Editing Rick Middleton

{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player (born 1953)}}
{{For|the American football player|Rick Middleton (American football)}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| image = rickmiddleton.jpg
| image_size = 230px
| caption = Middleton in 2010
| played_for = [[New York Rangers]]<br> [[Boston Bruins]]
| position = [[Winger (ice hockey)|Right wing]]
| shoots = Right
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 11
| weight_lb = 175
| ntl_team = Canada
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|12|4|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada
| draft = 14th overall
| draft_year = 1973
| draft_team = [[New York Rangers]]
| wha_draft = 21st overall
| wha_draft_year = 1973
| wha_draft_team = [[Minnesota Fighting Saints]]
| career_start = 1974
| career_end = 1988
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Country | {{ih|CAN}} }}
{{Medal|Sport | [[Ice hockey]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Canada Cup (ice hockey)|Canada Cup]]}}
{{Medal|Gold | [[1984 Canada Cup|1984 Canada]] |}}
{{Medal|Silver | [[1981 Canada Cup|1981 Canada]] |}}
}}

'''Richard David "Nifty" Middleton''' (born December 4, 1953) is a [[Canadians|Canadian]] former professional [[ice hockey]] player for the [[New York Rangers]] and [[Boston Bruins]] of the [[National Hockey League]].

==Playing career==
As a youth, Middleton played in the 1966 [[Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament]] with a [[minor ice hockey]] team from [[Wexford, Toronto]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.publicationsports.com/ressources/files/439/Joueurs_Pro.pdf|title=Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA|year=2018|website=Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament|access-date=2019-01-06}}</ref>

A right winger, Middleton was drafted in the first round, 14th overall, by the Rangers in the [[1973 NHL Amateur Draft]] after a glittering [[junior hockey|junior]] career with the [[Oshawa Generals]] in which he led his league in scoring his final year and was named to the league's Second All-Star Team. He spent the [[1973–74 NHL season|1973–74 season]] with the Rangers' farm team, the [[American Hockey League|AHL]] [[Providence Reds]], earning rookie of the year honors and being named to the AHL's First All-Star Team.

Middleton made the big club during the [[1974–75 NHL season|1974–75 season]], and despite suffering injuries that restricted him to 47 games, scored 22 goals in that limited time. The following season was not as spectacular, as he scored 24 goals in 77 games while showing defensive deficiencies.

Middleton was traded to the Boston Bruins for [[Ken Hodge]] on May 26, 1976. Rangers head coach and general manager [[John Ferguson Sr.]] was confident that his team had enough young talent to justify making Middleton expendable. What the Bruins got was a player who was ten years younger and a swifter skater than Hodge.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/05/27/archives/rangers-acquire-hodge-of-bruins-for-middleton-rangers-get-bruins.html|title=Rangers Acquire Hodge Of Bruins for Middleton|last=Eskenazi|first=Gerald|date=May 27, 1976|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 29, 2018}}</ref> The transaction became even more one-sided in favor of the Bruins when head coach [[Don Cherry (ice hockey)|Don Cherry]] developed Middleton's defensive skills to make him a solid two-way player.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/15/sports/rick-middleton-s-new-priority.html|title=Rick Middleton's New Priority|last=Moran|first=Malcolm|date=January 15, 1983|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 19, 2018}}</ref> Hodge played only a single season more before his career ended, while Middleton became a star in Boston, scoring a hat trick in his first game as a Bruin (October 7, 1976 versus Minnesota) and nearly nine hundred points in a Bruins uniform over the next twelve years. Generally paired with centre [[Barry Pederson]], Middleton had five straight seasons of at least forty goals and ninety points and led the Bruins to perennial glittering records. His leadership was apparent in being named [[captain (ice hockey)|co-captain]] (with [[Ray Bourque]]) to succeed [[Terry O'Reilly]] in 1985, a position he held until he retired, wearing the "C" during home games. Middleton was regarded as one of the best one-on-one players of all time {{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} and currently ranks second all time in career shooting percentage (19.7) among players with 400+ goals.

His best season was the [[1981–82 NHL season|1981–82 season]], during which Middleton scored a career high 51 goals, won the [[Lady Byng Trophy]] for excellence and sportsmanship, and was named to the NHL's Second All-Star Team. The following season, Middleton led the Bruins to the league's best regular season record, and set unbroken records that year for the most points scored in the playoffs by a player not advancing to the finals (33) and for a single playoff series (19, in the quarterfinals against Buffalo). His 105 points in the [[1983–84 NHL season|1983–84 season]] tied Ken Hodge's team record for most points scored in a season by a right winger, and remains unbroken.

Middleton scored 25 shorthanded goals for Boston—a Bruins' team record that was surpassed by [[Brad Marchand]] in 2018–19. Middleton had held the club record for more than 30 years since overtaking [[Derek Sanderson]]'s record of 24.

