BOSTON — Bruins fans likely weren’t surprised when it was revealed that the franchise would be retiring Rick Middleton’s number, but the same can’t be said for the man receiving the honor Thursday night.
Middleton, who played 12 terrific seasons in Boston, will see his No. 16 raised to the TD Garden rafters prior to the Bruins’ matchup with the New York Islanders.
Speaking with the media prior to the ceremony, Middleton recalled his phone conversation over the summer with B’s president Cam Neely, who apparently dropped the news on the legendary forward in a rather nonchalant fashion.
“Oh, geez,” Middleton said. “He missed me, I was on a conference call. So I call him back, I miss him. He calls me back and then it was just small talk. ‘How’s your summer going? How’s the family?’ Honestly. No warning. Usually you hear scuttlebutt or something — nothing. And all of a sudden he just blurted it out. He said, ‘Well, we decided we’re gonna retire your No. 16. I was like, ‘What?!’ Honestly I didn’t think I had heard him. He had to repeat it, cause it was right out left field.”
Middleton understandably was overcome with emotion upon hearing the news, so much so that he scared his wife, Liz, for a brief moment.
“She came home about five minutes later and thought somebody died, the look on my face,” Middleton said. “Tears in my eyes, you know. She couldn’t believe it either. She was so happy for me. I’ll never forget that day, that’s for sure.”
Middleton’s No. 16 will be the 11th number retired by the Bruins and the first since Neely himself in 2004.
