Mark Recchi had great things to say about Patrice Bergeron

Mark Recchi and Patrice Bergeron were teammates for parts of three NHL seasons, but Bergeron left a mark on the hockey legend.

"He's finally getting the recognition he really deserves," said Recchi after the alumni game. "He's a special guy. He's a special player. To me, he's one of the top players in the NHL."

Recchi is one of the game's greats, so you'd think his hockey-playing son would have a great guy to look up to in his old man. However, Recchi advised him to look elsewhere as well.

"I tell my son, if you want to watch a guy, that's who you watch," said Recchi. "He's his favorite player now."

Recchi went on to praise Bergeron's leadership abilities.

"To me, he's everything what a leader should be," he said. "He comes to practice every day, he's a great teammate, and to me, I think he's a great example of how you win championships."

We're spoiled here to see how great Bergeron has been for so long, but when one hears things like that from a guy of Mark Recchi's stature, it's easy to gain a new appreciation for Bergeron's greatness all over again.