Penguins' Recchi named NHL's top star

Mark Recchi's renaissance season continued Monday when the Pittsburgh Penguins' veteran winger was named the NHL's first star of the week.

Age — or playing with such young stars as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin — appears to be agreeing with Recchi. With his 39th birthday just days away, Recchi is showing no signs of slowing down.

The 17-year NHL veteran recorded his 500th career goal on Friday and collected three goals and three assists in two games last week.

Recchi, a one-time 53-goal scorer and two-time Stanley Cup winner, became the 38th player in league history to reach the 500-goal plateau when he scored in a 4-3 shootout win Friday over Dallas. He has 17 goals and 31 assists in 48 games this season.

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Fredrik Norrena and Edmonton Oilers winger Ryan Smyth were also honoured by the NHL last week, earning the second and third star respectively.

Norrena posted back-to-back wins last week with a 1.88 goals-against average and .949 save percentage. The 33-year-old Finn sports a 13-12-2 record in 31 games this season.

Smyth recorded two goals and three assists in two games last week — a 5-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks and 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

The six-foot-one-inch, 190-pound Smyth has 25 goals and 41 points in 40 games this season and is on pace for career highs in both categories.