Flyers' History: Should Mark Recchi be inducted into Flyers Hall of Fame?

Sawdalite

SelectLouNolan4PFHoF
Apr 5, 2009
8,574
805
Frost-Bite Fails Minnesota

Not only should he be... but it is a crime that he wasn't a long time ago.

He spent a lot of Seasons in O&B and has great all-time Stats--including most Points in a Season--plus he is in the HHoF, and must be considered more than the other Flyers in it who spent only a Season and a fraction here or less, like Foppa, Coffey, etc. Are... He was a solid fixture here for two extended Tours.

If Rex is not the next Selection for the PFHoF, they should be ashamed of themselves, IMO... An olive branchshoud be extended, like with Lindros, and he should be Inducted next Season while the Pens are visiting.
 

Sawdalite

SelectLouNolan4PFHoF
Apr 5, 2009
8,574
805
Frost-Bite Fails Minnesota
No. He wanted to be in Pittsburgh. No Penguins in our HOF.

FWIW... Recchi had stated while in O&B that he wanted to retire as a Flyer and had planned to settle down in Haddonfield IIRC... During the Lockout, GM Clarke was unsure of what the new NHL climate would be and Recchi's Contract was ending. Clarke was able to sign Primeau for $5M, which was a ridiculously low amount coming off his career PostSeason--the NHLPA was reportedly upset with Primeau for not working out a higher deal--The GM made some ridiculously low offers to some other Players, who walked away... and told Recchi that he would make him an Offer once the dust settled and he had a handle on how the NHL Cost Structure would be.

In the mean time the Penguins made an Offer to him in order to convince him to move... He could not say say, and he left, never to return. I believe that he got his feelings hurt, and things were never good between Recchi and the Organization since that day.

I don't believe he wanted to be in Pittsburgh, even though his wife was from there, and her family still lived there... If we and the Organization could mend fences with Lindros, I believe we/they could and should also with Recchi... As car as I'm aware, Rex has never stated anything bad about the Flyers and the Flyers Fans.

His not being in the PFHoF is really ridiculous when you look at his Stats with the Flyers... and his two Terms in O&B... and there really is no reason for hard feelings of which I am aware.
 
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Sawdalite

SelectLouNolan4PFHoF
Apr 5, 2009
8,574
805
Frost-Bite Fails Minnesota
Recchi was a good player here but his great years and accomplishment were elsewhere. His greatest contribution to the flyers was what we got back when we traded him

FWIW

Flyers
10 yrs
602 GP
232 Goals
395 Assists
627 Points
+43 +/-

Penguins
7
389
154
231
385
-41

Habs
5
346
120
202
322
+23

Bruins
3
180
42
65
107
+14

Canes
1
4
3
7
-8

Thrashers
1
53
12
28
40
-16

Bolts
1
62
13
32
45
-15

NHL TOTALS
22
1,652
577
956
1,533
0


... Granted, his Cups came elsewhere... but the great majority of his stats occurred in O&B... and as an Offensive/two-way Player, his time as a Flyer covered the greatest portion... his Journeyman years were of course elsewhere.
 
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Here4ThaLids

“Sunshine has always been our enemy.”
Sep 28, 2018
3,084
8,714
Recchi was a good player here but his great years and accomplishment were elsewhere. His greatest contribution to the flyers was what we got back when we traded him
I ultimately think you're right here, because, of course, wow! But there's a little more if we dig deeper. I qualify as a Recchi h8er, by which I mean I probably would be posting a weekly schtick comment about him were he still playing, but he was really quite good for the Flyers in both stints and easy to cheer for. A few points in his favor:
  • In his first stint Mark was an All-Star, a PPG player who played in every game. He led the team in scoring in 92-93 (and still holds the franchise record for scoring, right?) and 93-94.
  • By the time of his second stint we had ice time statistics, and by then he was getting 20-22 minutes per game on average, decreasing to 17-18 by that lockout, and was similarly durable (with one season the exception when he missed 13 games).
  • In that second stint with the Flyers he led the team in scoring in 99-00 (with 91 pts, LeClair next with 77, injured Lindros next with 59) and 00-01, was third in 01-02 (but only three points off the lead), second in 02-03 (with only 52 on a stacked team), and led the team again in 03-04 (75 pts, next highest was 58).
  • These numbers seem much lower because of the play style changes and better goaltending, contra the inflation that leads all newcomers to immediately label Gretzky and Lemieux the best two scorers of all time. Recchi was a reliable scorer in a supremely defensive era.
  • He only made the playoffs with the Flyers in the second go-round, and the numbers aren't as good as we'd like, but there's a little consolation there: when he wasn't scoring, the rest of the team was also being strangled (and often allowed to be strangled -- very painful memories). Cold comfort.
  • A really legit threat on the power play, maybe close to elite even in the time of demigods, usually in the area we have more or less ceded during the time of Jake's Muffin -- a left-handed shot sniping from between the goal line and right circle. Maybe Richards was the last?
  • My memories of his early years are of a bold young player, a little run-and-gun, but he developed into a reliable defensive player under Hitch. He had to, of course, it was sink or swim. Even got a few odd Selke votes here and there, though I don't think he was quite good enough to deserve them.
  • Had a lot of really timely goals that aren't much remembered today, playoffs, late game, equalizers. A triple overtime snipe in Toronto. We can argue about how much or little "clutch" is a thing, but Mark definitely wasn't one to shrink under pressure.
He's a confirmed smartass and there's always been a vague reputation of conspiracy and Iago whispers, but the tag of 'coach killer' hasn't stuck. His contemporaries seem to think he was a great teammate, and the Dr. Recchi stuff can be interpreted in that way.

Generally I feel the team HoF inductions should be saved for down years (as gimmicks / fan enticement), and with a decade of likely playoff appearances looming, Rex can wait -- at least as long as Mark Howe had to. But I'll probably be happy when he does get in. And still clamoring for him to get an orange-and-black tramp stamp.
 
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Foggy14

Registered User
Sep 13, 2017
1,902
5,735
Pass. Guy didnt even mention us at his HoF speech. Hes a Penguin at heart despite his time here.


tenor.gif
 

Sawdalite

SelectLouNolan4PFHoF
Apr 5, 2009
8,574
805
Frost-Bite Fails Minnesota
Penguin at heart. Don't care what his numbers here were.

Rod Brind'Amour isn't and wasn't Cane at heart?

When you honestly analyze Rex and Rod, their situations is strikingly similar... if anything, skewed to Rod being a Cane--both won Cups elsewhere, both now in other Coaching Positions--Yet, Brindy was widely accepted as PFHoF worthy... Rex not accepted by some Flyers Fans...Not clearly following this, when looking at Facts and fairness. Politics involved in the works on this maybe?
 
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