Murphy’s Hockey Law Podcast Ep. 7 – Mark Recchi

Mark: “It’s incredible what type of person he was. He was truly a better person than he was as a hockey player. He exemplifies what a National Hockey League player should look like on and off the ice. He’s an incredible person; he was an incredible hockey player, obviously. He was just an amazing teammate, and he’s an amazing family guy as well. He deserves everything he is going to get, and he will be a first-time Hall of Fame ballot.”

2:45 – Mark shares what stood out about Patrice Bergeron when he was traded to Boston in 2009.

Mark: “Just his professionalism, his commitment to his teammates, and the game every day…it was incredible to be around…he was always there for you.”

4:50 – Mark tells a story from 2011 when Bergeron stepped up in the locker room for one of the first times to get the team going.

7:45 – Mark tells Jimmy that he is done with coaching and sticking to management jobs in the world of hockey now.

8:30 – Mark discusses how Bergeron became a day-to-day leader early in his career.

“Growing the confidence that he knows he’s a leader, and that was the really fun part for me, was watching that and experiencing that. Then just him taking that to the next level and obviously for 12 more years after we won; he’s everything a coach wants, everything a GM wants.” Mark said, “You try and find another one of those players. I mean, they’re not easy to find.”

11:00 – Jimmy and Mark discuss the qualities that Bergeron possesses and how a player like that makes a coach’s life easier.