Rick Blight

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Rick Blight

Born	(1955-10-17)October 17, 1955 Portage la Prairie, MB, CAN
Died	April 3, 2005(2005-04-03) (aged 49) Portage la Prairie, MB, CAN
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Vancouver Canucks Los Angeles Kings
NHL Draft	10th overall, 1975 Vancouver Canucks
WHA Draft	19th overall, 1974 Michigan Stags
Playing career	1975–1983

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

A native of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, Blight had a long and varied career in the sport of hockey, playing the position of Right Wing for teams in the NHL, MJHL, WCHL, CHL, and the AHL hockey leagues. At 6' 2" (1.87 m) and 195 lbs (88 kg), Blight was selected by the Michigan Stags (round 2 #19 overall) in the 1974 WHA Amateur Draft and the Vancouver Canucks (round 1 #10 overall) in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft. The name Blight is of Cornish origin.^[1]

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, who also played hockey in Switzerland, was the recipient of the WCJHL Rookie of the Year Award in 1973, and was a member of the CHL Second All-Star Team in 1981.

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 his farm near Lake Manitoba, with his pickup nearby. Blight had committed suicide. He was only 49 years old.

Awards and achievements

1973: WCJHL Rookie of the Year
1981: CHL Second All-Star Team
“Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame

Career statistics

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
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	1	1	0	1	0	—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Brandon Wheat Kings	WCHL	68	31	62	93	70	—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Brandon Wheat Kings	WCHL	67	49	81	130	122	—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	Brandon Wheat Kings	WCHL	65	60	52	112	65	5	2	3	5	6
1975–76	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	74	25	31	56	29	2	0	1	1	0
1976–77	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	78	28	40	68	32	—	—	—	—	—
1977–78	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	80	25	38	63	33	—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Dallas Black Hawks	CHL	15	8	7	15	7	—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	56	5	10	15	16	3	0	4	4	2
1979–80	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	33	12	6	18	54	—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Dallas Black Hawks	CHL	74	46	49	95	122	6	0	3	3	9
1980–81	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	3	1	0	1	4	—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Cincinnati Tigers	CHL	37	16	23	39	21	—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Wichita Wind	CHL	16	18	14	32	18	7	3	0	3	6
1982–83	Moncton Alpines	AHL	19	8	7	15	6	—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL	47	17	24	41	8	12	2	3	5	4
1982–83	Los Angeles Kings	NHL	2	0	0	0	2	—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals			326	96	125	221	170	5	0	5	5	2

Personal

His niece, Halli Krzyzaniak was a member of the Canadian National Under 18 team that participated in a three game series vs. the USA in August 2011.^[2]

References

News of death

External links

Preceded by Bob Dailey	Vancouver Canucks first round draft pick 1975	Succeeded by Jere Gillis

Persondata
Name	Blight, Rick
Alternative names
Short description	Canadian ice hockey player
Date of birth	1955-10-17
Place of birth	Portage La Prairie, MB, CAN
Date of death	April 3, 2005
Place of death	Portage la Prairie, MB, CAN

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