Rick Vaive
Vaive with the Chicago Blackhawks 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

Richard Claude "Rick" Vaive (/ˈvaɪv/; 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.

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

Biography

Vaive was born in Ottawa, Ontario to Claude (d. 2016) and Mary Vaive (d. 2010),[1] but grew up in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island after he turned 11.[2][3] Grandparents Lionel and Reina Vaive were from Gatineau, Quebec. 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.[4]

His professional career began in the World Hockey Association (WHA) with the Birmingham Bulls, with whom he signed as an underage free agent before the 1978-79 season, after a stellar junior hockey career with the Sherbrooke Castors. He was part of a contingent of young players in the same situation who were nicknamed the "Baby Bulls", a group which also included Michel Goulet, Craig Hartsburg, Keith Crowder, Gaston Gingras and Pat Riggin. Following the NHL-WHA merger at the end of the season, these youngsters were declared to be eligible for the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, making for an exceptionally strong draft class. Vaive was selected fifth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in that draft and his NHL career lasted from 1979 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.[5] 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,[6] surpassing that threshold three times. He recorded 54 goals in 1981–82, 51 goals in 1982–83, and 52 goals in 1983–84. Vaive's 54-goal season would stand as a Toronto Maple Leafs franchise record for 40 years before it was surpassed by Auston Matthews in 2021–22.[7][8] 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.[9][10]

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.[11] 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 PEI Sports Hall of Fame.[12][13]

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

Vaive and his wife Joyce have two sons, Jeff and Justin, who was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.[14][15]

Career statistics

Vaive (left) signing autographs with Darryl Sittler at the Oshawa Centre in 2005

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 1,445 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. ↑ "Claude Vaive: Obituary and death notice on InMemoriam".
  2. ↑ "Rogers Hometown Hockey in Summerside unites fans of the sport". Journal Pioneer. December 13, 2015. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  3. ↑ "Hockey Day shows off PEI's history". Estevan Mercury. February 15, 2012. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  4. ↑ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  5. ↑ "Leafs no longer 'hold that Tiger'". The Globe and Mail. February 19, 1980.
  6. ↑ "Vaive scores his 50th as Leafs beat Blues". The Globe and Mail. March 25, 1982.
  7. ↑ "Matthews scores hat trick to tie Vaive's single-season Maple Leafs record". Sportsnet. 2022-04-04. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  8. ↑ "Matthews sets Leafs' single-season franchise record for goals with 55". TSN. 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  9. ↑ "Leafs' sleepy Vaive stripped of captaincy". The Montreal Gazette. February 24, 1986. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  10. ↑ "Leafs' captains often had nasty departures". Toronto Star. February 9, 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  11. ↑ "Vaive traded to the Hawks". The Globe and Mail. September 4, 1987.
  12. ↑ "Vaive inducted into Sports Hall of Fame". CBC News. May 15, 2000. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  13. ↑ "Rick Vaive biography". Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame. May 13, 2000. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  14. ↑ "Feuds with Harold Ballard, Don Cherry part of ex-Leafs captain Rick Vaive's new book". CBC Sports. November 17, 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  15. ↑ "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.
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