| Rick Vaive | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 14, 1959 Ottawa, ON, CAN |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) |
| Position | Right wing |
| Shot | Right |
| Played for | Buffalo Sabres Chicago Blackhawks Toronto Maple Leafs Vancouver Canucks Birmingham Bulls (WHA) |
| National team | Canada |
| NHL Draft | 5th overall, 1979 Vancouver Canucks |
| Playing career | 1979–1992 |
Richard Claude Vaive (born May 14, 1959) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League from 1979 to 1992, and is best remembered as the first 50 goal scorer in Toronto Maple Leafs franchise history.
Contents |
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 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. 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, surpassing that threshold three times. He recorded 54 goals in 1981–82, 51 goals in 1982–83, and 52 goals in 1983–84. 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.
Vaive was a late cut from the 1984 Canada Cup team.
His trade from Toronto along with Steve Thomas and Bob McGill to Chicago 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. Vaive netted 43 goals in his first season in Chicago but would never manage more than 29 in a season after that. He spent 4 seasons with the Buffalo Sabres before retiring as a member of the AHL's Hamilton Canucks in 1993.
In July 2009, Vaive was arrested and charged with impaired driving. His trial in Newmarket has been adjourned until February 2012.[1]
Vaive had a career as a professional hockey coach in the East Coast Hockey League and the American 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 under his watch became the first ECHL coach in history to win both the Brabham Cup and Kelly Cup in the same season, in the 1996–97 season. He served one season with the Mississauga Ice Dogs before Don Cherry took over as head coach.
Vaive currently hosts various shows on Leafs TV, an MLSE-run property focusing on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
His son, Justin Vaive, was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1976–77 | Sherbrooke Beavers | QMJHL | 68 | 51 | 59 | 110 | 91 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Sherbrooke Beavers | QMJHL | 68 | 76 | 79 | 155 | 199 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 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 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Dundas Real McCoys | OHASr | 9 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 876 | 441 | 347 | 788 | 1445 | 54 | 27 | 16 | 43 | 111 | ||||
Season Team Lge Type GP W L T OTL Pct Result 1993-94 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL Head Coach 68 33 26 0 9 0.551 Lost in round 1 1994-95 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL Head Coach 68 42 19 0 7 0.669 Lost in round 2 1995-96 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL Head Coach 70 40 22 0 8 0.629 Lost in round 2 1996-97 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL Head Coach 70 45 15 10 0 0.714 Won Championship 1997-98 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL Head Coach 70 41 23 6 0 0.629 Lost in round 1 1998-99 Saint John Flames AHL Head Coach 80 31 40 8 1 0.444 Lost in round 2 1999-00 Saint John Flames AHL Head Coach 80 32 32 11 5 0.500 Lost in round 1 2000-01 Mississauga IceDogs OHL Head Coach 68 3 56 7 2 0.110 2004-05 Dundas Real McCoys OHASr Head Coach 34 20 12 0 2 0.618
| 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 |