By Jake Seiner/DFP Staff
On Oct. 16 against the Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins forward Mark Recchi recorded his 899th career assist, putting him one helper shy of becoming the 18th player in NHL history to reach the 900-assist plateau.
Nearly a month later, the 41-year-old winger still hadn’t notched No. 900.
Tuesday night, and fittingly a day after four of Recchi’s former peers were enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, the Kamloops, British Columbia native finally eclipsed the milestone when the Bruins topped the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-0.
Three and a half minutes into the second period, Recchi corralled a pass from linemate Patrice Bergeron along the right wall in the neutral zone. As two Penguin defenders pinched toward Recchi, the 21-year veteran paused as a streaking Daniel Paille jumped off the bench and flew through center ice. Recchi hit the 2002 first-round selection with a tape-to-tape pass perfectly in stride, and Paille burned a helpless Marc-Andre Fleury shortside for his first goal as a Bruin.
The tally put Recchi in exclusive territory. ‘The Recching Ball’ now sits just one helper behind former teammate Bryan Trottier (901 assists) and needs just 29 more assists to catch Larry Murphy (929), another former teammate, to leap into the top-15 all-time.
Recchi’s also ascending the all-time goals scored list, currently sitting at 25th with 548 career scores –– one behind yet another ex-teammate in Ron Francis. Recchi’s 1448 career points ranks 14th all-time, as well.
“Oh yeah I remember most of them,” Recchi said when asked about his growing list of milestones. “They’re all pretty neat when you start to get up there. It takes a long time to get them now –– to get a 100 [assists] now, it used to be one, one and a half seasons for me, and sometimes one, one and a little bit. It’s nice and I’ll cherish them for a long time.
“There’s a lot of amazing players that I’m up there with. I couldn’t even imagine when I started playing in this league that I’d end up there with some of the same records as these guys. I still don’t put myself in that category, but, you know, I’m up there with them.”
Recchi, 17 seasons removed from a 123-point campaign (53 goals, 70 assists) with the Philadelphia Flyers, has been among the game’s most dangerous players since coming up with the Penguins in 1988. In the waning years of his career, though, the self-identified playmaker has seen his role change, especially since coming to Boston last year at the trade deadline.
“I used to be, obviously, the offensive guy and now, I’m in more of a role that’s [more defensive],” Recchi said. “And you know, I absolutely love it.
“Ever since I’ve been here, it’s a very rewarding [challenge] –– it’s a tough challenge, but when you have centermen like [Bergeron], it sure makes life a lot easier.”
Recchi’s influence on and off the ice has been vital to the growth a young Boston team, according to Bruins coach Claude Julien.
“His approach to the game was really good for our young hockey club and players,” Julien said. “You can never get enough experience in the lineup. Today, you have to keep some young guys because of what they call the salary cap in the new NHL, so you need to have the right mix of veterans.
“I think he’s at a stage in his career where winning and going for a Stanley Cup is more important than anything else, so he’s a great influence for us to have around.”
The role of learned elder is similar to the one Recchi played just a few seasons ago for a young Penguins’ squad.
When Sidney Crosby arrived in Pittsburgh in 2005, Recchi was ‘The Kid’s’ first roommate on the road and helped spur the development of one of hockey’s brightest young stars.
In 2006-07, Recchi took another youngster under his wing in then-18-year-old Jordan Staal, going so far as to open the guestroom of his Pittsburgh home to the Thunderbay, Ontario native.
“The greatest thing about [Pittsburgh’s young guys] –– they’re very similar to here –– they’re the greatest kids and it made it enjoyable for me to come to the rink everyday,” Recchi said. “To have Jordan Staal and Sidney and [Evgeni] Malkin included in that group, it’s pretty neat to be around those guys.”
For Crosby, the chance to see Recchi reach the milestone in person brought back recollections of another memorable night.
“It’s funny, actually –– we played together when he got his 500th goal, and that was pretty neat to be a part of,” Crosby said. “So, here I am on the other side, but that’s good for him. He deserves everything that he’s gotten because he’s a great player.”
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