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Recchi, Bruins agree to deal

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The Associated Press

Published: July 3, 2009

BOSTON - Mark Recchi joined the Boston Bruins hoping to win his fourth Stanley Cup ring. He decided to stay to take another shot at it.

The NHL's sixth-leading active goal scorer signed a one-year deal Thursday to return to the Bruins.

The 41-year-old Recchi, obtained in a March 4 trade from Tampa Bay, said four days after the Bruins were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs that he might retire if they didn't offer him a contract.

"He was of the mind that he had such a wonderful experience that if the club would like him to come back, he'd consider it," Recchi's agent, Richard Curran, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "He wanted to come back and finish what they started."

The Bruins acquired Recchi as they tried to improve for the stretch drive. Boston ended up with the best record in the Eastern Conference but lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in a seven-game, second-round series.

Recchi has been part of three Stanley Cup-winning teams - Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992 and Carolina in 2006. He has 545 goals and 897 assists for 1,442 points in 1,490 regular-season games for seven clubs. He had six goals and 10 assists in 18 regular-season games with Boston.

Curran thought Recchi might have kept playing even if the Bruins didn't bring him back.

BLACKHAWKS: Signed center John Madden to a one-year deal. He has spent his entire 10-year career with the Devils.

COYOTES: Signed free agent defenseman Adrian Aucoin (Flames) to a one-year contract.

DEVILS: Signed forward Ilkka Pikkarainen, who was drafted by New Jersey in 2002 but played with HIFK Helsinki in Finland the last three seasons.

HURRICANES: Re-signed forward Chad LaRose to a $3.4 million, two-year deal.

MAPLE LEAFS: Re-signed forward Mikhail Grabovski to an $8.7 million, three-year deal.

PANTHERS: Defenseman Jordan Leopold, acquired in the deal that sent the rights to defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to Calgary, signed a one-year contract.

STARS: Signed free agent defenseman Karlis Skrastins (Panthers) to a two-year deal worth 2.75 million.

THRASHERS: Signed free agent forward Nik Antropov (Rangers) to a four-year, $16 million contract, and re-signed forward Chris Thorburn.

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