Portrait of Rick Middleton

Birthday profile

Rick Middleton

Rick Middleton, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster

Born
December 4, 1953
Age in 2026
73
Zodiac sign
Sagittarius
Birth year
1953

About Rick Middleton

Richard David "Nifty" Middleton (born December 4, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. Middleton played 14 years in the NHL, most prominently with the Bruins, serving as their captain alongside Ray Bourque from 1985 until his retirement in 1988. Throughout his career, Middleton was known for his exceptional stickhandling and scoring ability, recording multiple 90-plus- and 100-plus-point seasons. He won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship in 1982. Internationally, Middleton represented Team Canada twice in the Canada Cup, winning a gold medal in 1984. Following his retirement, Middleton served as the head coach of the United States 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey team and coached them to their first gold medal at the 2002 Paralympic Olympics. He has since been inducted into both the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. He has also remained involved with the Bruins in commentary and ambassador roles.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Rick Middleton timeline

  1. He won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship in 1982.
  2. Middleton played 14 years in the NHL, most prominently with the Bruins, serving as their captain alongside Ray Bourque from 1985 until his retirement in 1988.
  3. Following his retirement, Middleton served as the head coach of the United States 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey team and coached them to their first gold medal at the 2002 Paralympic Olympics.

The world when Rick Middleton was born

Rick Middleton was born in 1953. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1953

  • #1 song"Doggie in the Window" – Patti Page
  • Top movieFrom Here to Eternity
  • Top TV showI Love Lucy
  • Best-selling bookCasino Royale – Ian Fleming

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentEdmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summit Mount Everest
  • Top headlineCoronation of Queen Elizabeth II
  • Technology milestoneWatson and Crick discover the structure of DNA
  • Defining fadTV dinners
  • Notable inventionTV dinner
  • World population2.68 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderDwight D. Eisenhower
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • Also wonMinneapolis Lakers (NBA)
  • U.S. population159.0M

1953 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Rick Middleton's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19532026
Gas$0.29$3.45/gal
Average home$9,500$435,000
Average income$5,900$67,500
Minimum wage$0.75$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.60$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population159.0M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, NHL. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.