# Rick Blight

Richard Derek Blight (October 17, 1955 – April 3, 2005) was a Canadian ice hockey player.
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. The name Blight is of Cornish origin.

## 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.
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. Blight also curled during this time, and was a member of the Don Spriggs curling team.
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. He had died by suicide.

## Awards and achievements

* 1973: WCHL Rookie of the Year
* 1981: CHL Second All-Star Team
* Honoured Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame

## Career statistics
### Regular season and playoffs

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | 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 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| 1972–73 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WCHL | 68 | 31 | 62 | 93 | 70 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1973–74 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WCHL | 67 | 49 | 81 | 130 | 122 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 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 | SC Bern | NDA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 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 | NHL totals | NHL totals | 326 | 96 | 125 | 221 | 170 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 |

### International

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

## Personal

His niece, Halli Krzyzaniak, played in the Canadian Women's Hockey League for the Calgary Inferno.