After practice, though, there was some positive news.
Mark Recchi, a veteran player who has stepped up in the face of this season's constant adversity, was nominated for the Masterton Trophy, honoring the player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."
The Future Hall of Famer, who has played with former winners such as Saku Koivu and Mario Lemieux (who both overcame cancer when they won), was honored to be nominated by the Boston chapter of the Professional Writers Association.
"If you can’t come to the rink and work hard every day — it’s an hour to two hours out of your day — who wouldn’t want to do that?" Recchi said after Wednesday's practice. "It’s awesome and it’s a privilege to play in the NHL. I love it. … When you see the guys that have won it that have been through a lot more than I have, then obviously it’s a privilege to be mentioned for this award, and hopefully, when it’s all said and done, there’s some young players that have learned from me and I’ve made a little bit of an impact somewhere."
There’s at least one young player in the Bruins dressing room who has been influenced by Recchi — his current linemate Milan Lucic. Lucic, who has been seen after many practices working on net-front presence and tip-ins with Recchi, is grateful for the time he has had to learn from the man known around the league as "the Recching Ball" for his tenacity and willingness to go to the net.
"There’s no question that he should be up for that award," Lucic said. "He comes to the rink, works hard every day, even though there’s a lot of 42-year-olds that don’t move like him. But he’s great. He’s a great leader. As a young guy, he’s someone you can look up to and even if you have a question, just to talk about anything, he’s there for you all the time.
"This year, when he’s moving up the goal ladder, it’s been fun to see, and when I’m done with my career, it will be cool to say, ‘I played with Mark Recchi.'"
Obviously, Lucic, 21, has a long way to go until the end of his career, but what about the 42-year old Recchi?
"I still feel great and it’s the end of the season," Recchi said. "I’m definitely leaning towards the other way [more] than I’m leaning toward retirement. We’ll see at the end of the year."
Recchi did hint that it may be hard for him to come back to Boston — not because he doesn’t want to, but because of the team’s salary cap issues.
"They’re handing out contracts left and right these days, so who knows?" Recchi said with a laugh.
Recchi has yet to discuss his future with Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, but he isn’t concerned about that now. Right now, the focus is on the best time of the year for any NHL player: the Stanley Cup playoffs. Recchi has won two Stanley Cups (with Pittsburgh in 1991 and Carolina in 2006) and he’s still enjoying the ride.
"I still have a lot of fun," Recchi said. "This time of year coming up here is what we ultimately play for, and I’m looking forward to it soon."
