Rick Vaive may have been one of the most under-rated players to play in NHL. For ten consecutive seasons he scored more than 30 goals per season. He scored more than 50 goals three consecutive seasons and was the first Maple Leaf to reach and pass the 50 goal barrier. He was a Toronto Maple Leaf Captain, an honored bestowed on very few. To be a Toronto Maple Leaf Captain you hold the most prestigious captaincy in the NHL. Rick Vaive is currently the Hockey Analyst on the Canadian headline sports network, “The Score,” but longs to get back in the Coaching ranks.
Q: Tell us about the joys and challenges of coaching Minor Pro hockey!!
Vaive: I've been playing and coaching for 25 years and to not be involved firsthand in the game at this time is very difficult. I enjoy my broadcasting assignments with “The Score” and it makes me feel good that I can do it but it doesn't replace coaching. To coach or play, you are really in the entertainment business. You attempt to create new schemes, new strategies to stay ahead of your opponents, just like songwriters, actors, authors and movie producers. With hockey you attempt to create an atmosphere so that 20 players can work together to win. Players challenge you to press the right button; some players need a pat on the back, some need to be motivated constantly, others need to be talked to quietly and privately. But the key for a good coach is to be able to communicate. You need to sell them about teamwork and about buying into a system; if you can't you won't succeed. To be successful a coach needs good players but conversely a good coach can make mediocre players better.
Q: To be the first Maple Leaf player to score 50 goals in a season had to be a dream come true!!
It was and despite having lean years in Toronto we loved playing there and we always wanted to win for our loyal fans. I became the Maple Leaf Captain and that was a wonderful honor. It could be a burden because you became the most visible captain in Canadian sport. However back to my first 50th goal. It was at the Gardens in 1982 against St. Louis. It was on a power play, Derlago had the puck and passed it backhand across the ice to me in the slot and I one timed it over defenseman Guy Lapointe and past goalie Mike Liut. The crowd went wild and it indeed was a Maple Leaf magical moment. I enjoyed two more fifty goal seasons and it wasn't the Stanley Cup but is somehow softened the fans anguish of not winning the mug since 1967.
Q: You told me an interesting story about Stanley Cups and a different philosophy!
I was having a debate with a hockey player; in fact it was a hell of an argument. The topic was “If you played ten years,won two Stanley Cups, and made ten million dollars, would that player be happier than one that played 20 years, with no Stanley Cups and made 20 million dollars?" The player said he would rather have the money than the Cups. I was in a state of shock! I'm certain most players would take less money just to hold and drink from the Stanley Cup just once.
Note: I still think Vaive was underrated and I hope he gets back to coaching soon. His former players like Cowan, Braithwaite, Petrovicky, Reghr, Varlamov and Clark are enjoying the NHL because of Vaive's coaching magic.
