Eric Vail

Eric Vail
Date of birth	September 16, 1953
place of birth	Timmins , Ontario , Canada
size	185 cm
Weight	91 kg
position	striker
Shot hand	Left
Draft
NHL Amateur Draft	1973 , 2nd lap, 21st position Atlanta Flames
WHA Amateur Draft	1973 , 3rd lap, 29th position Nordiques de Québec
Career stations
1970-1972	Niagara Falls Flyers
1972-1973	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Sudbury Wolves
1973-1980	Atlanta Flames
1980-1981	Calgary Flames
1981-1982	Detroit Red Wings
1982-1983	Adirondack Red Wings

Eric Douglas Vail (born September 16, 1953 in Timmins , Ontario ) is a retired Canadian ice hockey player who played from 1973 to 1983 for the Atlanta Flames or Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League .

Career

Vail played in the junior class with the Niagara Falls Flyers , while Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Sudbury Wolves in the Ontario Hockey Association . His physical strength earned him the nickname "Big Train" , which NHL legend Lionel Conacher used to hold. In the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft , the Atlanta Flames selected him in the second round in 21st place.

The 1973/74 season began the striker with the Omaha Knights in the Central Hockey League , but made the leap into the NHL during the season. In his 23 appearances for the Flames, he scored eleven points. With fewer than 25 completed games, he was still considered a rookie in the following 1974/75 season . Now he was a regular in the Flames' squad and scored 39 goals for his team. This earned him the award of the Calder Memorial Trophy as the best rookie in the league. He was the first Flames player to receive such an award. During this time he was one of the few positive appearances in the rather disappointing Atlantas team. He represented the team in the 1977 NHL All-Star Game . That year he also represented Canada at the 1977 Ice Hockey World Championship in Vienna . With 83 points, the 1978/79 season was the most successful of his career. He and the team moved to Calgary in 1980. Shortly after the start of his second season with the Calgary Flames , he was given to the Detroit Red Wings . Already in his first year he had to join the American Hockey League farm team for the Adirondack Red Wings . After he had to spend the entire next season there, he ended his career in 1983.

NHL statistics

	Seasons	Games	Gates	Assists	Points	Penalty minutes
Regular season	14th	586	86	116	202	596
Playoffs	9	51	4th	7th	11	56

Sporting successes

Personal awards

• Calder Memorial Trophy : 1975
• Participation in the NHL All-Star Game : 1977

Web links

• Eric Vail at hockeydb.com (English)
• Eric Vail at legendsofhockey.net (English)