Recchi goes out on top with Bruins’ historic Cup triumph
Recchi/By S. Bradley
VANCOUVER — Although he still has to make it official, Bruins forward Mark Recchi is seemingly through with his playing career.
“I don’t know if it was to rally them,” he said tonight about his announcement earlier this season that he would retire if the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. “But I knew that if we won there’s no way I’d be able to train hard enough to be ready for September.”
Well, the Bruins — with Recchi contributing a ton along the way — made the decision for the future Hall-of-Famer by plowing through four rounds of playoffs, capped by their 4-0 win over Vancouver at Rogers Arena Wednesday night in Game 7.
“We were committed. We play our best when our backs are against the wall and Game 6 and Game 7 showed that. We scored that first goal and it was huge,” said Recchi, who contributed an assist and a plus-3 rating in the victory.
Recchi, along with linesmates Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron (two goals apiece), were all over Vancouver from the outset. They set the tone not just by scoring the goals, but by forechecking and playing with physicality from the drop of the puck.
“I was going to lay everything on the line, that’s for sure,” said Recchi. “I had to lead the way. This is a special group of guys and I had to make sure they knew, especially our line, I think our line got it going right off the bat and the guys went from there.”
It’s rare for a great athlete like Recchi to go out on top. We’re used to players toiling with multiple teams and coming up short of glory time again before they finally quit. Now Recchi gets to head off into the sunset as a champion.
“It is amazing. Not too many people get that chance,” said Recchi. “I can’t thank these guys enough, the players and everything they did for me.”
I am a Canucks fan, Born and raised in Vancouver.
Sharks Fan, You are the perfect example of classless and a hater.
Vancouver fans stayed to the very last minute of the game. Vancouver fans stayed at Rogers Arena, cheered for Boston on a great championship win and thanked their team for a great run! Both teams were champions just for being the last two standing, but only one can be the Stanley Cup champs. Congratulations Boston Bruins!
Vancouver has nothing to be ashamed of, as they were the Presidents Cup Winners and that is a tough enough feat in itself over 82 games. In the Stanley cup run, Vancouver played three very tough and physical opponents to get to the finals, one being the defending Stanley Cup Champs, very physical and defensive Nashville, big & skilled San Jose team. After those three series, the Canucks were pretty beaten up by the time they faced Boston. But they battled on as best as they could. The Sedin’s were noble and showed class right to the end. They made no excuses and said that in this series, Boston was the better team. They are rated very highly again to challenge for the cup next year.
As for Luongo, he can learn a few lessons from Thomas. Thomas is 37 and has had a very shaky career. Playing in the minors and Europe. I’m sure he had many periods of self doubt, but he didn’t quit, and now is the best goalie in the world. He played so well, that the Bruins offense could take risks and execute…and execute they did!
The Canucks never used injuries as an excuse, but news sources tell us that the Vancouver dressing room had an area where the many of the players were getting pain shots, just so they could play on. Edler, broken fingers, Kesler – severe pulled groin, D. Sedin injured shoulder, Salo – broken foot..and the list goes on. They were not a healthy team and Boston knew this. Lucic mentioned this in one of his interviews. Boston faced more finesse team and almost lost to Montreal and Tampa. They did not have to face the previous Stanley cup champs, a big team the size of San Jose and did not take the physical beating that Vancouver did.
As for the riots, they were hooligans who probably planned on doing what they did, win or loose. They do not represent the 99.9% majority of Vancouver fans who who cheered for both teams at the end. This city hosted and welcomed the world for the Winter Olympics and what a party it was!
The next day, following the riot, thousand of concerned Vancouver citizens & volunteers came back to clean up the mess, which was apparently organized on facebook…Now that is true Vancouver spirit.
Once again, congratulations Boston Bruins on winning the Stanley Cup!
@RD are you from Halifax?
“Sharks fan……….
Time in Vancouver is 23 past Luongo”………..
I spit out my coffee all over the dang computer!!!
Funniest thing EVAH!!
You guessed it right RD.
There is no banging in the Bs dressing room. I guess I should have put it this way: The dressing room that bangs together the most wins Championships. This year proved to fit that expression.
Bang together is to bind together with a little extra.
Sorry for the beer tide not coming in. The win had to take place in Boston for it to happen. I’m working with planets, it,s not easy….
You were a pleasure to read RD. Have a good summer in Halifax.
one more thing….what’s the time in Vancouver right now?
23 past Luongo….
congratulations Bruins!!!!!!!!
The cup is where it belongs, with real players who work hard and honestly to win. Not with a bunch of cheating, cry baby whiners, who think that diving and complaining is part of the game…not here in south of the border my friends….
That is how you ride out into the sunset.
Great career…future Hall of Famer.
Couldn’t have happened to a classier guy.
#24 #28 #77
Now that the season’s over, can I ask what “BANGING” in the dressing room means? Is this a Boston saying?
Is it like when people click? Cause Bang just sounds so odd. Maybe it’s just some signature saying of yours Bernard?
Kinda like that other guy that makes a point of telling all of em Bruins to GO, not just some –> Go BRUINS…ALL OF EM!!!….not some mind you.
It doesn’t get any better than to retire with the Stanley Cup. I suppose that qualifies as going out with a BANG!
Guy was a treat to watch the last few seasons. What a great trade to steal him from TB. No one had to tell him he wasn’t his best against TB, and he stepped his game up and LED this team back from that 0-2 hole. Not enough good things can be said about this guy.
Played one of his best games in the biggest game. That’s what champions do.
I think Recchi has contributed far more in the leadership department than we will ever know, but even when fans were saying he was too slow, he played hard and contributed.
Shoot I admit to being one of those people who thought he needed his minutes shortened (and Julien did shorten them some) to make him more productive. But the nice thing about the old man is that he didn’t go out at age 43 skating a few games and dressing in a suit, but playing on the ice and playing hard and contributing goals, assists, hits etc. He was there to play and you could tell in those last few games he wanted this bad and dug deep to help his team get it.
What a way to go out, and I think he will have his name in the record books for years.
Same here, Pierre. And he almost scored a dandy on a solo effort showing a lot of kick in his legs early in the third, I think it was.
DOES THIS DRESSING ROOM BANG OR WHAT?
And the best thing is that the team will look a lot like it does today next year, perhaps with Rex as a PP coach who knows.
What about Luongo’s JUICY rebound 4 seconds before Marchand put one in….
Have you ever seen Timmy give a rebound when he gets it in the chest from the blue line?
Hats off to the Rechin’ Ball. I’m happy to eat my words when I was critical of his play earlier. He found his legs and was huge in games 6 & 7. Claude sticking with his veterans sure paid off!