When the Vancouver Canucks opened their 1976-77 NHL season on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 6, 1976, most of the team looked nervous and out of sync. Everyone, that is, except Rick Blight.
In a wild 9-5 loss to the Penguins, Blight was a one-man show for Vancouver, scoring four of the team’s five goals on just five shots. All four came against Pittsburgh goalie Gord Laxton, and three were on the power play. Mike Walton assisted on every one of Blight’s goals, earning a four-point night of his own.
That performance kicked off what would become Blight’s best NHL season. He went on to score 24 more goals that year for a career-high 28, along with 40 assists and 68 total points, leading the Canucks in both goals and points. Defenseman Dennis Kearns led the team in assists with 55.
A native of Manitoba and a tenth overall pick in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft after a standout junior career with the Brandon Wheat Kings, Blight’s time in the NHL was brief but impressive. Between 1975-76 and 1982-83, he appeared in 326 regular season games and five playoff contests with the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings. He was also briefly on the rosters of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers, though he never suited up for either team.
