What is Valeri Bure's Net Worth?
Valeri Bure is a retired Russian professional hockey player who has a net worth of $14 million. Valeri is the younger brother of fellow professional hockey player Pavel Bure. Valeri played in the NHL for 10 seasons for several teams including the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars. He played one season of junior hockey in Russia before moving to Canada to compete in their junior programs. Among his accomplishments, he appeared in the 2000 NHL All-Star Game, and led the Calgary Flames in scoring with 35 goals and 75 points during the 1999-2000 season.
Valeri competed in two Olympics games for Russia. He won a silver medal in 1998 at Nagano and a bronze medal in 2002 at Salt Lake City. In 1996, Valeri met his future wife Candace Cameron at a charity hockey game organized by Candace's Full House co-star Dave Coulier. Candace and Valeri were married later that year and now have three children together. After retiring from hockey, Valeri and Candace briefly opened a restaurant together in Pembroke Pines, Florida. He also launched a winery with some friends called Bure Family Wines.
Career Earnings
During his career Valeri earned just over $22.5 million in salary. His peak earning season was 2003-2004 when the Florida Panthers paid him $3.1 million.
Early Life
Valeri Bure was born on June 13, 1974 in Moscow, Soviet Union as the younger son of Tatiana and Vladimir. He comes from a noble background, as his ancestors were craftsmen of the imperial Russian family for over a century. When Bure was nine, his parents separated, and he subsequently traveled with his father and older brother Pavel to North America. The family originally settled in Los Angeles, before Bure and his brother became estranged from their father.
Career Beginnings
Bure got his start playing junior hockey in the WHL in 1991. He joined the Spokane Chiefs, becoming the first Russian player in league history. In his first season, Bure scored 49 points in 53 games. The following season, he led the team and recorded 147 points to finish second overall in WHL scoring. In his final season in the WHL, Bure recorded 102 points and was selected to the Second All-Star Team. He finished his tenure with the Chiefs with 298 points.
Montreal Canadiens
Bure turned professional for the 1994-95 season, and spent the majority of his time with the Montreal Canadiens' AHL affiliate Fredericton Canadiens. Late in the season, he made his NHL debut against the New York Islanders. Playing in the shadow of his superstar hockey player brother, Bure initially struggled to meet the sky-high expectations imposed upon him, and weathered a number of injuries that limited his time on the ice.
Calgary Flames
For the 1997-98 season, Bure was traded to the Calgary Flames. In one of his first games with the team, he posted his first career hat-trick. Soon enough, Bure established himself as one of the Flames' leading scorers. In the 1998-99 season, his 26 goals and 53 points were the third best on the team. Due to his offensive prowess, Bure was selected to the World team at the 2000 All-Star Game, where he played alongside his brother. Notably, the brothers' combined total of 93 goals during the season set an NHL record for scoring by a set of siblings.
Although he didn't perform quite as well in the 2000-01 season, Bure still managed to score 27 goals, second on the team only to Jarome Iginla's 31 goals. However, he soon became caught up in a power struggle with his coaches, who wanted him to play more defensively than he was willing.
Florida Panthers and St. Louis Blues
In the summer of 2001, Bure was traded by the Flames to the Florida Panthers. The start of his career on the team was interrupted by injury, which caused him to miss 37 games. Bure's season ended in mid-March following another injury. Overall, he appeared in only 31 games during the season. Bure remained with the Panthers the following season, but was further beset by injury as well as declining performance. He was consequently traded to the St. Louis Blues, where yet another injury kept him mostly out of the lineup.
Bure returned to the Panthers for the 2003-04 season finally free from any injuries. He ended up becoming one of the team's offensive leaders, achieving 20 goals and standing as the leading scorer with 45 points.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings
Bure was traded to the Dallas Stars in 2004; he finished the season with 7 points in 13 games, and then recorded three assists in five playoff games. Following the canceled NHL season in 2004-05, Bure signed with the Los Angeles Kings for the 2005-06 season. However, he never got to play a regular season game with the team, as a back injury kept him out of play; further, a pair of surgeries ultimately caused him to miss the whole season. Bure subsequently decided to retire from the NHL.
International Playing
Bure made his international playing debut with the Russian national junior team in the 1994 World Junior Championship. The leading scorer of the team, he recorded eight points in six games to bring Russia the bronze medal. Also in 1994, Bure made his debut with the senior team in the 1994 World Championship.
In 1998, Bure played in his first Winter Olympics. Playing with his brother, he helped lead Russia to a silver medal. Bure returned four years later for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where Russia took bronze.
"Battle of the Blades"
Beyond professional hockey, Bure was a contestant on the second season of the Canadian figure skating reality television show "Battle of the Blades." Partnered with figure skater Ekaterina Gordeeva, he won the competition and donated his share of the prize money to the humanitarian aid organization Compassion Canada.
(Photo by Larry French/Getty Images for Capitol File Magazine)
Personal Life
Bure wed actress Candace Cameron in 1996; together, they have three children named Natasha, Lev, and Maksim. In 2001, Bure became an American citizen.
In 2007, Bure and his wife opened a restaurant in Florida called The Milk and Honey Cafe; however, they closed it when they moved to California. There, they operate the Napa Valley winery Bure Family Wines.
Real Estate
In September 2001 Candace and Valerie spent $1.377 million for a home in Plantation, Florida. They lived there while he was playing for the Florida Panthers. They sold the house in 2015 for $1.455 million. Around the same time as the Florida sale, they spent $2.355 million on a home in Malibu, California. In 2012 they purchased a two-acre rural home in St. Helena, California.
