RICK MIDDLETON JERSEY RETIREMENT QUOTES BOSTON BRUINS VS NEW YORK ISLANDERS Thursday, November 29, 2018 BOSTON BRUINS ALUMNUS RICK MIDDLETON On what this night means to him… It really is hard to put into words. I’ve had four months to think about it, and I hate repeating myself, but honestly, I believe it is the biggest honor that certainly a retired athlete can get in his career, and the fact that, in the last six or seven years, I’ve been seeing that it’s not out there; nobody’s wearing it. All of a sudden, it happened. In July, a phone call in July; I never thought it would ever happen that way, but I just have to thank Cam [Neely] so much for doing it. He started it six or seven years ago. It culminated tonight. On if he ever looked up at the rafters and wondered if his number would be there some day… Oh sure. You know, I didn’t know a lot about them, so when I got the call for this, I looked up Dit Clapper. I didn’t really know a lot about – he was the first guy to play 20 years in the NHL. He had a great career, and he played two positions and made the all-star team at forward and defense. Sometimes the guys who are way back, you don’t look at, but I’m so proud to be just a part of the 10 guys that are up there. On how emotional it will be… Well, I’m not emotional because I have to get through my speech, but I think, if it’s going to happen, it will be when the banner is going up. I will have my family around me and get that final picture while the banner is up there. The more somebody asks me those questions, the more I start thinking about it. On the phone call with Neely… He missed me. I was on a conference call. So, I called him back; I missed him; he called me back. Then it was just small talk; how is your summer going? How is your golf game? Honestly, no warning. Usually you hear some scuttlebutt or something – nothing. Then all of a sudden, he just blurted it out. He said, ‘hey, well, we’ve decided we’re going to retire your number 16 this year.’ I’m like, ‘what?’ Honestly, I didn’t think I heard him right. He had to repeat it, because it was right out of left field. On how his wife reacted… Well, she came home about five minutes later; she thought somebody died – the look on my face. I had tears in my eyes, and she couldn’t believe it either. She was so happy for me. I’ll never forget that day, that’s for sure. On what will be going through his mind as the banner is raised… You know, in my speech, I just talk about you don’t do it alone. I played on some great teams with a lot of great guys. Even though we didn’t win the Cup, it was very close. In two different eras, I was lucky to play at the end of the old-time hockey era without helmets, and then everything changed in 79-80. Then I got a chance to play at the beginning of the new era, and the team was totally different. The teammates were different, but the one thing that remained as a Bruin is that the dedication to winning. It didn’t matter who the coach was – maybe because Terry [O’Reilly] was still on the team, and then he became a coach. He always raised the bar for the guys. Nobody ever wanted to let each other down; that’s why we were successful. On what it will mean to him when the number is retired… Oh man. It’s really, just to be among the elite players that are up there, the names that are up there. The reason I wore 16 was because of Derek Sanderson. Derek and I played together in New York my rookie year. Not everyone knows that. We became friends, and he tells me – and he just told me this – He said, ‘well I called Frosty [John Forristall] and told him to give it to you.’ I don’t remember it that way, but it was available, so that’s why I wore 16. On where the nickname Nifty came from… Gerry Cheevers said he gave it to me. I honestly don’t know, but I’ll believe him. I always believed everything Cheesie said. On if there is anyone he will be thinking of tonight… Well, you’re stealing my speech. I’ve got several that I’m thanking, and some of them are here tonight on the ice with me. I’ve had a long life in hockey, from back when I was just a young boy playing in the backyard and on the street, so I speak a lot about that tonight, and I thank a lot of people. And a lot of friends that aren’t here; I’ve lost a lot of good friends over the years. From the time I got to Boston, they were really good friends, and all of their kids are here tonight, so I am going to recognize them also. On what it means to be involved in sled hockey… Well, you know, that was something in my life that I never expected to do. It came out of left field, and I was almost 50 years old, and I knew nothing about sled hockey, and I met these guys, and, again, in the speech, but as you know, we ended up winning the gold medal. But, it was a road that was so weird because I’ve always been in the able-bodied hockey world, and this world was totally different, for good and bad. We fought through it over 9/11 and right into Salt Lake City as the last seed, and we ended up winning the gold medal. As a matter of fact, we’re writing a movie on it right now. To have these guys here tonight, or some of them, I wish they all could have made it, but it’s just great to see that these guys came out for me. On what he is most proud of from his career… Well not ever winning the Cup, the 70’s were a great time. Like I said, it was old-time hockey. Don Cherry was the coach. Johnny Bucyk, Wayne Cashman, Gerry Cheevers, the old holdovers from the Cup years, I really enjoyed that, and that’s where I learned how to play the game. Then, by the 80s, I was Cheesie’s go-to guy, and Barry [Melrose] came to the team, and the career just took off. I can’t really look at one or the other. The one story I told Don last night – I didn’t know if he remembered it – in Philadelphia in ’78, we were in the semis and the first two games were in Philly. It was the Broadstreet Bullies and everything. It was a tough series. But, I wasn’t playing regular all year, and I wasn’t playing regular in that game, but it went into overtime, and Don comes to me in the dressing room in overtime; he leans down, he goes, you’re going to get the winner. So, in my sarcastic way in those days, I looked up to him and said, ‘so I must be playing, right?’ So, I went out and scored the winner on one of my blasting shots that just dribbled over the line of Bernie Parent, and then Terry scored in double overtime the next night, and we knocked them out in four street, and that was basically the end of the Broadstreet Bullies; they broke up their team after that year. That was my first big goal as a Bruin that I can remember. On if he heard from anybody lately that surprised him… My phone didn’t quit today. I’ve heard from people I don’t even remember who they are, but it’s really nice. I didn’t realize so many people have my number, but no, people have been so gracious with this. I’ve made a lot of friends and acquaintances. I’m almost 65; I’ve been here for a long time, and not just hockey fans, but in the business world and just friends, and it’s so special that this is happening at this stage in my life. On his bantam and midget coach being here… Yeah, from bantam to midget for three years, Frank Miller, and he did a lot for me and my career then. He helped me go up the ladder in order to play junior hockey. You’ve got to climb that ladder; you’ve got to get to the next level, and really him and Don, that’s why they’re here, were the two most important coaches that I had. You’ve got to have good coaching; you really do, especially when you’re younger. On if he could have had a chance to make the all-star team as a defenseman… As a defenseman? Not on Don’s team, that’s for sure. No, I remember he put me out to take a faceoff once in Chicago, and I lost it so clean, Gerry Cheevers didn’t have time to get his arm up because it went in and out of the net so fast.