs.

Photo: Vyacheslav Kozlov from Salavat Yulaev’s official website.

Jaromir Jagr (c) Sovsport.Ru

The famous Czech player Jaromir Jagr is to continue his career in the Russian KHL team “Avangard” (which are also called “Hawks”). He has signed a one-year contract with the club, the official Avangard website reports.

Meanwhile, a Russian sports site Sovsport.Ru has published an article about what people in Omsk think about Jaromir after the dramatic final at IIHF Worlds. Russia lost all the chances after a Russian player “broke the rules” on Jagr and was sent off. Later the referees admitted their mistake, but the Czech Republic had become the new world champion.

The reporter took several pictures of Jagr and walked around Omsk with them.

REPORTAGE shop

- This is Jaromir Jagr, – said a salesman, – only a shaved one. We haven’t seen him for a long time. I think he was here last summer – he bought training shoes for 5 thousand rubles [~$160]. The ordinary shoes, even I can afford them.

GLAMOUR cafe

Jagr has a club card there and often visits their strip-hall.

- Jagr is a bit tired from this fame. He comes to us with his Czech fellow players and sits in the corner, – said the senior club administrator Larissa.

- He never ran close to the stage, but girls danced in his zone. Jagr often asked a girl named Lyalya for her private dancing, – said a manager.

- Before the world champs Jagr came here and was very disappointed. He told me: Lyalya! You’re pretty, you should dance! This is it, I say, I don’t dance anymore. But how come, he answers, you must dance, you’re so beautiful and such a good girl! And I’m not in dancing for only a month. I danced for three years, and I miss it. I danced for Jaromir three or four times during nights, – said Lyalya, a former dancer, who is now one of the managers.

CAR WASH

- The man from your photo is always in a hurry. When we wash his car, he never goes out. IS THIS JAGR??? I saw him on ice, but didn’t find anything common with our client. What shall we do now? To shout “Avangard is the champion” the next time? – asked a car washer.

SUPERMARKET “ASTOR”

- Jagr comes to us almost every midnight, he lives in a 9-storey block of flats. He has a discount card (7% off), his usual purchase is 300 rubles (~$10). He takes a small basket and takes children cake cheeses, five or six bottles of pure water, honey, jam, chocolate, and then he goes to bacon and sausages department, – said a security guard.

- Sure we know him, – smiles a saleswoman in the department. – His favorite weight is 300g, he always experiments, takes various sorts of bacon or sausages. Perhaps, Jaromir hasn’t yet found his bacon?

BEER RESTAUTANT “At Svejk”

- The favorite Jagr’s dish is the one with special cheese, Czech schnitzel with chicken and mashed potatoes, he can have two courses at a time, – said a waitress Julia. – Jagr both orders stuff to his home and has lunches here with his girlfriend Inna and a friend Nicas. He usually sits in the very corner with his back to the door, eats very fast and rushes out. He spent here a lot of time only once or twice. Jagr is friends with our Czech chef. When Jaroslav Psota was here, he was told ‘Jaromir has come!’, and he made special courses for the player. Now Jaroslav is back in Czech Republic. But when Jagr is back, the chef is back, too!

All the people of Omsk on the “Jagr route”, marks the reporter, were surprisingly good-willed to the Czech star. And in spite of the sad result of the IIHF final [for Russia] they’re waiting for Jaromir in autumn.

Photo: Jaromir Jagr by Sovsport.Ru