Note: This article was originally published in the Toronto Star on February 23, 1986 and is part of a new ‘Throwback Thursday’ sports series.

BLOOMINGTON, MINN.—Rick Vaive slept too long yesterday morning and shortly after he woke up, he discovered that he no longer was captain of the Maple Leafs.

The carrier of the C since 1981-82, Vaive missed the Leafs’ 7.15 a.m. practice at the Met Centre here and early last evening, Leafs general manager Gerry McNamara announced that Vaive had been stripped of the captaincy.

The 14th team captain in Leaf history, Vaive, 26, was the third consecutive man to fill the role and have his days in the job end on a bad note. The two previous captains, Dave Keon and Darryl Sittler, had their days as Leafs end on a sour tone, too, and the big question now is: Is the removal of the C the first big step in a trade to another team for Vaive?

The trading block is not a new location for Vaive. During the 1984-85 National Hockey League season, a series of clashes between Vaive and Dan Maloney, who was in his first season as head coach, fueled an almost schedule-long string of trade rumors. After three consecutive 50-goal-plus terms, Vaive’s production slipped to 35 goals in ‘84-85.

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This season brought an easing of the Vaive-Maloney tensions and when Vaive’s wife Joyce delivered their first child, Jeffrey, early in the season, life seemed to take a large upturn for the big, hard-shooting winger. He got away to a splendid start but a broken bone in his hand shelved that and he missed 19 games.

After a two-game absence with the flu and a sore back, Vaive scored twice in an overtime win Thursday against the Flames at Calgary, giving him 21 goals for the season, and announced that his hand and his shooting were 100 per cent for the first time since the injury.

He’s a slow starter

A notoriously slow starter in the morning, Vaive had a late chat with his former linemate John Anderson, who was traded to Quebec Nordiques last summer and was here with the Nords for a game Friday. His roommate Greg Terrion woke Vaive and left for practice while the ex-captain went back to sleep and missed the drill.

“Ricky missed the practice this morning and we’ve removed the C from his sweater, “ McNamara said. “I say that with great regret. It was a painful decision (involving McNamara, owner Harold Ballard and Maloney). I don’t think I want to elaborate on it.”

No captain will be named to replace Vaive this season. Several players will alternate in the role, starting with this afternoon’s game here against Minnesota North Stars.

“That could continue next season, too, “ McNamara said, “until someone develops into a top choice as captain.”

McNamara said Vaive also would be fined in accordance with the team’s schedule of punishment for bad behavior, likely $500.

Asked if a move to trade Vaive was being made, McNamara replied, “Vaive’s future with the Leafs is up to him. If he plays like Rick Vaive can play, he can make a big contribution to our team. If he doesn’t, then we’ll find an alternative. “His name has come up in talks with other teams on possible trades. He’s like any other player on our team. If we can make a trade that will improve our team, then we’ll consider trading him.”

McNamara refused to comment on a suggestion that missing the practice was simply the clincher in the building of a case to remove Vaive from the captain’s role and that the punishment was overly severe to be handed out for one sleep-in.

“We think our team is on the upswing and it looks like it’s getting better, “ McNamara said. “To have our team captain miss an important practice — it was important because we spent Friday travelling here and didn’t practise that day — just isn’t acceptable.” Vaive said he was “enormously disappointed” at losing the captaincy of the team he joined in a 1980 trade from Vancouver Canucks, but he wouldn’t say the act was too harsh. In fact, he seemed a trifle relieved to be rid of a job he didn’t ask to have in the first place.

“I don’t say that it’s too harsh, “ said Vaive in an impromptu hotel corridor press conference. “As a team captain, you have responsibility and it was an irresponsible act on my part. It’s just unfortunate that I have to pay for it by losing the captaincy but they had to do something.

“Sure, a few other incidents could have had a bearing on the decision but the relationship between the coach and me had been every good this season. I don’t think that was an influence but they had to do something.

“Sure, guys have slept in and missed practices before but when you are captain of a team, you can’t do it. It was a stupid mistake, that’s all. I went out with an old friend (Anderson), we had a long bull session and I over-slept. I was proud to be the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs and it’s a big disappointment that it’s over.”

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Frustrating season

Vaive wouldn’t predict if losing the responsibility of the captaincy would allow him to relax and rescue what he called his “most frustrating season. The game in Calgary was the first when my hand was right and I could get real control of my shot.”

“Right now, I don’t feel any relief but maybe down the road it will be that way. I just don’t know how that will work. I don’t think it will be that much different for me as a player. I’ll still work as hard as I can and try to do a good job. I have a lot of thinking to do about my situation now but mainly, I want to go on and do a good job.”

Maloney, who listed “the flu” as the reason for Vaive’s absence after the workout, felt the team had no other choice than to scissor the C from his sweater.

“It’s quite a blow and it comes at an inopportune time for the team but we had no other recourse, “ Maloney said. “I thought Rick was coming along very well as a captain. The Maple Leafs job is the most prestigious captaincy in the NHL.

“He’s not the first captain to be relieved and his role with the team is up to him now. There’s a good possibility that he will be a better player without the C on his sweater.”

Vaive’s agent, Bill Watters, didn’t think the team’s action would influence Vaive’s play.

“He knows that what he did was indefensible and he’s heartbroken about it but he’s prepared to give all he has to a team that’s treated him very well, “ Watters said. “Maybe this will turn out to be a good thing for Rick. He can just relax and play now and not worry about anything else.”

Team needs Vaive

Most Leafs players declined with thanks the opportunity to comment on the situation although several, promised anonymity, said they didn’t think Vaive’s losing the captaincy would have any major influence on the team or its performance. Of course, Leafs who have been on the blue-and-white scene for any length of time are very familiar with the club’s crisis-of-the-week operation.

“This team needs Rick Vaive going at top level to be even near its best, “ said defenceman Chris Kotsopoulos. “When he was rolling and gunning in Calgary, it made a big difference to us.”

One Leaf revealed that when Maloney saw Anderson and Vaive talking in the hotel lobby after the Minnesota-Quebec game on Friday, he made a point of telling Vaive not to forget the early workout.

Failure to follow that order changed Vaive’s situation considerably.

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