As most of the regular visitors to Notinhalloffame.com are aware we are (very) slowly putting together our top 50 players of every franchise in the “Big 4” of North American sports. After that is completed we will take a look at how each organization honors their past players and executives.

As such, it is important to note that last night the Boston Bruins retired the #16 of former forward, Rick Middleton.

After playing his first two seasons in the NHL for the New York Rangers, “Nifty” was traded to Boston prior to the 1976-77 season and it proved fruitful for the Bruins. In the 1979-80 season, Middleton would begin a five season streak of 40 Goals, which included a career high of 51 n the 1981-82 campaign. That season he would be named a Second Team All Star as well as winning the Lady Byng Trophy. Middleton would represent the Bruins in three All Star Games and also had a pair of 100 Point seasons. His overall statistical contribution to Boston would see the Right Wing score 402 Goals, 496 Assists and 898 Points.

Middleton becomes the 11th player to have his number retired. He joins Eddie Shore #2, Lionel Hitchman #3, Bobby Orr #4, Dit Clapper #5, Phil Esposito #7, Can Neely #8, John Bucyk #9, Milt Schmidt #15, Terry O’Reilly #24 and Ray Bourque #77.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Rick Middleton for earning this very prestigious honor.

As most of the regular visitors to Notinhalloffame.com are aware we are (very) slowly putting together our top 50 players of every franchise in the “Big 4” of North American sports. After that is completed we will take a look at how each organization honors their past players and executives.

As such, it is important to us that the Boston Bruins have announced that they will retire the number 16 of Rick Middleton on November 29 during their home game against the New York Islanders.

Middleton is the 11th player in the history of the Boston Bruins to have his jersey retired. He joins Lionel Hitchman, Aubrey Clapper, Eddie Shore, Milt Schmidt, Bobby Orr, John Bucyk, Phil Esposito, Ray Bourque, Terry O’Reilly and Cam Neely.

After playing his first two seasons with the New York Rangers, “Nifty” was traded to Boston where he instantly became a fan favorite. He would play twelve seasons in Boston where he was Point per Game player scoring 898 Points in 881 Games Played. Five times he was a forty Goal scorer, including the 1981-82 season where he put the puck in the net 51 times. That season he was a Second Team All Star and was named a Lady Byng Trophy winner. He was also a three time All Star.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Rick Middleton for earning this prestigious honor.

It is a very sad day for Hockey and the Boston Bruins specifically.

Milt Schmidt passed away today at the age of 98. 

Joining the Boston Bruins in the 1936-37 season, Schmidt would soon center the “Kraut Line”, with his fellow junior teammates, Woody Dumart and Bobby Bauer.  This would become one of the most explosive lines in the game, and would lead the Bruins to Stanley Cup wins in 1939 and 1941.  Schmidt would lead the NHL in Assists and Points title in 1939-40 and would earn his first First Team NHL All Star Selection. 

Like many players, Schmidt would leave the NHL to serve his country in World War II.  He would return for the 1945-46 season and return to elite form.  Schmidt would earn two more First Team All NHL Selections and in the 1951-52 season would win the coveted Hart Trophy.

Milt Schmidt never played professionally for any other team and would retire with 575 Points.  Following his playing career, Milt Schmidt would begin coaching the Bruins, a role he would have for eleven seasons.  He would leave that capacity with a losing record, but did find more success as a General Manager orchestrating a super trade that brought Phil Esposito and Ken Hodge to the Bruins, who combined with Bobby Orr would bring the Stanley Cup back to Boston 1970 and 1972.

Schmidt would leave the Bruins to become the General Manager of the expansion Washington Capitals, though he would be fired soon after as the team was not very good.

Milt Schmidt would enter the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961 and would have his number retired by the Boston Bruins in 1980.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to offer our condolences to the friends and family of Milt Schmidt at this time.

Regular visitors know that we have been (slowly but surely) working on the Top 50 North American Franchises of all-time.  We have given you the Top 50 Charlotte Hornets and Baltimore Ravens.  It is now time for our first NHL franchise, the Original Six franchise, The Boston Bruins.

Note that while the NHL season is under way, this list reflects accomplishments up until the end of the 2014-15 Season.

This list, and all hockey lists are based on traditional metrics, advanced metrics, length of service, popularity and post season performance and accolades.

The complete list can be found here, but for those who are curious immediately as to who the top five are, we’ll grant that immediately:


1. Bobby Orr.

2. Eddie Shore.

3. Ray Bourque.

4. Phil Esposito.

5. Milt Schmidt.


We look forward to your comments on this list and it will be updated annually.

Up next will be the Buffalo Bills. 

Look for that in the upcoming weeks.

The Buffalo Bills will be the next franchise to be looked at next and as always we here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank you for your input!

Keith Crowder was a good scorer and a player who was brilliant in the corners.  Those are two attributes that made him a popular player in the Boston Gardens in the 1980’s.  It is strange that he is not as remembered as much as he is in Boston.

Mike O’Connell was undersized, but he never lacked heart.  O’Connell would become an All Star in 1984 and a power play staple and would become a very complete player in the six years he was playing for the Boston Bruins.

Part of that lopsided trade that brought in Phil Esposito and Ken Hodge, Fred Stanfield was a good forward who assisted the Bruins in winning the 1970 and 1972.  While Stanfield was considered a throw-in on that trade, and was often overshadowed in Boston, he was a consistent scorer who had three seasons in a row over 75 Points.

While Marc Savard was not on the ice during the 2011 Stanley Cup Championship run, his name was etched on the cup as he was one of the men who helped get them there.

Sadly for Barry Pederson he is mostly known for being traded (with his messed up shoulder) for Cam Neely who would become one of the most popular players in Boston Bruins history.  What is forgotten is that Pederson had two consecutive 100 Point seasons for Boston, finishing in the top six in scoring both seasons and he had a 1.10 Points per Game Average there.  His messed up shoulder took him out of All Star status, but he was very good for a spell as a Bruin.  It is a shame that he is not remembered for that more.

Milan Lucic was a major component of the Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Championship win in 2011 and was a dependable two-way player for the Bruins in the eight years he spent there.

Joe Thornton may have had a less than amicable departure from the Boston Bruins, but the fact was that the former Bruins captain first developed his NHL scoring touch as a member of the Bruins.  Thornton was a Second Team All Star in the 2002/03 season and incidentally in the campaign he was traded in, he would win the scoring title and the Hart Trophy.

Ed Sandford was known for two things.  The first was his incredible tenacity to go for every puck.  The second was how he was on fire during the 1953 NHL Playoffs and was the leading scorer though Boston would fall short in the Finals.  Sandford was named a Second Team All-Star 1954 and would be an All-Star Game participant five years in a row.

An important part of the Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Championship run of 2012, Czech forward, David Krejci brought an impressive workmanlike attitude to the game and led the National Hockey League in Plus/Minus twice, becoming one of the few players to ever do so.  A very good two-way player, Krejci also knows how to light the lamp and would score the most Points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice.  

Krejci would play 15 seasons before he returned to his native Czech Republic to play for HC Olomouc, but that lasted one season befre he returned for one last campaigm in Boston.  Overall, he had. a productive 786 Points in 1,032 Games.

As of this writing, Tuukka Rask has played his entire career with the Boston Bruins where the Goalie from Finland has done a spectacular job in between the pipes.   Rask was a First Round Pick by Toronto in 2004 but before he made it to the Leafs, he was traded to Boston in a move that still has Leafs shaking their heads.

Rask became a fixture on the Bruins roster in 2009 and was the backup on the team that won the 2011 Stanley Cup.  He would later become their starter, and he won the Vezina in 2013-14 as the top Goalie in the NHL.  Rask would have two more top-ten finishes in Vezina voting before finishing second in 2019-20, and capturing his first William M. Jennings Trophy.  A runner-up for the Vezina that season, Rask's year ended with a thud, as he left the team during the playoffs in what was the COVID-19-induced bubble conclusion to the year.  

Rask would come back to the team, but injuries and issues added up, and he retired during the 2021/22 Season.  His end to NHL hockey might not have been glorious, but he remains one of the best Goalies of all time on an Original Six team.

Glen Murray was not exactly the greatest skater, but he was a very capable scorer, especially when he came back for his second stint with the Boston Bruins.  Murray was known for his ability to have a dangerous shot from any place on the rink and would lead the NHL in even-strength goals in the 2002/03 season.  He would also play on the All-Star Team twice.

While Mike Milbury was not always beloved by the Boston fans as a Coach or a General Manager, the rough and tough defenseman was a fan favorite as a player.  Milbury’s no-nonsense attitude and penchant for aggression was combined a solid defensive play.  Milbury would only suit up for the Bruins and would accumulate 238 Points and over 1,500 Penalty Minutes in his career.

Playing his entire career with the Boston Bruins, Don Marcotte was a very good defensive forward who was with the Bruins for the 1970 and 1972 Stanley Cup seasons.  Marcotte was still a decent scorer, with 484 Points and would finish his career with 20 short handed goals.

One of the best checkers of his era, Leo Boivin wasn’t known for scoring with the puck, but was adept at stripping attackers with it with his hard hits and perfectly timed checks.  Boivin was a well respected locker room leader who was the captain of the Bruins for three seasons.  The Defenseman scored 211 Points over 711 Games, and became a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee in 1986. 

A member of the Boston Bruins Championship teams in 1939 and 1941, Jack Crawford was a good blueliner who would be a First Team All Star in 1946 and a Second Team All Star in 1943.  He would spend his entire career with the Bruins and would also lead the NHL in Defensive Point Shares in the 1938/39 season.

One of the few players in franchise history who has played more than 1,000 Games, Don Sweeney was a player who was content to stay out of the spotlight, and bring his lunchpail like work ethic to the defensive side of the ice, which was a job he performed very well.  Sweeney would actually lead the NHL in Defensive Point Shares in the 1992/93 season.