| Rick Vaive | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Name | Rick Vaive | |||
| Position | Right Wing | |||
| Date of Birth | February 5, 1959 | |||
| Birthplace | Ottawa, ON, Canada | |||
| Drafted | Selected 5th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft | |||
| Professional Career | 1979-1992 | |||
| Toronto Captain | 1982-1986 | |||
Richard Claude Vaive is a former professional hockey player who played fifteen professional seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres. Vaive is notable in Maple Leaf history for becoming the first player in franchise history to break the 50 goal mark in a single season, which Vaive accomplished three times as a member of the Maple Leafs.
Career[]
Vaive was drafted in 1979 by the Vancouver Canucks. He played a partial season with the Canucks, scoring 13 goals in 47 games with the team, before being traded to the Maple Leafs, along with Bill Derlago, for Dave "Tiger" Williams and Jerry Butler. Vaive scored prolifically with the Maple Leafs,as he became the first 50-goal scorer in franchise history, surpassing that threshold three times while with the club. Vaive 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 1981 to 1986. However, Vaive was stripped of his Maple Leaf captaincy during the 1985–86 NHL season, after missing a morning practice. His offensive successes led to notice on the national stage, as Vaive was a late cut from the 1984 Canada Cup team.
His time in Toronto did not end well, however, as he was traded from Toronto to the Chicago Blackhawks just before the 1987 season. This trade is still remembered as one of the most highly criticized trades made by team owner Harold Ballard. Vaive initially continued his offensive habits with the Blackhawks, as he scored 43 goals with the team in 1987-88. However, Vaive was traded midway through the 1988-89 season to the Buffalo Sabres. Vaive was unable to continue his scoring pace set in Toronto, as he was unable to score more than 29 goals in a single season with Buffalo. Vaive finished his NHL career after playing parts of four seasons with the Sabres.
After retiring as a player, Vaive began a career as a professional hockey coach various semi-professional hockey leagues. Vaive began his coaching career by serving as a head coach in 1993 with the expansion South Carolina Stingrays of the East Coast Hockey League, winning two division titles in 1995 and 1997, a conference championship in 1997, and becoming the first ECHL coach in history to win both the Brabham Cup and Kelly Cup in the same season in 1997. He later became the head coach of the Saint John Flames of the American Hockey League, where he spent the greater portion of two seasons with the team. Vaive then served one season as head coach of the Mississauga Ice Dogs of the OHL before Don Cherry took over as head coach.
Vaive's son, Justin Vaive, was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
Career Statistics[]
| Year | Gp | G | A | P | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-1980 | 69 | 22 | 15 | 37 | 188 |
| 1980-1981 | 75 | 33 | 29 | 62 | 229 |
| 1981-1982 | 77 | 54 | 35 | 89 | 157 |
| 1982-1983 | 78 | 51 | 28 | 79 | 105 |
| 1983-1984 | 76 | 52 | 41 | 93 | 114 |
| 1984-1985 | 72 | 35 | 33 | 68 | 112 |
| 1985-1986 | 61 | 33 | 31 | 64 | 85 |
| 1986-1987 | 73 | 32 | 34 | 66 | 61 |
| 1987-1988 | 76 | 43 | 26 | 69 | 108 |
| 1988-1989 | 58 | 31 | 26 | 57 | 124 |
| 1989-1990 | 70 | 29 | 19 | 48 | 74 |
| 1990-1991 | 71 | 25 | 27 | 52 | 74 |
| 1991-1992 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 14 |
| TOTALS | 876 | 441 | 347 | 788 | 1445 |
| Year | Gp | G | A | P | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-1980 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| 1980-1981 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 1982-1983 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
| 1985-1986 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 9 |
| 1986-1987 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 23 |
| 1987-1988 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 38 |
| 1988-1989 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| 1989-1990 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| 1990-1991 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| TOTALS | 54 | 27 | 16 | 43 | 111 |