Rick Vaive

After playing a season with the WHA’s Birmingham Bulls, Rick Vaive was selected fifth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 1979.  He only played half of a season on the West Coast before moving to the Maple Leafs.  Although the 80’s weren’t kind to Toronto, Vaive gave the Leafs Nation something to cheer about: he became the first Leaf to score 50 goals in a season.  In fact, he did it for three seasons in a row.  He was captain of the Leafs until he was traded to Chicago in 1987.  Vaive spent a season and a half there before moving to Buffalo for three seasons.  He retired from the NHL in 1992 and has served as a head coach in the OHL and AHL, as well as director of hockey operations for the ECHL.  He is now a regular commentator on Leafs TV.

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