When the Penguins took Mark Recchi in the fourth round of 1988 Entry Draft, it was hardly a lock he’d make the team, let alone go on to a Hall-of-Fame career.
Generously listed at 5’10” and 185 pounds, he was passed over by the 21 NHL teams—including the Pens—not once, but three times.
Too small, the scouts whispered.
The rejections made Recchi all the more determined to succeed.
“I wanted to prove I could play no matter what size I was. And that sometimes the heart is bigger than how tall you are,” he said.