Columbus Blue Jackets hire Mark Recchi to fill assistant coaching vacancy
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Columbus Blue Jackets hire Mark Recchi to fill assistant coaching vacancy
FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017, file photo, Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Mark Recchi acknowledges fans after a video tribute honoring his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame was played during a timeout in an NHL hockey game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres in Pittsburgh. The New Jersey Devils have hired Recchi as an assistant coach, the team announced Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. Recchi joins new coach Lindy Ruff's staff after three seasons as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch·The Columbus Dispatch
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3 min read
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TheBlue Jackets' coaching staff is complete again.
Recchi, 55, is a former NHL forward who starred for seven teams and was inducted in 2017 into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Following his playing career, Recchi spent parts of 10 seasons with theDallas Stars,Pittsburgh PenguinsandNew Jersey Devils, including six years as a bench assistant with the latter two.
"Mark Recchi has been part of the National Hockey League for over three decades and brings an incredible amount of experience to our staff," Vincent said in a statement. "He is a hall-of-fame player who won three Stanley Cup championships, which combined with his coaching experience will make him a great resource for our players. We are excited to have him in Columbus."
2017 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees, from left, Teemu Selanne, Mark Recchi, Paul Kariya, Jeremy Jacobs, Danielle Goyette and Dave Andreychuk put pucks in the air during a new conference in Toronto, Friday, Nov. 10, 2017. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
Recchi was a seven-time NHL All-Star, including the 1997 MVP of the All-Star game.
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He finished his career with 577 goals, 956 assists and 1,533 points in 1,652 games. Recchi also amassed 1,033 penalty minutes while playing for the Penguins,Philadelphia Flyers,Montreal Canadiens,Carolina Hurricanes,Atlanta Thrashers,Tampa Bay LightningandBoston Bruins. He won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh (1991), Carolina (2006) and Boston (2011), making Recchi in 2011 the eighth player in the NHL's modern era to win it three times with different teams.
"Mark adds a wealth of knowledge as a player and a coach, both in development and as an assistant, to our group that will be instrumental in helping our organization grow on and off the ice," Vincent said in the statement. "His expertise in the offensive zone and on the power play, specifically, will be a huge benefit for our club."
Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Vincent would pick his replacement and the new coach's goal was to find an assistant to fully take over his former responsibilities. Vincent was also looking for the right personality to mesh with the rest of his staff ― including assistants Steve McCarthy (defensemen/penalty kill),Nicklas Backstrom(goalies) andJared Boll(skill development).
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"The way I've always done it and enjoy doing it is I give the power-play guy total control, the (penalty kill) guy total control to present, to prepare, to pre-scout (and) to teach," Vincent said last week. "But we're going to do everything as a team."
That includes a staff that challenges each other's strategies on a regular basis.
"We're going to be challenging all the time," Vincent said. "So … power play's going to be taught by one guy and the PK, (McCarthy) will take care of it, but it's going to be done by the whole group. We're all going to work on it."
