While the announcement that Martin St. Louis will have his interim tag removed and new contract announced most likely after the playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens still have a hole to fill behind the bench. According to Jimmy Murphy from Montreal Hockey Now, former Canadiens winger and Hall of Famer Mark Recchi is on a shortlist to become an assistant coach with his former team.
For @MTLhockeynow:
— MurphysLaw74 (@MurphysLaw74) May 21, 2022
Could #GoHabsGo call on former Canadiens winger and coaching free agent Mark Recchi to help their struggling powerplay? https://t.co/xlLn6TKwC0
Recchi is rumored to also be on the shortlist of the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars, all teams who are looking for a new power play coach. The Canadiens finished 31st out of 32 on the power play last season with 13.7%. Only the Philadelphia Flyers did worse with 12.6%. The Toronto Maple Leafs led the league with 27.3%.
Assistant coach Alex Burrows was put in charge of the powerplay but unfortunately hasn’t found the secret for success. The Canadiens finished 18th in the league in 2020-21 with 19.2%, which was a small increase from the previous year.
The Canadiens’ power play woes are nothing new. The team also finished second to last in 2018-19 with 13.2% and finished 22nd in 19-20 with 17.7%.
Recchi has been assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils the past two seasons. After retiring as a member of the Boston Bruins in 2011, Recchi became assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017 and remained with the team until the end of the 2019-20 season.
A long, successful and windy NHL career
The Hall of Famer has 1652 career games as a player in which he scored 577 goals and 956 assists for 1533 points.
Drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 4th round of the 1988 NHL Draft, Recchi would suit up for Pittsburgh for parts of 4 seasons before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1992 along with Brian Benning and a 1st round pick in return for Kjell Samuelsson, Rick Tocchet and Ken Wregget. The Penguins would end up winning the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive season.
Almost three years later to the day, Recchi would be traded to the Montreal Canadiens along with a third round pick. Going Philadelphia’s way was a king’s ransom consisting of Eric Desjardins, John LeClair and Gilbert Dionne.
Recchi was quickly loved by Montreal fans but his time in La Belle Province came to an end in 1999 as the team traded him at the trade deadline back to Philadelphia, in return for Dainius Zubrus, as well as a 2nd round pick in 1999 (Matt Carkner) and a 6th round pick in 2000.
The Kamloops, BC native would sign again with the Penguins after the 2004-05 lockout as a free agent. After 63 games the Penguins would trade Recchi to the Carolina Hurricanes for Niklas Nordgren, Krys Kolanos and a 2007 2nd round pick. He would sign back with Pittsburgh in the offseason.
During the 2007-08 season, Recchi was inexplicably put on waivers and subsequently claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers. He would then sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the offseason.
Once again, 62 games into the season, Recchi would get traded but this time to the Boston Bruins Also going Tampa Bay’s way was a second round pick in the 2010 draft and in return the Bolts would receive Martins Karsums and Matt Lashoff.
Mark Recchi is a seven time All-Star and won the Stanley Cup three times: In 1991 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes and in 2011 with the Boston Bruins. He also sits 8th all time in games played with 1652.
Want your voice heard? Join the A Winning Habit team!