Penguins Update: The Recchin’ Ball Crashes the Hall

When the Penguins took Mark Recchi in the fourth round of 1988 Entry Draft, it was hardly a lock he’d make the team, let alone go on to a Hall-of-Fame career.

Despite scoring 61 goals during his final season of junior hockey, he was passed over by the 21 NHL teams—including the Pens—not once, but three times.

Too small, the scouts whispered.

The rejections made Recchi, generously listed at 5’10” and 185 pounds in an era when behemoths ruled, all the more determined to succeed.

“I wanted to prove I could play no matter what size I was. And that sometimes the heart is bigger than how tall you are,” he said.

Mission accomplished.

By the time Recchi hung up his skates in 2011 following a stellar career that spanned 22 seasons, he’d compiled some truly astonishing numbers. Ranked 12th on the all-time NHL scoring list, the feisty British Columbia native racked up 577 goals, 956 assists and 1533 points.

Dubbed the “Recchin’ Ball” by Pens announcer Mike Lange for his scrambling, flat-out style, he reached 100 points three times and 40 goals four times, including a career-best 53 with the Flyers in 1992-93. He earned seven All-Star game berths, was named a Second Team NHL All-Star (1991-92), and played on three Stanley Cup winners.

Only four players—Gordie Howe, Mark Messier and former Pens teammates Ron Francis and Jaromir Jagr—skated in more NHL games than Recchi (1652).

A darling of the Steel City fans, the hustling winger burst into prominence as a member of the popular “Option Line” with pals John Cullen and Kevin Stevens. Often firing the puck off the rush while perched on one leg a la present Pen Phil Kessel, Recchi notched 40 goals and paced the locals with 113 points in ’90-91.

A driving force behind the Pens’ first Stanley Cup triumph, the sharpshooter was dealt to Philadelphia the following season in a blockbuster three-team trade that netted power forward Rick Tocchet, hulking defenseman Kjell Samuelsson and goalie Ken Wregget.

Recchi, who bled black and gold, was shocked. So were his teammates.

“We definitely needed some help somewhere,” lamented his good buddy Stevens, “but I don’t know if this is the way we should’ve gone about it.”

While his friends captured another Cup, Recchi—stung to the core—established himself in Philly. Determined to prove his worth, he responded with a monster season, piling up 53 goals and 123 points for the Flyers in ’92-93 while skating alongside rookie phenom Eric Lindros.

Following stints in Philadelphia, Montreal and Philly again, at long last he returned to the Pens as a free agent in 2004. Recchi played parts of three seasons in the ‘Burgh before moving on to Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Boston, where he won his final Cup.

Through it all he maintained a special bond with the city and fans.

“Pittsburgh became my home,” said Recchi, who currently serves as the Pens’ director of player development. “I pretty much stayed here through all the times, wherever I was. … I didn’t foresee seven teams I played for and bouncing back and forth in between with Pittsburgh, but I think Pittsburgh is a great place to live and a great city to be in and a great place to raise my kids.”

The feeling’s mutual, Recchs. We were blessed to have you.

Penguins Extend Qualifying Offers

Pens GM Jim Rutherford made qualifying offers to seven of the team’s restricted free agents yesterday. Receiving offers were forwards Josh Archibald, Jean-Sebastien Dea and Conor Sheary and defensemen Frank Corrado, Brian Dumoulin, Derrick Pouliot and Justin Schultz.

Qualifying offers allow the Pens to maintain exclusive negotiating rights with the seven RFAs beyond the start of free agency. Archibald, Dumoulin, Schultz and Sheary have until July 5 to accept their offers or file for salary arbitration. Corrado, Dea and Pouliot aren’t arbitration eligible.

Defensemen Tim Erixon and Stuart Percy did not receive qualifying offers and will become unrestricted free agents on July 1.

The 26-year-old Erixon, who played 93 NHL games with four different clubs from 2011-15, was acquired from Toronto as part of the Kessel trade. Percy, a former first-round pick of the Maple Leafs, signed as a free agent last summer.

Neither played for the Pens.

Sexton a Sabre

Randy Sexton, who served as the Pens’ director of amateur scouting since 2010, has joined former Pens assistant GM Jason Botterill in Buffalo. Sexton will double as Botterill’s assistant general manager and GM of the Sabres’ AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

Deal Me In

The expansion draft may be over, but Vegas continues to wheel and deal. Yesterday the Golden Knights sent veteran defenseman Marc Methot to Dallas for goalie Dylan Ferguson and a 2020 second-round pick.