In last week's challenge Willie McGinest edged Drew Bledsoe with 52% of the vote to move up the RBSF Ladder to #60. This week's battle is between two players I believe are both deserving of being in their respective Halls of Fame. This latest "Wednesday's Challenge" features Bruins star Rick Middleton (#56) attempting to hold off the challenge of Celtics legend Jo Jo White (#64). Let's look at the two candidates...
MIDDLETON - "Nifty" played 12 seasons for the Bruins (1976-88). Played in 3 Stanley Cup Finals. Was 3-time All Star. In 881 Games with Boston he scored 402 goals and 496 assists for 898 points. Twice had 100+ points. Is among franchise leaders in Games Played (6th), Goals (3rd), Assists (6th), Points (4th), Power Play Goals (5th) and Game-Winning Goals (5th). He is the Bruins all-time leader in Short-Handed Goals. In 1982 he had 51 goals, led the league in shooting percentage and won the Lady Byng Trophy for Sportsmanship. In 1983 he set the NHL record for most points in a playoff series (19), which still stands. Scored 10+ goals in all 12 seasons; 20+ goals ten times; 30+ goals eight times; 40+ goals five times; and 50+ goals once.
WHITE - Played 10 seasons for the Celtics (1969-79). Member of 2 NBA Championship teams (1974 & 76). Was the 1976 NBA Finals MVP. 7-time NBA All-Star, all consecutively from 1971-77. Averaged 18.4 points and 5.1 assists per game during his Celtic career in the regular season. In the playoffs those numbers improved to 21.5 points and 5.7 assists. He is among the franchise leaders in Points (10th), Points Per Game (8th), Assists (5th), Assists Per Game (10th); Steals (10th), and Steals Per Game (10th). His #10 was retired by the Celtics in his honor in 1982.
THE VERDICT - Despite the two rings and the Finals MVP, my vote is going to Nifty in this one. I believe he is one of the most underrated players in NHL history and one of the most underappreciated players in Bruins history. The fact that he is the 4th leading scorer in franchise history (and leader among right wings) should not be overlooked. Scoring 30+ goals 8-times cannot be ignored, and his playoff record and 3 conference titles prove he was solid in the post-season despite not winning a Cup in Boston. In what was basically a draw for me, the higher ranked guy (and the one I remember watching) gets the nod.
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11 comments:
DK -
Your age bias is showing here.
Just because you actually saw Nifty play, doesn't mean he was better.
Remember when Nifty stuck his face into Chris Nilan's butt end? How does that guy win the Lady Byng?
Seriously - Nifty was a nice player but you cannot shift your argmument from last week to this week. Either championships matter - or they don't? It can't matter only when it suits your perspective.
JO JO WHITE WHITE over Nifty.
In the last poll we were dealing with a guy who struggled in the post season (Bledsoe) vs a guy who thrived in the playoffs (McGinest). It wasn't merely about the rings.
Middleton got to 3 Finals and was a terrific post season player. He has the records for most points in a series and most points in the post-season for a player who didn't go to the Finals.
His lack of rings are the result of playing in the same era as dynasties from Montreal, NY Islanders and the Oilers. Jo Jo didn't face any such dynasty in the 70's.
Middleton was good for 35+ goals and 80+ points a year. That is more valuable to me than a guy who averages 18 & 5 in basketball over a shorter span of excellence.
Also, Middleton was a team captain, which certainly means something...and finished his career in Boston, unlike White.
Furthermore, he is #4 on the all-time Bruins scoring list. He has more points than any other B's RW, including Neely, O'Reilly and Hodge.
Comparing Bledsoe and McGinest was two teammates who played in the same era...apples vs apples. This is apples vs oranges. Bourque and Williams also won no titles in Boston....can't make that the lone deciding factor.
Overall team ranking must play a part in this challange. Middleton is ranked higher in Bruins team history that Jo-Jo is with the Celtics. I was initially going to say that those numbers may not be a good comparison considering the championship history of the Celtics. The i found this info:
Bruins 46 Honored Member (Hall of Famers)
Celtics 24 Hall of Famers
After seeing that i would have to say the Middleton's number seem alot better.
I also have to show some "age bias" cause as a young lad i went to alot of Bruins games. And Middleton still played at that time. My vote goes Middleton.
This is clearly a racist decision - choosing a guy who's white rather than a brother named White. When did this turn into a McCain site by siding with the man. PEACE!
Perhaps it is time to eliminate the option of posting anonymously.
FYI: GMac, the "franchise rank" did play a huge part in my decision. It was really the tie-breaker for me. I think Middleton is a top-10 Bruin of all-time, and I don't think the same can be said about Jo Jo. The C's have had more success, but the B's have been around for so much longer it makes it more impressive to me.
I honestly feel that I need to ask my dad this question...and I will. If I get a response I will post his thoughts
JBS, Look at the facts and make up your own mind! What are you going to do when it's a Tris Speaker for Dit Clapper challenge?
I wanna see Wakefield in the top 100. If it is consistency and not all about highest peak - this guy has been a red sock for 14 seasons and won 2 world series. How many guys can say that?
Luke, Wake certainly deserves consideration for the RBSF Ladder and will likely be getting a crack at getting on in the coming weeks.
As for your "how many guys can say that" question about his 14 seasons with the Sox and 2 World Series rings, the answer is zero.
There are 5 other players who have played 10+ years and won multiple rings in Boston, but none has played 14. Those 5 are:
Heinie Wagner; 13 seasons, 4 rings
Harry Hooper; 12 seasons, 4 rings
Jason Varitek; 12 seasons, 2 rings
Larry Gardner; 10 seasons, 3 rings
Bill Carrigan; 10 seasons, 3 rings
==================================
Now back to Nifty vs Jo Jo....
Nifty left out of the Hall again this year (much like Jo Jo was last month in basketball).
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