Rick Vaive

Vaive was born in Ottawa, Ontario to Claude (d. 2016) and Mary Vaive (d. 2010),^[1] and lived 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]

After a stellar junior hockey career with the Sherbrooke Castors, he began his professional career in 1978-79 in the World Hockey Association (WHA) with the Birmingham Bulls, with whom he signed as an underage free agent. He was part of a contingent of young players 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 eligible for the 1979 NHL entry draft, and Vaive was selected fifth overall by the Vancouver Canucks.

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 was a prolific scorer for the Leafs, becoming the first player in the team's history to score 50 goals in a season.^[6][7] His 54 goals in 1981–82 stood as a franchise record for 40 years before it was broken by Auston Matthews in 2021–22.^[8][9] Vaive had each of his three 50-goal seasons come in seasons where the Leafs lost over 40 games each time. Vaive is the only skater with three 50-goal seasons come on teams that failed to win 30 games.^[10] Vaive served as captain of the Maple Leafs from 1982 to 1986; he was stripped of the captaincy during the 1985–86 NHL season, for missing a morning practice. Vaive was invited to the Canada Cup team in 1984, but was cut in training camp.^[11][12]

In 1987 Vaive was traded, along with Steve Thomas and Bob McGill, to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Al Secord and Ed Olczyk, one of several lamentable deals by team owner Harold Ballard in the 1980s.^[13] Vaive netted 43 goals in his first season in Chicago but never managed more than 31 in a season after that.

Vaive was traded from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Buffalo Sabres on December 26, 1988, in exchange for center Adam Creighton. He spent four seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, then retired as a member of the American Hockey League's Hamilton Canucks in 1993.

He later played for the Dundee Real McCoys at the age of 42.

In May 2000, Vaive was inducted into the PEI Sports Hall of Fame.^[14][15]

In 1993, immediately after his retirement as a player, Vaive became coach of the expansion South Carolina Stingrays of the East Coast Hockey League. He led the Stingrays to division titles in 1995 and 1997 and a conference championship in 1997, and in 1996–97 he became the first ECHL coach to win both the Brabham Cup and Kelly Cup in the same season. He then coached the Saint John Flames of the AHL for two seasons. Vaive coached the Mississauga Ice Dogs of the Ontario Hockey League in 2000-01, guiding the team to the worst record in the league and tying the 1995-96 London Knights for fewest wins in a season. He was fired and replaced by Don Cherry.

Vaive battled with anxiety for a majority of his playing career, which went undiagnosed for a number of years. Vaive also had a fear of flying that never waivered in his playing career.^[16] Vaive used drinking to both combat his fear of flying during road games and his anxiety, even after a doctor prescribed medication to treat the anxiety. Vaive first resolved to quit drinking alcohol after an embarrassing incident on his 35th birthday in 1994. He was sober for nearly 15 years before having a toast for his father-in-law's funeral in 2008. On July 14, 2009, he was pulled over when driving home from a golf event in Vaughan, Ontario that saw him charged with impaired driving and driving with over 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. He stated in court testimony that he broke his own limit of beers prior to taking the wheel but argued that he was not drunk and felt fine to do the three-hour trip home.^[17][18] At the time, it was noted in court that Vaive suffered from chronic joint pain, sleep apnea and a bladder condition.^[19] Vaive entered rehab in December 2011.

On April 12, 2012, he was cleared of the charges, with the judge citing various factors ranging from delays in taking the test for blood alcohol, Vaive's testimony and video of him at the police station that showed him appearing lucid.^[20]

Vaive hosted various shows on Leafs TV, an MLSE-run property focusing on the Toronto Maple Leafs and also has been featured on podcasts and contributed articles to the Toronto Sun.^[21]

Vaive and his wife Joyce have two sons, Jeff and Justin, who was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2007 NHL entry draft.^[22][23]

In 2020, Vaive's autobiography (co-written with Scott Morrison) Catch 22: My Battles, In Hockey and Life was published.^[24]

Note: G = Games, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, PCT. = Winning Percentage