Recchi ready to build relationships with CBJ players

Mark Recchi had some plans for this season if the phone had never buzzed.

The Hockey Hall of Famer and 22-year veteran of the game, owner of the eighth-most games skated in NHL history and three Stanley Cup rings, was going to do some television work for the Pittsburgh Penguins and NHL Network. There was also the chance to work behind the scenes for the Penguins front office as well.

But what he’s going to do now will be a lot more fun. With the Blue Jackets’ recent elevation of Pascal Vincent to head coach, there was an opening to coach the forwards and the power play on staff, and Recchi became the choice of Vincent and the CBJ front office.

A whirlwind courtship culminated Monday with Recchi being hired, and he was on the ice and behind the bench just a day later as the Blue Jackets practiced and then played an exhibition game Tuesday.

“You’re trying to keep your name out there, and this (opportunity) was awesome,” he said. “It happened really quick, and I’m excited to be here and really excited to be in Columbus. Everybody raves about the city. I played here a ton, so I know what the crowd is like and the atmosphere. It’s a great place to play. I’m really excited to be here and be a part of it.”

From the Blue Jackets perspective, Recchi fit the bill in a lot of ways. While he and Vincent didn’t know one another personally, Recchi did play with current CBJ defensive assistant Steve McCarthy and former head coach Brad Larsen in Atlanta, and he also remembers lining up against CBJ staffers Jared Boll and Derek Dorsett.

So there was a piece of familiarity there, and Vincent was drawn to Recchi because of his experience, including those 22 years of on-ice service but also 10 as a staff member in Dallas, Pittsburgh and New Jersey.

Recchi started as a senior advisor with the Stars in 2012-13 – two seasons after he won his final Stanley Cup in Boston – and then spent three years as a development coach with the Penguins and three more by the side of Mike Sullivan as an assistant. Recchi’s most recent job was in New Jersey, where he spent two seasons as an assistant.

A long chat about Recchi with Sullivan when the Blue Jackets and Penguins played a home-and-home set of games Sunday helped the new CBJ head coach decide he had the right man.

“We created a profile, and the one thing for me that was important was we needed somebody that has some gray hair – meaning he has some mileage,” Vincent said. “We know where we are. We have a young staff. We wanted somebody that has been through the trenches. And a guy like Mark Recchi has been a player for 1,600 games, won Stanley Cups.

“I spoke to Mike Sullivan for quite some time because he was in Pittsburgh, and I wanted to know his perception and his vision, and he said (Recchi) was amazing. Just a great human being. He’s humble, he knows the game, but most important to me, he’s been in those players’ shoes.”

Indeed, it does help that Recchi filled just about every job you could in the NHL on the way to skating in 1,652 regular season games and 189 more playoff contests. A native of Kamloops, British Columbia, he debuted in the NHL with the Penguins in 1988-89 and quickly became a star in Pittsburgh, serving as a key piece of the Stanley Cup-winning team in 1990-91 when he posted 113 regular-season points and 34 more in the postseason.

By the end of his playing career in Boston, he was not quite the same point producer, though his 14-34-48 line in 81 games that season was still pretty impressive at age 43. At that point a role player helping such names as Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron and Nathan Horton, he adjusted his game to be someone who added veteran leadership as much as he did offense.

And when it comes to leadership, Recchi proved it year after year, wearing an “A” on his sweater for 13 seasons on four different teams. Add it all up and the belief is Recchi can relate to just about everyone on the CBJ roster under his stewardship.

“I definitely think I can help them,” Recchi said. “I was in their position, so I understand. And as I got older, I changed to more of a role player, almost like another extension of the coaching staff. I think it’s important that I share those with the guys. We just have to build relationships with them. I communicate very well. I’m very positive. I think it’s important that you’re positive with these players, it’s important that you communicate with them.

“I have (six) kids, and they range from 25 down to 11, so I understand kids as well, and I think that’s important. Working with the generation of kids today, I’m able to adapt to that and learn from that as well.”

To that end, Recchi was seen chatting with a number of different Blue Jackets players throughout his first practice, including an extended chat with Patrik Laine. Given his accomplishments, the line of CBJ players looking to chat with Recchi was extensive, and the coach can’t wait to continue to build relationships and a winning culture.

“(The players) seem to be real excited,” Recchi said. “(Rookie Adam) Fantilli just brought in a picture – when he was 8 years old, I got a picture with him. I’m like, ‘Oh man, I feel really old.’ But it’s exciting for me. It’s my first day and I'm getting my feet wet here with the guys, and I had fun out there at practice. Now it’s just building relationships with everybody, and that takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight, but that’s what I enjoy. I enjoy working with these guys and trying to help them become the players that they want to be and even get to another level.”