Mark Recchi talked about his one-year, $1 million deal to return to the Boston Bruins for the 2009-10 season on a Friday afternoon conference call, and said that next season in Black and Gold will “probably” be his 21st and final NHL campaign. The veteran doesn’t see his role as being any different next season, and Recchi said he was looking forward to skating with Patrice Bergeron and Chuck Kobasew again and playing a role on the B’s power play. 

The 41-year-old has a pair of Stanley Cup rings — one with the Pittsburgh Penguins and another with the Carolina Hurricanes — but returned to Boston with the feeling that he may be able to go out of his playing career on top of the hockey world next season. Recchi has authored 545 goals in a Hall of Fame-level career with a handful of NHL teams, and said it was his “first priority” to return to Boston and wrap up some unfinished business with a dressing room full of hungry hockey players.

“I think this is probably going to be it,” said Recchi, who finished with 16 points in 18 games after being traded to the B’s on March 4 last season. “I want to go out and finish it off right by winning another championship and help this team be successful. I’d say this will probably be it. I’ve got my family situation I’ve got to consider and kids I’ve got to consider. It’s been a great run. I think I want to give it one more chance.

“My personal things have all been done in my career, and I’m playing for one more ring. That’s the most important thing for me. The reason I liked Boston is that 99 percent of the guys on that team, I felt, wanted to win that Cup. That’s the most important thing to everybody in that dressing room.”

As I wrote yesterday, the Recchi signing leaves the Bruins with roughly $4.3 million under next season’s $56.8 million salary cap, and B’s GM Peter Chiarelli still has RFAs Phil Kessel and Matt Hunwick to negotiate deals with. It would appear that both can’t be signed — and perhaps not even Kessel alone — with the amount of room left under the cap, and that a deal to trade away an NHL-level player off the Bruins is imminent.

Recchi acknowledged that there is some unknown as to what will eventually happen with Kessel’s future (”a dynamic player” said Recchi), but also sympathized with the tough decisions that Chiarelli is surrounded by amid fiscal limitations.

“It’s tough right now with the salary cap. You build a good team and then you have to let people go or you have to make moves to restock again. It has to be really frustrating for GMs now, but it is what it is. He’s done a tremendous job. I think the biggest thing is that he’s got his goaltender and he’s got the core of his defense settled in and the core of his centermen settled in — which is how you build a franchise. 

“If you’ve got those guys then you fit the other pieces all-around and I think he’s going to do a great job of that.”

4 Comments for “Recchi reveals he’ll probably retire after the 2009-10 NHL season”

1. Chachi Says:
   July 5th, 2009 at 3:08 pm

   You guys are all LOSERS!

2. Joe Haggerty Says:
   July 5th, 2009 at 3:35 pm

   Did Joanie tell you to say that?

   –Haggs

3. christopher mehegan Says:
   July 6th, 2009 at 11:19 pm

   dear,haggs. i’m so glad the bruins are bringing back recchi for one last shot at lord stanley’s most coveted prize in all of sports lord stanley’s cup do you think this move of boston bringing back recchi for one more shot at glory will put boston back in the playoff picture next year for a run at the stanley cup. what do you think haggs?

4. Doreen Says:
   July 7th, 2009 at 8:25 am

   Really glad they signed Recchi, the young players need his influence and example, he’s the player you need on a team if you are serious about making the playoffs and winning, it’s 37 years overdue. The Kessel situation and all the news around it is disappointing, I would like to see the Bs sign Kess and at some point get rid of Bergeron, he’s been around longer, is older than Kess and has not lived up to his potential, granted he’s now concussion prone through no fault of his own, but still a mark against him. Kess played in more games, earned more points, had a better plus/minus and his player ranking speaks for itself. Sure he had bad games, but they all did. I’ve been a Bruins fan since the 1960’s and have seen a lot of disappointing, heart breaking player decisions made by the organization, let’s hope they can make this happen with Kess, from where I’m sitting he makes a difference when he takes the ice whereas Patrice is a liability and no fun to watch.

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