Recchi proved he was still capable of contributing on the scoresheet, finishing fifth on the team with 48 points in the regular season and sixth in playoff scoring with 14 points. He even threw his 43-year-old body around with abandon, racking up 81 hits in the regular season and 44 more in the playoffs.
But Recchi’s greatest contribution to the Bruins’ first championship in 39 years was the leadership, experience and wisdom he brought to the club on and off the ice throughout a season that forced the Bruins to overcome a wide range of challenges en route to the title.
“Everyone that has been around the team has seen the impact he’s had on our young players and the team itself in the dressing room,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said during the Cup Final. “He’s really been a great leader.”
Replacing the goals and assists Recchi provided shouldn’t be too daunting a challenge with Tyler Seguin expected to take on a bigger role, Rich Peverley with the Bruins for a full season and Jordan Caron looking to secure a full-time job in Boston. Replacing the little things Recchi excelled at on the ice, the net-front presence, the timely goals and the hits when the club needed a wakeup call will be tougher to do. But this Bruins roster is filled with players who thrive on finding ways to add all those little elements that add up to winning hockey.
Replacing Recchi as a leader and a mentor for the youngsters on the team, though? That task just may be impossible.
“I don’t think you can replace Mark Recchi,” Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said after the season. “He’s brought so much to this team. So I’m not going to try to replace Rex because you can’t. There will be elements that certain players can bring or help in that leadership role. But I’m also comfortable going into the year without having replaced that element.”
There were veterans with resumes similar to Recchi’s available in free agency. John Madden had won three Cups and could still contribute a limited checking role while supplying some leadership. Jason Arnott, Jamie Langenbrunner and Chris Drury were other free agents on the market with Cup rings to add weight to their words inside a locker room.
But Chiarelli resisted the temptation to try to catch lightning in a bottle again with another veteran at the end of his career. The Bruins GM had spent too much time assembling just the right mix of complementary talents and personalities to risk upsetting that chemistry now.
“I feel that our group is quite strong and the younger guys have started to take the bulls by the horns,” Chiarelli said. “So I’m comfortable going in, seeing how the leadership unfolds and then if we have to bolster that later I will do that, but I’m not going to rush out and try to fill it. I have to be careful how we add to this chemistry.”
Instead, in many ways Chiarelli is relying on Recchi to remain the club’s guiding force. Recchi won’t be there in person to help keep Brad Marchand’s emotions in check and offer new pearls of wisdom to Seguin. The Bruins will just have to hope that the lessons he already taught those players and the rest of the roster will stick with them, and that his teachings will remain long after Recchi has moved on to his next challenge in life.
“What we do feel is that the team has grown as a result of the experiences they’ve had over the past three years and obviously with winning the Cup,” Chiarelli said. “So I’m not rushing out to get that person. And that characteristic may be in a forward or a D that we [already] have, but I’m also prepared to go without that type of player because I do feel strongly about our group.”
Even without Recchi, the Bruins have no shortage of leaders. Zdeno Chara has more than answered the critics who questioned his abilities as a captain, and was recognized for his efforts when he won the Mark Messier Leadership Award. Patrice Bergeron has emerged as a vocal and emotional leader both on the ice and in the room. Shawn Thornton certainly isn’t shy about expressing his views, and now has the weight of two Stanley Cup rings behind him. Chris Kelly was added at the deadline in part because of his gritty leadership, and that should come to the fore more this season now that he has been with the team throughout its playoff run.
There might not be another Recchi in this group, but there are 29 other teams in the league that don’t have a guy like Recchi on their rosters, either. And Chiarelli is confident that the leadership that remains in place is more than capable of keeping the club focused on the challenges ahead as the Bruins try to defend their crown.
NESN.com Bruins beat writer Douglas Flynn will be answering one question facing the Bruins this offseason each day until Aug. 8.
Sunday, July 17: Will the Bruins’ home success in the playoffs carry over to the 2011-12 season?
Tuesday, July 19: Can the Bruins finally get the power play going?
