Richard David "Nifty" Middleton (born December 4, 1953) is a former professional ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 player for the New York Rangers

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

 and Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

 of the National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

.

Playing career

A right winger, Middleton was drafted in the 1st round, 14th overall, by the Rangers in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft

1973 NHL Amateur Draft

The 1973 NHL Amateur Draft, the 11th National Hockey League draft was the first to be held on a separate day from other league activities on May 15, 1973, at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal, Quebec so it would not overshadow the rest of the league meetings. Previously, the league had held the...

 after a glittering junior career with the Oshawa Generals

Oshawa Generals

The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. The Generals are one of the most successful franchises in Canadian Hockey League...

 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 season with the Rangers' farm team, the AHL

American Hockey League

The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

 Providence Reds

Providence Reds

The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League between 1926–1936 and the American Hockey League from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The team won the Calder Cup in 1938, 1940, 1949, and 1956...

, earning rookie of the year honors and being named to the AHL's First All-Star Team.

He made the big club during the 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. Following the 1975–76 season, the Rangers traded Middleton to the Boston Bruins for veteran winger Ken Hodge

Ken Hodge

Kenneth Raymond Hodge, Sr. is a retired hockey player for the NHL Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers.-Playing career:...

.

It was one of the most one-sided deals in hockey history. Hodge played only a single season more before his career ended, while Middleton became a great star in Boston, scoring a hat trick in his first game as a Bruin and nearly nine hundred points in a Bruins uniform over the next twelve years. Generally paired with centre Barry Pederson

Barry Pederson

Barry Alan Pederson is a retired professional ice hockey centre who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League between 1980 and 1992...

, 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 co-captain

Captain (ice hockey)

In ice hockey, each team can designate an official captain for each game. The player serving as captain during the game wears a "C" on his or her jersey...

 (with Ray Bourque

Ray Bourque

Raymond Jean "Ray" Bourque is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player. He currently holds records for most goals, assists and points by a defenceman in the National Hockey League . Bourque has become near-synonymous with the Boston Bruins franchise, for which he played 21 seasons and...

) to succeed Terry O'Reilly

Terry O'Reilly

Terence Joseph James O'Reilly is a retired ice hockey right winger, who played for the NHL's Boston Bruins, and one of the most effective enforcers in NHL history....

 in 1985, a position he held until he retired, wearing the "C" during home games.

His best season was the 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 he led the Bruins to the league's best regular season record, and set still 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 season tied Ken Hodge's team record for most points scored in a season by a right winger, and remains unbroken.

Middleton also starred in international play, being named to play for Team Canada

Canadian national men's hockey team

The Canadian national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Canada. The team is overseen by Hockey Canada, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation, and participates in international competitions. From 1920 until 1963, Canada's international representation was by senior...

 in the Canada Cup

Canada Cup (ice hockey)

The Canada Cup was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The tournament was created to meet demand for a true world championship that allowed the best players from participating nations to compete regardless of their status as professional...

 in 1981

1981 Canada Cup

The 1981 Canada Cup was the second best-on-best ice hockey world championship and involved the world's top six hockey nations. Tournament games were held in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Ottawa. The Soviet Union defeated Canada in a single game final to win its first title, while Soviet...

 and 1984

1984 Canada Cup

The 1984 Canada Cup was a professional international ice hockey tournament played during the first three weeks of September 1984. The best-of-three final took place between Canada and Sweden, with Canada winning two games to nil...

. Teamed on a line with Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...

 and Michel Goulet

Michel Goulet

This page is about the ice hockey player. For the sculptor, please see Michel Goulet .Michel Goulet is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Birmingham Bulls in the World Hockey Association and the Quebec Nordiques and Chicago Blackhawks in the National Hockey League...

 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.

Retirement

In the 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 the following year, he had recurring headaches for the rest of his career, and retired following the 1988 season.

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

NESN

Middleton was a studio analyst for New England Sports Network

New England Sports Network

The New England Sports Network, or NESN [NESS-en], is a regional cable television network that covers the six New England states except Fairfield County, Connecticut and Southbury, Connecticut, a town in New Haven County, Connecticut which is covered by New York City sports networks...

 (NESN) which covers the Boston Bruins from 2002–2007.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...	Team	League		GP	G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...	A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...	Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one...	PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1971–72	Oshawa Generals Oshawa Generals The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. The Generals are one of the most successful franchises in Canadian Hockey League...	OHA Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...		53	36	34	70	24		12	5	5	10	2
1972–73	Oshawa Generals	OHA		62	67	70	137	14		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74 1973–74 AHL season The 1973–74 AHL season was the 38th season of the American Hockey League. The league renamed its divisions, and the "East" Division became the "North" Division, and the "West" Division became the "South" Division. Twelve teams played 76 games each in the schedule. The Rochester Americans finished...	Providence Reds Providence Reds The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League between 1926–1936 and the American Hockey League from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The team won the Calder Cup in 1938, 1940, 1949, and 1956...	AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...		63	36	48	84	14		15	9	6	15	2
1974–75	New York Rangers New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...	NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...		47	22	18	40	19		3	0	0	0	2
1975–76	New York Rangers	NHL		77	24	26	50	14		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	Boston Bruins Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...	NHL		72	20	22	42	2		13	5	4	9	0
1977–78	Boston Bruins	NHL		79	25	35	60	8		15	5	2	7	0
1978–79	Boston Bruins	NHL		71	38	48	86	7		11	4	8	12	0
1979–80	Boston Bruins	NHL		80	40	52	92	24		10	4	2	6	5
1980–81	Boston Bruins	NHL		80	44	59	103	16		3	0	1	1	2
1981–82	Boston Bruins	NHL		75	51	43	94	12		11	6	9	15	0
1982–83	Boston Bruins	NHL		80	49	47	96	8		17	11	22	33	6
1983–84	Boston Bruins	NHL		80	47	58	105	14		3	0	0	0	0
1984–85	Boston Bruins	NHL		80	30	46	76	6		5	3	0	3	0
1985–86	Boston Bruins	NHL		49	14	30	44	10		—	—	—	—	—
1986–87	Boston Bruins	NHL		76	31	37	68	6		4	2	2	4	0
1987–88	Boston Bruins	NHL		59	13	19	32	11		19	5	5	10	4
OHA totals				115	103	104	207	38		12	5	5	10	2
NHL totals				1005	448	540	988	157		114	45	55	100	19

External links