Middleton also starred in international play, being named to play for [[Canada men's national ice hockey team|Team Canada]] in the [[Canada Cup (ice hockey)|Canada Cup]] in [[1981 Canada Cup|1981]] and [[1984 Canada Cup|1984]]. Teamed on the top line with [[Wayne Gretzky]] and [[Michel Goulet]] in the 1984 series, he scored four goals and four assists in seven games. Further, Middleton played in the [[NHL All-Star Game]] in 1981, 1982 and 1984.

At the time of his retirement following the 1987-88 season, Middleton ranked third on the Boston Bruins' all-time regular-season scoring list (trailing only [[Johnny Bucyk]] and [[Phil Esposito]]) with 402 goals and 496 assists for 898 points--10 more than [[Bobby Orr]] accumulated. As of the end of the 2020-21 season, Middleton was in fifth spot, having been overtaken on the list by both [[Raymond Bourque]] and [[Patrice Bergeron]].

Middleton's 100 playoff points for Boston puts him in a sixth-place tie with Bucyk on the club's all-time list.

On November 29, 2018 the [[Boston Bruins]] retired Middleton's #16 before a game against the [[New York Islanders]] at [[TD Garden]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/bruins/news/bruins-to-retire-rick-middletons-number-16-jersey/c-299638504|title=Bruins To Retire Rick Middleton's Number 16 Jersey|website=NHL.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-31}}</ref>

== Awards, honors and achievements ==
*Won [[Red Tilson Trophy]] ([[Ontario Hockey League|OHL]] Most Outstanding Player) in [[1972–73 OHA season|1973]].
*Won [[Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award]] ([[American Hockey League|AHL]] Rookie of the Year) in [[1973–74 AHL season|1974]].
*Named to the [[American Hockey League|AHL]] First All-Star Team in [[1973–74 AHL season|1974]].
*[[List of Boston Bruins award winners|Seventh Player Award]] — [[1978–79 Boston Bruins season|1979]]
*[[List of Boston Bruins award winners|Elizabeth C. Dufresne Trophy]] — [[1978–79 Boston Bruins season|1979]], [[1980–81 Boston Bruins season|1981]], [[1981–82 Boston Bruins season|1982]], [[1983–84 Boston Bruins season|1984]]
*[[List of Boston Bruins award winners|Bruins Three Stars Awards]] — [[1978–79 Boston Bruins season|1979]], [[1979–80 Boston Bruins season|1980]], [[1980–81 Boston Bruins season|1981]], [[1981–82 Boston Bruins season|1982]], [[1982–83 Boston Bruins season|1983]], [[1983–84 Boston Bruins season|1984]]
*[[National Hockey League All-Star Game|NHL All-Star Game]] — [[33rd National Hockey League All-Star Game|1981]], [[34th National Hockey League All-Star Game|1982]], [[36th National Hockey League All-Star Game|1984]]
*[[1981 Canada Cup]] Silver Medal
*Won [[National Hockey League|NHL]] [[Lady Byng Memorial Trophy]] in [[1981–82 NHL season|1982]].
*Named to the [[NHL Second All-Star Team]] in [[1981–82 NHL season|1982]].
*[[1984 Canada Cup]] Gold Medal
*His #'''16''' [[Jersey number|Jersey]] was retired by the [[Boston Bruins]] on November 29, 2018.

==NHL records==
* Most points in one playoff series: (19)
* Highest playoff points per game average in one post-season by a right winger: (1.94)
* Highest playoff assists per game average in one post-season by a right winger: (1.29)

==Retirement==

In the [[1985–86 NHL season|1986 season]], Middleton was struck by a puck on the temple in practice, and missed the remainder of the season and playoffs with a concussion.  Although he wore a helmet thereafter and recovered enough to score 31 goals [[1986–87 NHL season|the following year]], he had recurring headaches for the rest of his career, and retired following the [[1987–88 NHL season|1988 season]].

He retired with 448 goals and 540 assists for 988 points in 1005 games, and added 100 points in 114 playoff games.

He is currently the President of Boston Bruins Alumni and a partner in Orlanda Energy Systems. Middleton joined with New England High School Sports Showcases, running high school hockey showcases beginning in June 2014.

==NESN==
Middleton was a studio analyst for [[New England Sports Network]] (NESN), which covers the Boston Bruins, from 2002 to 2007.

