Recchin' ball waived, fans get bobbleheads.

On Monday night, Penguins fans in attendance for their 3-1 win over Phoenix received a Mark Recchi bobblehead doll in commemoration of Recchi's 500th NHL goal (which was scored last season). The 39-year old two-time Cup winner was a healthy scratch, as he had been for seven of the last eight games.
Recchi has had a less than spectacular season, amassing just eight (2/6) points in 19 games. On Tuesday morning, the Pens placed Recchi on waivers. Nobody made a move.

Some sentimental fans around here wanted to see the return of the Rechhin' ball, but Jim Rutherford wasn't at all interested in picking up the balance of a $1.75M salary for a guy who wouldn't have a place on the Canes roster.

There was some bitter irony to the fact that Recchi's career has most likely come to an end one night after his team gave away bobbleheads in his likeness. Or maybe it's fitting. You tell me.

Oddly, this wasn't the first time the Penguins have been involved in a bobblehead SNAFU.

March 6, 2003 was Alexei Kovalev bobblehead doll night. Carolina was the unruly visitor that night and Jeff O'Neill was the game's first star in a 4-0 shutout win over the slumping Penguins. It may have been Alexei Kovalev bobblehead night, but the problem was that he had been traded to the Rangers on February 10. Rather than cancel the promotion and "disappoint fans who bought tickets in anticipation of getting the souvenirs", they went ahead with it and distributed the obsolete gifts.

Of course the Penguins have had dozens of promotional souvenir nights that went off without a hitch, but these two are kinda funny.