1
He was the first player in Toronto Maple Leafs franchise history to score 50 goals in a single season.
15 Interesting Facts About Rick Vaive
Rick Vaive was a dynamic Canadian goal-scorer who made history as the first player in Toronto Maple Leafs franchise history to score 50 goals in a season.
Position
Right Wing
Jersey
#22
Status
Retired
Teams
8
Facts
15
2
He served as the team captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1982 to 1986.
3
He scored 54 goals during the 1981–82 NHL season, setting a Leafs single-season record that stood for 40 years.
4
He was selected fifth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft.
5
He was traded from Vancouver to Toronto along with Bill Derlago in exchange for Dave 'Tiger' Williams and Jerry Butler.
6
He began his professional hockey career as an underage free agent in the World Hockey Association with the Birmingham Bulls.
7
He was stripped of his Maple Leafs captaincy during the 1985–86 season after missing a morning practice.
8
He co-authored an autobiography titled Catch 22: My Battles, In Hockey and Life, which was published in 2020.
9
He scored 43 goals in his first season with the Chicago Blackhawks after being traded alongside Steve Thomas and Bob McGill.
10
He was part of a group of young WHA players with the Birmingham Bulls nicknamed the 'Baby Bulls.'
11
As a head coach in the East Coast Hockey League, he became the first to win both the Brabham Cup and Kelly Cup in the same season.
12
He coached the Mississauga IceDogs during the 2000–01 season before being replaced behind the bench by Don Cherry.
13
He is the only skater in NHL history to record three 50-goal seasons on teams that failed to win 30 games in those respective years.
14
As a youth player, he competed in the 1970 and 1971 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments representing Amherst, Nova Scotia.
15
At 42 years of age, he returned to the ice to play senior hockey for the Dundas Real McCoys.
About Rick Vaive
Richard Claude Vaive was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played in the WHA and NHL from 1978 to 1992. Best known for his goal-scoring prowess with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he became the first player in franchise history to reach the 50-goal milestone and served as team captain from 1982 to 1986. Over his 876-game NHL career, he recorded 441 goals and 788 points.
Career Achievements & Milestones
✓
First Toronto Maple Leafs player to score 50 goals in a season
1981-82
✓
World Championship Bronze Medalist
1982
✓
World Championship Silver Medalist
1985
✓
PEI Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
2000
Player Information & Stats
Detailed career statistics and background information about Rick Vaive.
Player Info
Country: Canada
Position: Right Wing
Jersey #: 22
Status: Retired
Age: 67 years old
Physical Stats
Height: 6' 0" (183 cm)
Weight: 180 lbs (82 kg)
Born: Ottawa, Ontario
Career Stats
Seasons: 14
Goals: 441
Assists: 347
Points: 788
Teams: 8
Drafted: 1979
Round: 1st
Teams & Career
Birmingham Bulls Vancouver Canucks Toronto Maple Leafs Chicago Blackhawks Buffalo Sabres Rochester Americans Hamilton Canucks Dundas Real McCoys
Rick Vaive played for 8 different teams during his 14 seasons career. He was originally drafted 1st overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 1979.