Rick Vaive | |||
---|---|---|---|
Vaive in 1988
|
|||
Born |
Ottawa, ON, CAN |
May 14, 1959 ||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
Position | Right Wing | ||
Shot | Right | ||
Played for |
Vancouver Canucks Toronto Maple Leafs Chicago Blackhawks Buffalo Sabres 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. Vaive was born in Ottawa, Ontario, but grew up in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
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.