Recchi knows winning

From The Daily News of Wednesday, March 19, 2008 . . .

Mark Recchi, one of the Kamloops Blazers’ five co-owners, knows something
about winning.
His resumé includes the 1989 Turner Cup title with the IHL’s Muskegon
Lumberjacks, Stanley Cup championships in 1990 and 2006 with the NHL’s
Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes, a World Junior Championship
gold medal in 1988 and world championship gold in 1997.
So when Recchi talks about what it takes to be successful in playoff hockey,
people tend to sit up straight and pay attention.
“You have to have 20 guys. . . . you have to have 20 guys who believe,”
Recchi said Tuesday before he and the Atlanta Thrashers took to the ice
against the Flyers in Philadelphia. “You have to have 20 guys . . . you have
to have 20 guys who believe. If there are two or three guys who doubt in
that dressing room, it’s going to be tough to be successful.
“They ultimately are going to be the ones who let the team down.”
Recchi’s thoughts are rather pertinent, what with his Blazers, the Western
Conference’s eighth seed, being huge underdogs in a WHL first-round series
against the No. 1 Tri-City Americans. That series opens with Games 1 and 2
on Friday and Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., before returning to Kamloops for
games Tuesday and Wednesday.
Recchi’s experiences have shown him that if everyone on the roster isn’t
pulling in the same direction success isn’t going to follow.
“That is a big problem . . . a big problem,” he said. “If you don’t have
everybody in it together and believing what they can get done and wanting to
do the right things . . . once you get in the playoffs it takes another huge
step and you have to be wanting to do what you never thought your body could
do.
“You have to sacrifice certain things. There are nights you just don’t feel
good and you have to find a way to be good for your teammates. If you can’t,
you’re just not going to be successful.”
Asked if the rewards are worth the sacrifice, Recchi replied: “Oh gosh, is
it ever . . . is it ever.”
Recchi said that regular-season games can’t begin to compare to the playoffs
in intensity.
“In the playoffs you just see guys’ faces after the games,” Recchi said. “A
couple of years ago in Carolina, you see their faces after the games . . .
they were just drained. And then you get a day in between and you’ve got to
find a way to build it up again.”
The playoff run, he said, “is the ultimate feeling. That’s what we’ve played
hockey our whole life for. It’s the ultimate feeling of, ‘I didn’t let my
teammates down and we were there together.’ ”
Playoff games, he added, are all about the old cliché — one shift at a time.
“Yes, that’s an old cliché but, honestly, if you’re not totally exhausted by
the end of the game in playoffs then you’re not focused,” he explained.
“Your mind can’t wander at all. Because if you get beat that one shift by
the guy across from you that could cost your team the game. That could be
it. That could be the one crappy shift you have because you weren’t focused
or you thought you were tired. Whatever. Then you’re not going to be
successful.
“You could be the reason that game is lost.”
Recchi said that if the Blazers are to have any success against the
Americans they are going to have to strengthen the relationships in the
dressing room.
“There’s a huge sacrifice by you and your teammates,” he said. “You have to
look at the guy next to you and go, ‘I’m not going to let you down.’ ”
Recchi recognizes that the Blazers, who finished with 50 fewer points than
the Americans, will be the largest of underdogs. But he also pointed out
that there is one area in which Kamloops can compete with Tri-City.
“Goaltending is key in any playoff series,” Recchi said, “and I like our
goaltending. Justin (Leclerc) has really stepped up the last month. We’ve
got three good goalies, but obviously Leclerc is the guy. That’s where it
starts. (As a teammate), you should have confidence that he is going to keep
you involved.”
Recchi began this season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, was waived and signed
with the Thrashers. He has 34 points, including 24 assists, in 46 games with
Atlanta, after picking up eight points in 19 games with Pittsburgh.
And he feels comfortable enough with his game that he wants to play again
next season.
“Yeah, I do,” said Recchi, who turned 40 on Feb. 1. “I’ve done pretty well
point-wise but that doesn’t always tell the tale. I think I’ve really helped
them in different areas but they really need some leadership. They need a
lot more than just me.”
The Thrashers are 31-36-8 and 12 points out of a playoff spot, thanks
primarily to their having allowed an NHL-worst 249 goals. They lost 3-2 to
the Flyers last night.
JUST NOTES: After taking Monday off, the Blazers returned to the ice at
Interior Savings Centre on Tuesday. They will practise again today and skate
Thursday morning before leaving for Kennewick. . . . WHL commissioner Ron
Robison is scheduled to attend Game 1 in Kennewick and present the Scotty
Munro Memorial Trophy to the Americans. It goes to the regular-season
champions. . . . The Blazers Booster Club is running a fan bus to Kennewick
for Games 1 and 2. The $250 cost includes two nights in a hotel. Call Pat
Moore at 579-0124 to book a seat.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca