Age factor not a problem for Boston Bruins’ 43-year-old Mark Rechhi
When it comes to the age factor between Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning, then two names that strike one’s mind are the two goalkeepers, Tim Thomas and Dwayne Roloson, respectively.
However, there is another player who is also the oldest player in the current Eastern Conference Finals, 43 years old, Mark Recchi.
The fact that he plays so much and is always in the team, he makes you think that he is young.
"You look at a guy like Rex and he is still having fun out there like a 19-year-old kid like me", Boston’s rookie, Tyler Seguin, said.
He has been absolutely brilliant in the playoffs and has consistently performed for Bruins over the past three years.
The amazing fact is that he was brought in as a result of a trade from Lightning in 2009. Ever since then, he has become an important part of the team and preferred even over the young players.
The thing that makes Recchi all the more important is the fact that he scores goals and creates chances for his teammates at crunch situations.
Although he hasn’t been able to get past the 20 goal mark with Bruins nor has he been able to pile up a total of 50 points, still he is a vital part of the team.
"When we did get him, he was more or less classified as a role player", Boston’s coach, Claude Julien, said. "But I think when he came in, he scored quite a few goals when he first showed up to us and was a real good player for us in the playoffs, a good
leader".
Recchi is a very good leader and has the ability to guide his team according to the situation it is put into.
The very first season of Bruins-Recchi era witnessed Bruins making its way into the playoffs.
Bruins got past Montreal Canadiens and the second round saw it up against Carolina Hurricanes.
Recchi was battling a stone in his kidney but still kept on playing even though he was in a lot of pain.
Recchi has a lot of knowledge about the game and his skills are still considered among the very best in the National Hockey League. With two Stanley Cup wins to his name, he certainly adds a lot of diversity and strength to the Bruins squad.
Bruins has finally made its way into the Conference Finals after almost 20 years and Recchi will surely play an important role if Bruins is to win this time out.
Younger players like Seguin will be looking for Recchi’s guidance and this will be Seguin’s first career playoff game.
Tags: