On a typical day in Pavel Bure's life, he'll probably get recognized. You know, by a fan.

That usually means a greeting from a stranger, a request for an autograph, or, at worst, being pestered for an awkward conversation.

But Bure is used to it. The recognition thing has been going on since he arrived in early November of 1991.

"My first day in Vancouver, my agent and I were in a car and we stopped to ask someone for directions to a good restaurant," recalled Bure. "Right away the guy said, "hey, you're Pavel Bure."

Despite the likelihood of being spotted, Bure, who makes more in a month than many of us will make in a lifetime, runs his own errands.

"Sure, on days when there's no game, I'll go out after lunch and do things," said Bure. "You know, small things, pay bills, change oil in my car, take in the dry-cleaning. Ninety per cent of the people just say things like good luck. It's normal. I'm used to it."

While Bure's days in Vancouver during hockey season are structured around either a game or a practice, he does find some time for himself. And now that he's out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, he'll probably have more of that kind of time.

Bure's an avid reader, usually plowing through a book in three days. His favourites are Russian political thrillers and historical novels, which he brings by the boxload from Moscow. "I can read English, but Russian is so much easier," he said.

On any given evening when there's no game, Bure said he might invite friends over or they might go to a night club.

The typical game-day routine which Bure will get back to when he's healthy again goes something like this: