Bruins Alumni Rick Middleton Still Holds This NHL Record 40 Years Later

Boston Bruins retired forward Rick Middleton saw his team record for shorthanded goals be erased by Brad Marchand, but there is still a record that the crafty winger still holds today in the league.

Middleton’s 25 shorthanded tallies stood for more than 30 years until Marchand recorded three in the 2018-19 season to pass Middleton with 26. Currently, Marchand sits atop the Bruins’ record book with 33. Middleton couldn’t believe the record stood as long as it had.

“It’s pretty incredible,” Middleton told NESN.com. “It’s mainly because they didn’t have anybody who spent more than maybe five or six years there. It’s hard to put any big numbers unless you’re there for a while.

“So, (Patrice Bergeron) and Marchand were the next two guys to spend any long term there. Marchand, he’s still going and I said, ‘Keep it going. You can get the 50. Nobody will break your record.'”

“You look at all the records Gretzky does hold and that’s not one of them.”

Rick Middleton on his NHL record for most points scored in a single playoff series

In the 1982-83 postseason, Middleton registered 19 points against the Buffalo Sabres in the Adams Division Finals. No other player in the history of the NHL has registered more points in a single playoff series.

“It’s funny, it’s the one that (Wayne) Gretzky didn’t get,” Middleton said. “It’s funny because when you look at the history of the NHL, and you look at all the records that Gretzky does hold and that’s not one of them.”

Gretzky did come close with 18 points against the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1984-85 Western Conference Finals, but not even Connor McDavid (14) or Leon Draisaital (17) have eclipsed the record yet.

Middleton’s offensive moves earned him the nickname “Nifty” as he became one of the most dangerous goal scorers in the 1970s and 1980s. He is one of six Bruins players to notch 50 goals in a season, joining Phil Esposito, Cam Neely, Johnny Bucyk, Ken Hodge and David Pastrnak.

“Yeah, that’s a nice, nice elite group. Even in the league. I think there’s less than 100 players that ever hit 50 goals. So I’m pretty proud of that,” Middleton said. “I joked that I got 51 one year and the next year, I got 49. So I average it out to two years. The NHL doesn’t see it that way. I needed two goals in the last game for 50 and I got one. I shouldn’t have pulled it that close.”

Middleton’s No. 16 was raised to the rafters following his illustrious 12-year career with the Bruins where it sits amongst 11 other all-time greats to wear the Spoked-B.