Rick Vaive

Richard Claude Vaive (born May 14, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the final season of the World Hockey Association (WHA), before playing the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to 1992.

Rick Vaive
Vaive in 1988
Born	(1959-05-14) May 14, 1959 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Birmingham Bulls Vancouver Canucks Toronto Maple Leafs Chicago Blackhawks Buffalo Sabres
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	5th overall, 1979 Vancouver Canucks
Playing career	1979–1992

He is the first 50-goal scorer in Toronto Maple Leafs franchise history.

Biography

Vaive was born in Ottawa, Ontario, but grew up in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.[1][2] As a youth, he played in the 1970 and 1971 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a minor ice hockey team from Amherst, Nova Scotia.[3]

Vaive was selected fifth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, after a stellar junior hockey career with the Sherbrooke Castors. His professional career, which began in the World Hockey Association (WHA) with the Birmingham Bulls, lasted from 1978 until 1992.

In 1980, the Canucks traded Vaive, along with Bill Derlago, to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Dave "Tiger" Williams and Jerry Butler.[4] In Toronto, Vaive and Derlago were teamed with Pat Hickey, and Derlago became Vaive's setup man. Vaive scored prolifically with the Leafs, becoming the first 50-goal scorer in franchise history,[5] surpassing that threshold three times. He recorded 54 goals in 1981–82, 51 goals in 1982–83, and 52 goals in 1983–84. Vaive was a late cut from the 1984 Canada Cup team. He also served as captain of the Maple Leafs from 1982 to 1986. Vaive was stripped of his captaincy during the 1985–86 NHL season, for missing a morning practice.[6][7]

His trade from the Maple Leafs, along with Steve Thomas and Bob McGill, to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Al Secord and Ed Olczyk before the 1987 season was one of several lamentable trades arranged by team owner Harold Ballard in the 1980s.[8] Vaive netted 43 goals in his first season in Chicago but never managed more than 31 in a season after that. He spent four seasons with the Buffalo Sabres before retiring as a member of the American Hockey League's Hamilton Canucks in 1993.

In May 2000, Vaive was inducted into the Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame.[9][10]

He was found not guilty of impaired driving despite a positive breathalyzer test given by police July 14, 2009.[11]

Coaching career

Vaive coached in the East Coast Hockey League, American Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League after his retirement from the NHL, serving as a head coach in 1993 with the expansion South Carolina Stingrays, winning two division titles (1995 and 1997), a conference championship (1997), and in 1996–97 became the first ECHL coach to win both the Brabham Cup and Kelly Cup in the same season. Vaive coached the Mississauga Ice Dogs during the 2000-01 season, guiding the team to the worst record in the league, tying the 1995-96 London Knights for fewest wins in a season. Vaive was fired at the end of the season and replaced by Don Cherry.

Personal

Vaive (left) and Darryl Sittler (right) signing autographs in Oshawa, 2005

Vaive currently hosts various shows on Leafs TV, an MLSE-run property focusing on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Vaive has two sons. Jeff, who played for the Streetsville Derbies before moving on to a successful career working for Beam Suntory and Justin, an ice hockey forward who was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.[12]

Vaive has brothers named Ron and Steve, and a sister Barb.

Vaive married Kirstin Potvin on August 5, 2018 in Charleston, South Carolina. The couple chose the venue based on the years they had spent in Charleston while Rick coached the South Carolina Stingrays.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1975–76	Charlottetown Abbies	PEIJHL
1976–77	Sherbrooke Castors	QMJHL		68	51	59	110	93		18	10	13	23	78
1977–78	Sherbrooke Castors	QMJHL		68	76	79	155	199		9	8	4	12	38
1978–79	Birmingham Bulls	WHA		75	26	33	59	248		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		47	13	8	21	111		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		22	9	7	16	77		3	1	0	1	11
1980–81	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		75	33	29	62	229		3	1	0	1	4
1981–82	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		77	54	35	89	157		—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		78	51	28	79	105		4	2	5	7	6
1983–84	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		76	52	41	93	114		—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		72	35	33	68	112		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		61	33	31	64	85		9	6	2	8	9
1986–87	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		73	32	34	66	61		13	4	2	6	23
1987–88	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		76	43	26	69	108		5	6	2	8	38
1988–89	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		30	12	13	25	60		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		28	19	13	32	64		5	2	1	3	8
1989–90	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		70	29	19	48	74		6	4	2	6	6
1990–91	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		71	25	27	52	74		6	1	2	3	6
1991–92	Rochester Americans	AHL		12	4	9	13	4		16	4	4	8	10
1991–92	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		20	1	3	4	14		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Hamilton Canucks	AHL		38	16	15	31	34		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Dundas Real McCoys	ACH		5	2	2	4	24		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Dundas Real McCoys	ACH		9	6	5	11	34		4	2	3	5	6
NHL totals				876	441	347	788	1445		54	27	16	43	111

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1978	Canada	WJC		6	3	0	3	4
1982	Canada	WC		9	3	1	4	12
1985	Canada	WC		10	6	2	8	16
Senior totals				19	9	3	12	28

Coaching statistics

Season	Team	League	G	W	L	T	OTL	PCT.	Playoff Result
1993-94	South Carolina Stingrays	ECHL	68	33	26	0	9	0.551	Lost in round 1
1994-95	South Carolina Stingrays	ECHL	68	42	19	0	7	0.669	Lost in round 2
1995-96	South Carolina Stingrays	ECHL	70	40	22	0	8	0.629	Lost in round 2
1996-97	South Carolina Stingrays	ECHL	70	45	15	10	0	0.714	Won Championship
1997-98	South Carolina Stingrays	ECHL	70	41	23	6	0	0.629	Lost in round 1
1998-99	Saint John Flames	AHL	80	31	40	8	1	0.444	Lost in round 2
1999-00	Saint John Flames	AHL	80	32	32	11	5	0.500	Lost in round 1
2000-01	Mississauga IceDogs	OHL	68	3	56	7	2	0.110
2004-05	Dundas Real McCoys	OHASr	34	20	12	0	2	0.618

Note: G = Games, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, PCT. = Winning Percentage

References

1. "Rogers Hometown Hockey in Summerside unites fans of the sport". Journal Pioneer. December 13, 2015. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
2. "Hockey Day shows off PEI's history". Estevan Mercury. February 15, 2012. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
3. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
4. "Leafs no longer 'hold that Tiger'". The Globe and Mail. February 19, 1980.
5. "Vaive scores his 50th as Leafs beat Blues". The Globe and Mail. March 25, 1982.
6. "Leafs' sleepy Vaive stripped of captaincy". The Montreal Gazette. February 24, 1986. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
7. "Leafs' captains often had nasty departures". Toronto Star. February 9, 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
8. "Vaive traded to the Hawks". The Globe and Mail. September 4, 1987.
9. "Vaive inducted into Sports Hall of Fame". CBC News. May 15, 2000. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
10. "Rick Vaive biography". Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame. May 13, 2000. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
11. "Former Maple Leaf captain Rick Vaive not guilty of impaired driving". Toronto Star. April 12, 2012. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
12. "Rick Vaive took winding road to become first Maple Leaf to score 50 goals in a season". The Hockey News. February 14, 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-19.

External links

• Rick Vaive career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com

Preceded by Bill Derlago	Vancouver Canucks first round draft pick 1979	Succeeded by Rick Lanz
Preceded by Darryl Sittler	Toronto Maple Leafs captain 1982–86	Succeeded by Rob Ramage
Preceded by First coach	South Carolina Stingrays head coach 1993–98	Succeeded by Rick Adduono