Boston Bruins Ceremony To Retire Rick Middleton's #16 On Nov. 29 To Begin At 6:30 P.M.

finchster

Registered User
Jul 12, 2006
10,632
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Antalya
so then Neely, and Taz are all getting removed from the rafters, right?

I would without a doubt take 24 down.

Middleton was an elite scorer and also a great 2 way player.
We have very different definitions of elite. Middleton is in the very good category, not elite.

He is 3rd all time in franchise history in goals, and 4th all time in points.

Th only 2 players to score more goal in franchise history...Bucyk and Espo.

And Bucyk needed 600 more games to score only 98 more goals than Middleton

The only players ahead of Middleton in points...Bourque, Bucyk and Espo
Era

I believe that retiring numbers should be for the truly elite guys. Orr, Shore, Bourque? Without question
Esposito, Schmidt? Yes.
Clapper, Bucyk? Sure okay
Neely? Ugh stretching it a bit here
Hitchman? First Bruins captian to win a cup, okay.

Bruins are going to retire 33 and 37 and they probably deserve it. However, one more good season from Marchand puts him in Middleton range, and I wouldn't retire his number.

Also I would retire #1
 

finchster

Registered User
Jul 12, 2006
10,632
2,121
Antalya
so then Neely, and Taz are all getting removed from the rafters, right?

I would without a doubt take 24 down.

Middleton was an elite scorer and also a great 2 way player.
We have very different definitions of elite. Middleton is in the very good category, not elite.

He is 3rd all time in franchise history in goals, and 4th all time in points.

Th only 2 players to score more goal in franchise history...Bucyk and Espo.

And Bucyk needed 600 more games to score only 98 more goals than Middleton

The only players ahead of Middleton in points...Bourque, Bucyk and Espo
Era

I believe that retiring numbers should be for the truly elite guys. Orr, Shore, Bourque? Without question
Esposito, Schmidt? Yes.
Clapper, Bucyk? Sure okay
Neely? Ugh stretching it a bit here
Hitchman? First Bruins captian to win a cup? okay but getting weak here

Bruins are going to retire 33 and 37 and they deserve it. However, one more good season from Marchand puts him in Middleton range, and I wouldn't retire his number.

Also I would retire #1
 

DKH

The Bergeron of HF
Feb 27, 2002
73,961
51,460
Bruin great Rick Middleton takes a final bow at the Garden - The Boston Globe

Great read from the Hub of Hockey

The Pederson-Middleton tandem was lethal.
The Pederson-Middleton tandem is my all-time favorite

The game was significantly more wide open back then and these two were amazing

Certainly Marchand & Pastrnak in the 80’s would be putting up pinball numbers but for sheer beauty Pederson & Middleton were phenomenal

Pederson reminds me a lot of Nomar Garciaparra. Those first half dozen years he was a first ballot HOF

Pederson is in my top 10 favorite Bruins as is Middleton
 

DKH

The Bergeron of HF
Feb 27, 2002
73,961
51,460
I would without a doubt take 24 down.


We have very different definitions of elite. Middleton is in the very good category, not elite.


Era

I believe that retiring numbers should be for the truly elite guys. Orr, Shore, Bourque? Without question
Esposito, Schmidt? Yes.
Clapper, Bucyk? Sure okay
Neely? Ugh stretching it a bit here
Hitchman? First Bruins captian to win a cup, okay.

Bruins are going to retire 33 and 37 and they probably deserve it. However, one more good season from Marchand puts him in Middleton range, and I wouldn't retire his number.

Also I would retire #1
I can’t comment on all those guys pre 1967

My viewing

Locks

Orr
Esposito
Bucyk
Bourque

Bucyk was very good but when Orr and Esposito came along with expansion his numbers took off

The others are all top 50 players in history

I Have No Problem

Neely

He was headed for 600 goals and unfortunately got injured but all things equal he’s a hall-of-fame player

When he was in his prime and healthy he was top 50 all time caliber

Mmmmm....well

Cheevers
Park
Middleton

All belong in the Toronto Hall. I’ve averaged 25-41 games live a year since 1983 and 1966 I started going as a yute to as many as 20 even back then.

Middleton in my mind was a no brainer- still think he’s one of best defensive forwards I’ve ever seen. Also spectacular PK.

His lawsuit against nhl keeps him out of Toronto.

In a perfect scenario he wins the Cup in 1979, there is no corruption that led him to be a featured member of the lawsuit and he’s in the NHL Hall. Then his jersey up is an easy call.

