Rene Bourque could sleep soundly Friday night, secure in the knowledge that he wouldn't have to wake up and face Joel (Wrecker) Rechlicz.

The Washington Capitals recalled Rechlicz from the AHL's Hershey Bears this week. Head coach Dale Hunter said it was part of move to make the slumping Capitals tougher and when Rechlicz was flexing his jaw muscles Wednesday, he suggested that he would try his tough-guy act against Bourque when the Caps and the Canadiens clash Saturday at the Bell Centre.

You might recall that the Capitals weren't happy when Bourque, who was playing for the Calgary Flames at the time, elbowed Nicklas Backstrom on Jan. 3. Backstrom is still on the sidelines with a concussion and it was a given that Washington would exact a measure of revenge after Bourque was traded to Montreal and the teams met on Jan.12.

It didn't quite work out the way the Capitals planned. On Bourque's first shift, he took the matter into his own hands and started trading punches with Matt Hendricks. Quite simply, Bourque won the fight.

But the prospect of Rechlicz taking a run at Bourque ended Friday when the Caps placed him on waivers for the purpose of returning him to the minors.

Bourque wasn't the only one who was spared some unpleasantness.

CBC and RDS may have been forced to run one of those warnings prior to Saturday's telecast of the Canadiens-Washington game. The one that says: The following program contains scenes of violence and coarse language, viewer discretion is advised.

The Super Bowl weekend matinées provide a chance for younger fans to watch a game and fathers won't have to explain why there's room on an NHL roster for someone whose lone talent is creating mayhem.

Rechlicz is a throwback to a bygone era in the National Hockey League, a pure goon who proved he couldn't play hockey in two stints with the Islanders. In 25 NHL games, he has been on the ice for 103 minutes and has spent 95 minutes in the penalty box.

Rechlicz, who leads the American Hockey League in penalty minutes and has 41 fights between the AHL and NHL over the past three seasons, seemed determined to avenge Backstrom when the subject was broached earlier this week.

"I heard it was a cheap shot," Rechlicz said. "Hopefully I'm in the lineup for that game."

Rechlicz went on to defend his role as a goon - I mean enforcer - by saying that he serves as a deterrent and keeps the opposition honest. The reality is that the 24-year-old is willing, as he showed when he had nine preseason and 22 regular-season fights when he was David Desharnais's teammate at Chicoutim in 2006-07, but he doesn't strike fear in the few remaining heavyweights in the NHL.

He's had a dozen fights in the NHL and his only notable win came against Riley Cote. Habs fans saw him beat up Tom Kostopoulos in 2009 but he had less success two weeks later against Georges Laracque. Rechlicz, who was trying to establish his street cred, challenged Laracque as they lined up for a faceoff.

Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Laracque and when Rechlicz persisted, Laracque landed a punch or two to the back of the head and Rechlicz went down.

phickey@ montrealgazette.com