Rumor: NHL legend Pavel Bure set to take on a new challenge in April.

Although his name may not carry the weight of legendary players like Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux there is no denying the fact that for an entire generation of hockey fans former National Hockey League forward Pavel Bure will forever live on as a legend in their minds. After a rookie season that saw him record 34 goals and 25 points in just 60 games, Bure tore up the NHL over the next two seasons with a combine 120 goals and 97 assists for an unbelievable 217 points over just 159 games.

Unfortunately like many professional athletes his career was cut shorter than we would have liked due to a number of injuries, but even following his career as a player Bure has continued to be an influential figure in the sport of hockey. In 2005 Bure was named Russia's Olympic general manager and vowed to clean up some of the uglier aspects that surround Russian hockey, although his tenure was relatively short lived and he was quickly replaced by Vladislav Tretiak.

Now however it seems the tables have turned and it will be Bure who will be replacing Tretiak following a major announcement made over the weekend. According to a report from Russian outlet Sport.ru, Bure will be named the president of the Russian Hockey Federation in April of this year. That is a role currently occupied by the aforementioned Vladislav Tretiak, although it does not sound like there is any animosity between the two individuals. If anything it sounds like the Russian Hockey Federation will allow Tretiak to stay on until his 70th birthday, which will be in April of this year, and it is at that moment that Bure will step up to assume the reigns of one of the most important roles in all of Russian hockey.

Bure is an excellent choice not only because of his personal legacy but also due to the fact that he has an existing relationship with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) with whom he will be expected to work closely in his new role. Bure not only played international in IIHF tournaments as a player, but was also indicated into their Hall of Fame in 2012 alongside other legendary players such as American star Phil Housley.

I wish him nothing but success in his new role.