Soviet Olympic Swimmer and famous NHL dad Vladimir Bure Dies, 73

Four-time Olympic medalist and NHL coach and dad, Vladimir Bure, died this Tuesday.

According to hockey publication Over The Boards, the 73-year-old was recovering from a heart attack from a couple weeks ago. He died in his current city of residence, Miami.

Bure (Russian name: Владимир Валерьевич Буре) was born and raised in the Soviet Union. At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, he earned his first international medal as a part of the Soviet 4×200 freestyle relay. He then went on to win two more relay medals and an individual 100 free bronze at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. He continued to compete with the national team through 1977, qualifying for a third Olympics and winning more World and European championship medals along the way.

During his swimming career, he became a father to two sons, Pavel and Valeri. Both boys became hockey stars at a young age, and the trio moved to the United States in 1991 to pursue NHL opportunities. Pavel and Valeri both played for multiple NHL teams and even played together briefly for the Florida Panthers. The brothers joined their father as Olympic medalists competing for Russia’s hockey team in 1998 and 2002. Pavel was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 2012.

Vladimir also took part in the NHL as a conditioning coach in the 90s and 2000s. While coaching for the Jersey Devils, he won two Stanley Cups.

Candace Cameron Bure, Valeri’s wife and Full House actress, posted a tribute to Vladimir on her Instagram.

“Our hearts are broken as we grieve the loss of Val’s dad Vladimir Bure. I loved this man so very much. To me, he represented not only the gift of life (my husband) that I am forever grateful for, but one of strength, dedication, motivation, resilience, willpower and love. In my mind, he was the epitome of each of those words, a little bit super human in some way. Vladimir was an 4x Olympic medalist in swimming and a 2x Stanley Cup winning coach for the New Jersey Devils. He was a proud father, grandfather, husband and dedicated coach. Most of all, I know how much he loved his family. Thank you for praying for all of the Bure family as we grieve ❤️‍🩹💔🙏🏻. We love you Vladimir ♥️ and you’ll forever be in our hearts.”