2017 Corridor of Fame inductee Mark Recchi is healthier recognized for his Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, and Boston Bruins, however his 22-year tenure within the NHL did embrace a cease in Tampa Bay.
The Kamloops, British Columbia native, born Feb. 1, 1968, starred for his hometown Blazers of the Western Hockey League when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1988. He turned professional that fall and made his NHL debut throughout the 1988-89 season.
He performed 22 seasons within the NHL for the Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, Hurricanes, Atlanta Thrashers, Lightning, and Bruins. Recchi performed in 1,652 common season video games, the fourth most in NHL historical past on the time of his retirement. He scored 577 objectives and added 956 assists for 1,533 factors, twelfth greatest all-time on the time of his retirement.
Recchi’s Time With the Lightning
In December 2007, the Atlanta Thrashers claimed Recchi on waivers and he completed the season with the Thrashers. In that low season, he signed with the Lightning, signing a one-year, $1.25 million deal, leaving him scheduled to change into an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2008. His veteran presence aided the Lightning, enjoying then with an 18-year-old Steven Stamkos, however out of rivalry, the group traded Recchi to the Bruins on the 2009 NHL Commerce Deadline in March. The Bruins went to the playoffs however misplaced to the Flyers within the Japanese Convention semi-final.
The then-40-year-old had 13 objectives and 32 assists in 62 video games earlier than being traded. His greatest sport as a Lightning could have come on March 9, 2009, when he had 5 assists in an 8-5 street victory over the Calgary Flames. Shortly after this sport, he was traded to the Bruins, who led the Japanese Convention on the time. The Lightning have been in thirteenth place within the Japanese Convention once they made the deal.
The Lightning additionally gave the Bruins a second-round choose, which Boston later used to amass defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, who grew to become one of many higher shutdown duos of that point together with defensive accomplice Zdeno Chara.
“It’s not a shock in any respect, I simply didn’t know the place it was going to occur, or when,” Recchi advised Jeff Marek on Hockey Evening in Canada Radio simply after he was dealt. “It’s good to know, and it’s a very good scenario. Boston’s a primary place group and I’m excited to be part of it.”
After the Lightning
After the commerce, the Bruins made the playoffs however misplaced to the Philadelphia Flyers within the Japanese Convention semi-final. In what proved to be his twenty second and ultimate NHL season, Recchi and the Bruins went to the Stanley Cup Closing and captured Lord Stanley’s mug in a sequence in opposition to the Vancouver Canucks. It was the third championship for Recchi and positioned him as considered one of simply 10 gamers who had gained the Stanley Cup with three totally different groups.
Recchi has been a co-owner of the Blazers since 2007, together with Dallas Stars proprietor Tom Gaglardi, Jarome Iginla, Shane Doan, and Darryl Sydor. He has coached and consulted with numerous groups, together with the Stars, Devils, and Penguins. The Columbus Blue Jackets employed him in September of 2023, however he was just lately let go by the group.
Recchi is considered one of simply 10 gamers to have gained Stanley Cups with three totally different groups. His first got here in 1991 with the Penguins, the second in 2006 with the Hurricanes and his third in his ultimate season, 2011, with the Bruins. It’s also noteworthy that Recchi, who stands at 5-foot-10, managed to thrive in an period when coaches most popular huge gamers. He was inducted into the Hockey Corridor of Fame in 2017.
Although his time in Tampa was transient, it’s good to do not forget that such a participant who had a protracted and distinguished profession within the NHL that culminated in a Corridor of Fame choice did as soon as put on the Lightning sweater.
