Rick Blight

Richard Derek Blight (October 17, 1955 April 3, 2005) was a Canadian hockey player.

Rick Blight
Born (1955-10-17)October 17, 1955
Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada
Died April 3, 2005(2005-04-03) (aged 49)
Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Right
Played for Vancouver Canucks
Los Angeles Kings
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 10th overall, 1975
Vancouver Canucks
WHA Draft 19th overall, 1974
Michigan Stags
Playing career 19751983

A native of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Blight had a long and varied hockey career as a Right wing for teams in the National Hockey League (NHL), Central Hockey League (CHL) and the American Hockey League (AHL). After playing junior hockey in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League, Blight was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft. Blight was also drafted by the Michigan Stags in the second round of the 1974 WHA Amateur Draft, but did not play in the WHA.[1] The name Blight is of Cornish origin.[2]

Playing career

Blight was the Canucks' top scorer over his first three years in the NHL, finishing fifth, first and second in team scoring in 1975, 1976 and 1977 with a total of 187 points.

Blight was the recipient of the WCHL Rookie of the Year Award in 1973, and was a member of the CHL Second All-Star Team in 1981.[1]

Blight retired from playing hockey in 1983 and began a career as a stockbroker and marketing consultant, as well as managing his family farm in his native Manitoba. In 1995, Blight was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

On April 3, 2005, Blight disappeared. Two weeks later, on April 18, after a Canada-wide search, Blight was found dead in a field on a farm near Lake Manitoba in his pickup truck.[3] He had committed suicide.[4]

Awards and achievements

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1970–71 Portage Terriers MJHL 47 20 19 39 33
1971–72 Portage Terriers MJHL 45 32 35 67 73
1971–72 Brandon Wheat Kings WCHL 11010 113148
1972–73 Brandon Wheat Kings WCHL 6831629370 60110
1973–74 Brandon Wheat Kings WCHL 674981130122 60110
1974–75 Brandon Wheat Kings WCHL 65605211265 52356
1975–76 Vancouver Canucks NHL 7425315629 20110
1976–77 Vancouver Canucks NHL 7828406832
1977–78 Vancouver Canucks NHL 8025386333
1978–79 Dallas Black Hawks CHL 1587157
1978–79 Vancouver Canucks NHL 565101516 30442
1979–80 Vancouver Canucks NHL 331261854
1980–81 Dallas Black Hawks CHL 74464995122 60339
1980–81 Vancouver Canucks NHL 31014
1981–82 Cincinnati Tigers CHL 3716233921
1981–82 SC Bern NDA
1981–82 Wichita Wind CHL 1618143218 73036
1982–83 Moncton Alpines AHL 1987156
1982–83 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 471724418 122354
1982–83 Los Angeles Kings NHL 20002
NHL totals 32696125221170 50552

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1975 Canada WJC 6 2 2 4 4

Personal

His niece, Halli Krzyzaniak, currently plays in the Canadian Women's Hockey League for the Calgary Inferno.[5]

References

  1. "1975 NHL Draft Pick: Rick Blight". HockeyDraftCentral.com. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  2. "Cornish Family Names". Gould Genealogy & History. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010.
  3. "Ex-Canuck Star dead at 49". CBC News. April 18, 2005. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  4. Hackel, Stu (September 1, 2011). "Wade Belak's death poses key questions". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  5. Brad Elliott Schlossman (October 17, 2013). "WOMEN'S HOCKEY: UND freshman defenseman makes immediate impact". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
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