He’s one of my favorites so I’m ok with it

Statue

Terry O’Reilly I would have made a statue and out it in concourse with a plaque how he represented everything that a Bruin is about

The Yankees sadly have made a mockery of this by retiring several good to very good OReilly types

Love Taz but he shouldn’t have number retired

If Harry wasn’t pissed at Park he’d be up there

Until the Rangers retired Ratelle you had 2 of the greatest players in the games history without their numbers retired
 
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BigBadBruins7708

Registered User
Dec 11, 2017
13,580
18,348
Las Vegas
I can’t comment on all those guys pre 1967

My viewing

Locks

Orr
Esposito
Bucyk
Bourque

Bucyk was very good but when Orr and Esposito came along with expansion his numbers took off

The others are all top 50 players in history

I Have No Problem

Neely

He was headed for 600 goals and unfortunately got injured but all things equal he’s a hall-of-fame player

When he was in his prime and healthy he was top 50 all time caliber

Mmmmm....well

Cheevers
Park
Middleton

All belong in the Toronto Hall. I’ve averaged 25-41 games live a year since 1983 and 1966 I started going as a yute to as many as 20 even back then.

Middleton in my mind was a no brainer- still think he’s one of best defensive forwards I’ve ever seen. Also spectacular PK.

His lawsuit against nhl keeps him out of Toronto.

In a perfect scenario he wins the Cup in 1979, there is no corruption that led him to be a featured member of the lawsuit and he’s in the NHL Hall. Then his jersey up is an easy call.

He’s one of my favorites so I’m ok with it

Statue

Terry O’Reilly I would have made a statue and out it in concourse with a plaque how he represented everything that a Bruin is about

The Yankees sadly have made a mockery of this by retiring several good to very good OReilly types

Love Taz but he shouldn’t have number retired

If Harry wasn’t pissed at Park he’d be up there

Until the Rangers retired Ratelle you had 2 of the greatest players in the games history without their numbers retired

dead on with the lawsuit point. it's no coincidence that Middleton was the face of the NHLPA lawsuit against the league and Eagleson and has been largely ignored and written out of the history of the game since.

fully agree on Park as well. some might point to the empty trophy case, but thats only because he had the misfortune of overlapping Orr and Robinson. Just about the only argument you can make against him being in the rafters is the even career split with NY.

and @finchster has a point. the team does have some odd quirks to retiring numbers, and have overlooked some all time greats.

Most notably, Thompson and Brimsek.

Things may change once the old man is out of the picture. But right now they are how the Sox used to be. Largely ignoring their own rich history
 

TP

Global Moderator
Dec 2, 2008
50,458
23,768
Damn, I was hoping to get there tonight, but it snuck right up on me. :(
 

BNHL

Registered User
Dec 22, 2006
20,017
1,458
Boston
I can’t comment on all those guys pre 1967

My viewing

Locks

Orr
Esposito
Bucyk
Bourque

Bucyk was very good but when Orr and Esposito came along with expansion his numbers took off

The others are all top 50 players in history

I Have No Problem

Neely

He was headed for 600 goals and unfortunately got injured but all things equal he’s a hall-of-fame player

When he was in his prime and healthy he was top 50 all time caliber

Mmmmm....well

Cheevers
Park
Middleton

All belong in the Toronto Hall. I’ve averaged 25-41 games live a year since 1983 and 1966 I started going as a yute to as many as 20 even back then.

Middleton in my mind was a no brainer- still think he’s one of best defensive forwards I’ve ever seen. Also spectacular PK.

His lawsuit against nhl keeps him out of Toronto.

In a perfect scenario he wins the Cup in 1979, there is no corruption that led him to be a featured member of the lawsuit and he’s in the NHL Hall. Then his jersey up is an easy call.

He’s one of my favorites so I’m ok with it

Statue

Terry O’Reilly I would have made a statue and out it in concourse with a plaque how he represented everything that a Bruin is about

The Yankees sadly have made a mockery of this by retiring several good to very good OReilly types

Love Taz but he shouldn’t have number retired

If Harry wasn’t pissed at Park he’d be up there

Until the Rangers retired Ratelle you had 2 of the greatest players in the games history without their numbers retired
If your 4th alltime leading scorer for a 100 year franchise isn't worthy,then most aren't. O'Reilly is a lock for me,the prototype of the vision of what a Bruin is. Remove the B,plunk in O'Reilly's bleeding face.
 