==Career statistics==

===Regular season and playoffs===
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em"
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp;
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp;
! colspan="5" | [[regular season|Regular&nbsp;season]]
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp;
! colspan="5" | [[Playoffs]]
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! [[Season (sports)|Season]]
! Team
! League
! GP
! [[Goal (ice hockey)|G]]
! [[Assist (ice hockey)|A]]
! [[Point (ice hockey)|Pts]]
! [[Penalty (ice hockey)|PIM]]
! GP
! G
! A
! Pts
! PIM
|- 
| [[1971–72 OHA season|1971–72]]
| [[Oshawa Generals]]
| [[Ontario Hockey League|OHA-Jr.]]
| 53
| 36
| 34
| 70
| 24
| 12
| 5
| 5
| 10
| 2
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1972–73 OHA season|1972–73]]
| Oshawa Generals
| OHA-Jr.
| 62
| 67
| 70
| 137
| 14
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-  
| [[1973–74 AHL season|1973–74]]
| [[Providence Reds]]
| [[American Hockey League|AHL]]
| 63
| 36
| 48
| 84
| 14
| 15
| 9
| 6
| 15
| 2
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1974–75 NHL season|1974–75]]
| [[New York Rangers]]
| [[National Hockey League|NHL]]
| 47
| 22
| 18
| 40
| 19
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 2
|-  
| [[1975–76 NHL season|1975–76]]
| New York Rangers
| NHL
| 77
| 24
| 26
| 50
| 14
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1976–77 NHL season|1976–77]]
| [[Boston Bruins]]
| NHL
| 72
| 20
| 22
| 42
| 2
| 13
| 5
| 4
| 9
| 0
|-  
| [[1977–78 NHL season|1977–78]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 79
| 25
| 35
| 60
| 8
| 15
| 5
| 2
| 7
| 0
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1978–79 NHL season|1978–79]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 71
| 38
| 48
| 86
| 7
| 11
| 4
| 8
| 12
| 0
|-  
| [[1979–80 NHL season|1979–80]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 80
| 40
| 52
| 92
| 24
| 10
| 4
| 2
| 6
| 5
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1980–81 NHL season|1980–81]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 80
| 44
| 59
| 103
| 16
| 3
| 0
| 1
| 1
| 2
|-  
| [[1981–82 NHL season|1981–82]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 75
| 51
| 43
| 94
| 12
| 11
| 6
| 9
| 15
| 0
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1982–83 NHL season|1982–83]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 80
| 49
| 47
| 96
| 8
| 17
| 11
| 22
| 33
| 6
|-  
| [[1983–84 NHL season|1983–84]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 80
| 47
| 58
| 105
| 14
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1984–85 NHL season|1984–85]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 80
| 30
| 46
| 76
| 6
| 5
| 3
| 0
| 3
| 0
|-  
| [[1985–86 NHL season|1985–86]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 49
| 14
| 30
| 44
| 10
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1986–87 NHL season|1986–87]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 76
| 31
| 37
| 68
| 6
| 4
| 2
| 2
| 4
| 0
|-  
| [[1987–88 NHL season|1987–88]]
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 59
| 13
| 19
| 32
| 11
| 19
| 5
| 5
| 10
| 4
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | NHL totals
! 1,005
! 448
! 540
! 988
! 157
! 114
! 45
! 55
! 100
! 19
|}

===International===
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:50em"
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year
! Team
! Event
! Result
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp;
! GP
! G
! A
! Pts
! PIM
|- 
| [[1981 Canada Cup|1981]]
| [[Canada men's national ice hockey team|Canada]]
| [[Canada Cup|CC]]
| {{silver2}}
| 7
| 1
| 2
| 3
| 0
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [[1984 Canada Cup|1984]]
| Canada
| CC
| {{gold1}}
| 7
| 4
| 4
| 8
| 0
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! colspan="4" | Senior totals 
! 14
! 5
! 6
! 11
! 0
|}

==See also==
*[[List of NHL players with 1,000 games played]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{icehockeystats|legends=13727}}

{{S-start}}
{{succession box | before = [[Terry O'Reilly]] | title = [[Boston Bruins#Team captains|Boston Bruins captain]] | years = [[1985–86 NHL season|1985]]–[[1987–88 NHL season|88]], <br><small>with Ray Bourque</small>| after = [[Ray Bourque]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Rick Kehoe]] | title = Winner of the [[Lady Byng Trophy]] | years = [[1981–82 NHL season|1982]]| after = [[Mike Bossy]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Bob MacMillan]] | title = [[List of New York Rangers draft picks|New York Rangers first round draft pick]] | years = [[1973 NHL Amateur Draft|1973]] | after = [[Dave Maloney]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Middleton, Rick}}
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:Boston Bruins captains]]
[[Category:Boston Bruins players]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States]]
[[Category:Boston Bruins announcers]]
[[Category:Canadian ice hockey right wingers]]
[[Category:EHC Bülach players]]
[[Category:Ice hockey people from Toronto]]
[[Category:Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winners]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Minnesota Fighting Saints draft picks]]
[[Category:NHL first-round draft picks]]
[[Category:National Hockey League players with retired numbers]]
[[Category:New York Rangers players]]
[[Category:New York Rangers draft picks]]
[[Category:Oshawa Generals players]]