But no, he isn't sure how his name got there, or whether he'll be taking part in the event, which will begin May 20.

"I need to know more details before I commit," Recchi said yesterday. He added that his only knowledge of the tournament came from a brief conversation with Roenick during an NHL Players' Association meeting in Toronto two weeks ago.

"He just said they were going to get something together, because we don't know what's going to happen [with the NHL]," Recchi said. "I haven't talked to J.R. since then. ... I know the WHA is real eager about getting started."

The WHA plans to begin operations with a 10-team league in October, and hopes the tournament will spur fan interest. The event will feature six teams (three competing in Hamilton, Ontario, three in Vancouver, British Columbia) competing in localized round robins, followed by a one-game division championship and a best-of-five championship series.

The tournament will include some intriguing rules, such as having penalized players serve a full two minutes and placing no limits on how sticks can be curved, and the WHA Web site lists 60 players who purportedly plan to participate.

It should be noted that those 60 include Recchi, who is far from certain to play, and a double-listing of Brad Norton.

Recchi said that if he declines to participate, "they won't have a hard time replacing me," and expressed misgivings about money that will go to the players. The WHA Web site said there will be "$2 million in prize money" and each participant reportedly will receive $20,000, but Recchi said he feels this should not be a for-profit venture for his colleagues.

"I'm not too keen on part about getting paid," he said. "I'd rather it all go to charity. I want to do it for the right reasons. I don't want to do it for money."

Recchi, whose contract with the Penguins runs through 2006-07, has not played competitively since Philadelphia was eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs in May and said the appeal of taking part in the tournament would simply be "to play games."

He made it clear, though, that, regardless of whether he gets involved with the tournament, he has no interest in signing with the new league, regardless of how the NHL's labor dispute plays out.

"If you commit to the WHA, you'd have to commit for a year," Recchi said. "I'd never do that. I'd go over to Europe if I had to."