Rick Vaive
First Toronto Maple Leaf to score 50 goals in a season.
Richard Claude Vaive was born on May 14, 1959, in Ottawa, Ontario, to Claude and Mary Vaive. After turning 11, he moved to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. His grandparents, Lionel and Reina Vaive, were from Gatineau, Quebec. As a kid, he played in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament in 1970 and 1971 with a minor team from Amherst, Nova Scotia.
He played junior hockey for the Sherbrooke Castors before turning pro in the 1978–79 season with the Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association, signing as an underage free agent. He was part of a group of young players called the "Baby Bulls," which included Michel Goulet, Craig Hartsburg, Keith Crowder, Gaston Gingras, and Pat Riggin. After the NHL-WHA merger, those players entered the 1979 NHL draft, and the Vancouver Canucks picked Vaive fifth overall.
In 1980, the Canucks traded Vaive and Bill Derlago to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Dave "Tiger" Williams and Jerry Butler. In Toronto, Vaive and Derlago played alongside Pat Hickey, with Derlago setting up Vaive's goals. Vaive became the first Leaf ever to score 50 goals in a season, netting 54 in 1981–82—a franchise record that stood for 40 years until Auston Matthews broke it in 2021–22. He had three 50-goal seasons, all in years the Leafs lost more than 40 games. He is the only NHL skater to have three 50-goal seasons on teams that failed to win 30 games. Vaive was captain of the Maple Leafs from 1982 until he was stripped of the role during the 1985–86 season for missing a morning practice. He was invited to the 1984 Canada Cup training camp but was cut.
In 1987, the Leafs traded Vaive, Steve Thomas, and Bob McGill to the Chicago Blackhawks for Al Secord and Ed Olczyk—one of several deals by owner Harold Ballard that were widely criticized. Vaive scored 43 goals in his first season with Chicago but never topped 31 in a season after that. On December 26, 1988, the Blackhawks traded him to the Buffalo Sabres for center Adam Creighton. He played four seasons in Buffalo and retired in 1993 after a stint with the American Hockey League's Hamilton Canucks. At age 42, he played for the Dundee Real McCoys.
In May 2000, Vaive was inducted into the PEI Sports Hall of Fame.
After retiring as a player in 1993, Vaive immediately became head coach of the expansion South Carolina Stingrays of the East Coast Hockey League.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Right Wing
- Shoots
- Right
- Height Ft
- 6
- Height In
- 0
- Weight Lb
- 180
- Ntl Team
- CAN
- Birth Date
- 1959-05-14
- Birth Place
- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Career Start
- 1979
- Career End
- 1992
- Draft
- 5th overall
- Draft Team
- Vancouver Canucks
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Vaive began his professional career in 1978–79 with the Birmingham Bulls of the WHA, signing as an underage free agent and becoming part of the 'Baby Bulls' group. After the NHL-WHA merger, he was drafted fifth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 1979. In 1980, the Canucks traded Vaive and Bill Derlago to the Toronto Maple Leafs 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 54 goals in 1981–82, setting a franchise record that stood for 40 years. He had three 50-goal seasons, each coming in seasons where the Leafs lost over 40 games; he is the only skater with three 50-goal seasons on teams that failed to win 30 games. Vaive served as captain from 1982 until he was stripped of the captaincy during the 1985–86 season for missing a morning practice. He was invited to the Canada Cup team in 1984 but was cut in training camp.
Reader's Guide
Vaive's significance lies in being the first Toronto Maple Leaf to score 50 goals in a season, a milestone that had eluded the franchise since its founding. His 54-goal season in 1981–82 stood as the team's single-season record for 40 years, underscoring his place in Leafs history. Despite his scoring achievements, Vaive's three 50-goal seasons all occurred on teams that lost over 40 games each year, making him the only NHL skater with three such seasons on teams that failed to win 30 games. His tenure as captain ended controversially when he was stripped of the role for missing a morning practice. After being traded to Chicago in 1987 as part of a deal later lamented by observers, he scored 43 goals in his first season but never exceeded 31 thereafter. Vaive later played for Buffalo and retired in 1993. Off the ice, he battled anxiety and a fear of flying, using alcohol to cope, and was charged with impaired driving in 2009 but cleared in 2012. He later hosted shows on Leafs TV and published an autobiography in 2020.
Did You Know?
- Vaive was born in Ottawa, Ontario, and lived in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island after age 11.
- He was part of the 'Baby Bulls' group of young players with the Birmingham Bulls in the WHA.
- Vaive's 54 goals in 1981–82 stood as a Maple Leafs franchise record for 40 years.
- He was stripped of the Maple Leafs captaincy during the 1985–86 season for missing a morning practice.
More in Toronto Maple Leafs Players 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced