Richard Derek Blight (October 17, 1955 – April 3, 2005) was a professional 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. 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 committed 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 International Personal His niece, Halli Krzyzaniak, currently plays in the Canadian Women's Hockey League for the Calgary Inferno. References External links Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com Rick Blight's biography at the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame 1955 births 2005 suicides Brandon Wheat Kings players Canadian ice hockey right wingers Canadian people of Cornish descent Canadian stockbrokers Cincinnati Tigers players Ice hockey people from Manitoba Los Angeles Kings players Michigan Stags draft picks Moncton Alpines (AHL) players National Hockey League first-round draft picks New Haven Nighthawks players Sportspeople from Portage la Prairie Portage Terriers players Suicides in Manitoba Vancouver Canucks draft picks Vancouver Canucks players Wichita Wind players 2005 deaths