Sports Fact of the Day 1/17/2007

1/17/1999:
Electrifying ngoal scorer Pavel Bure is traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the Florida Panthers in a mid-season blockbuster deal. Known as "the Russian Rocket," Bure refused to report to Vancouver this season after his hcontract (in its final year at $8M per season) was not sweetened and extended after he scored 51 goals and 90 points last season. The talented right-winger was also not on the best of terms with the Canucks' perfectionist head coach, Mike Keenan. Bure's absence has left Vancouver in tatters, and they've stumbled to a 14-23-5 record without him.

Birthdays:
Jacques Plante b. 1929
Kip Keino b. 1940
Muhammad Ali b. 1942
Chili Davis b. 1960
Jeremy Roenick b. 1970