from Julian McKenzie of The Athletic,

Mike Penny is a hockey lifer.

The 71-year-old has spent the majority of his adult life as a professional scout or a director of player personnel for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks. Over that time, Penny has scouted a number of players who have gone on to become NHLers. But he refuses to take full credit for arguably the most talented one he ever scouted. A dynamic future Hall of Fame talent who was already skating with the vaunted Central Red Army as a teenager.

He might not have ever known about him if another Russian player he had drafted, Igor Larionov, didn’t give him a heads up.

“I said to (Igor), who’s that guy there? And he said ‘Oh, that’s Pavel Bure,’” Penny said. “He’s 17 years old. This was before he was draft eligible.”...

“So, when we got through to the sixth round, I said to Pat (Quinn) ‘Why don’t we just take him?'” Penny said. “He said, ‘Are you sure?’ I said I know I’m right.

“What’s the worst-case scenario? If we’re wrong? If we’re right, you’ve got a heck of a player.”

Despite other general managers being up in arms, the NHL eventually ruled that the Canucks were correct to draft him.

“And the rest is history,” Penny said.

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