Mick Riddleton

“A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.”
Apr 24, 2017
14,036
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Niagara
Next to Orr, nifty is my all time fav. Now it would be Bergy, imagine them all playing together
 

DKH

The Bergeron of HF
Feb 27, 2002
73,961
51,460
If your 4th alltime leading scorer for a 100 year franchise isn't worthy,then most aren't. O'Reilly is a lock for me,the prototype of the vision of what a Bruin is. Remove the B,plunk in O'Reilly's bleeding face.
I’d give him a statue

Personally I’d rather be alive and have a statue then my number retired
 

DKH

The Bergeron of HF
Feb 27, 2002
73,961
51,460
dead on with the lawsuit point. it's no coincidence that Middleton was the face of the NHLPA lawsuit against the league and Eagleson and has been largely ignored and written out of the history of the game since.

fully agree on Park as well. some might point to the empty trophy case, but thats only because he had the misfortune of overlapping Orr and Robinson. Just about the only argument you can make against him being in the rafters is the even career split with NY.

and @finchster has a point. the team does have some odd quirks to retiring numbers, and have overlooked some all time greats.

Most notably, Thompson and Brimsek.

Things may change once the old man is out of the picture. But right now they are how the Sox used to be. Largely ignoring their own rich history
By old man do you mean Sinden
 

mikelvl

Registered User
Aug 6, 2009
5,899
2,063
Newton, MA
The Pederson-Middleton tandem is my all-time favorite

The game was significantly more wide open back then and these two were amazing

Certainly Marchand & Pastrnak in the 80’s would be putting up pinball numbers but for sheer beauty Pederson & Middleton were phenomenal

Pederson reminds me a lot of Nomar Garciaparra. Those first half dozen years he was a first ballot HOF

Pederson is in my top 10 favorite Bruins as is Middleton

Pederson may have been on a HOF track if not for that wrist injury (I think) he suffered after the Vancouver trade. Have to give Harry credit for that deal though, traded high, and got Neely and Wesley.
 

ODAAT

Registered User
Oct 17, 2006
52,177
20,208
Victoria BC
The Pederson-Middleton tandem is my all-time favorite

The game was significantly more wide open back then and these two were amazing

Certainly Marchand & Pastrnak in the 80’s would be putting up pinball numbers but for sheer beauty Pederson & Middleton were phenomenal

Pederson reminds me a lot of Nomar Garciaparra. Those first half dozen years he was a first ballot HOF

Pederson is in my top 10 favorite Bruins as is Middleton

Great post, man were they fun to watch together. It felt like every time they hopped over the boards, something was going to happen. Middleton earned his nickname, anyone who never got to see him play, live or otherwise missed a beauty. Having been fortunate to take many trips to Boston and Montreal, probably got to see him play 30 times live, the things he did with the puck on his stick was just beautiful to watch. He was a terrific defensive guy too which often gets overlooked and his play without the puck was just as strong as his play with it.

My opinion was/is, he will be remembered for all the great goals and passes (yep, he did that too) he made and less for his terrific play without the puck

Can`t recall what playoff year it was but he posted over 30 pts , the guy played and produced come playoff time which for this fan, was always a good barometer to assess
 
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JRull86

Registered User
Jan 28, 2009
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South Shore
Joe McDonald had a nice article about Middleton on the Athletic yesterday. Definitely worth the read if you subscribe.
 

JCRO

At least I'm safe inside my mind
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Did not have the privilege of watching Nifty play. But I did have the privilege of having him fill in as our HC during my High school hockey days. What a guy.

Wonder if he's still selling candy bars :sarcasm:

Anyways, happy for Nifty!
 
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BMC

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Is it me, or is that a phenomenally long ceremony, even for a number retirement?

It is. Nothing against Rick Middleton but if his ceremony & the removal of carpet and chairs even comes close to the 90 minutes they've allotted for it then Bobby Orr's ceremony should have been 5+ hours long.
 
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Gee Wally

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Bruin great Rick Middleton takes a final bow at the Garden - The Boston Globe


“No one was like Nifty,” said Don Cherry, his coach here from the start, who’ll be on the ice for the fete. “Different game now, eh? I don’t think you’ll see anyone like him again.”

Before Middleton, noted his old linemate John Bucyk, the game had greats such as Gordie Howe and Rocket Richard. But Middleton, said Bucyk, was “dazzling” and “trouble” because of his ability to handle the puck in tight spaces and undress defensemen and goalies.

“You don’t see that kind of talent anymore,” said Bucyk, who along with Jean Ratelle was on Middleton’s opening night line in Boston in October 1976. “He was playing keepaway out there. And he did that as a penalty-killer, too. He’d get the puck and you’d think we were the ones with the power play.”
 
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