If you’re a team’s all-time goal scoring leader, even though that franchise has long since relocated and subsequently your feat comes with a major asterisk, that’s still something to be proud of. Okay, maybe that doesn’t apply to the two year existence of the Cleveland Barons or the Kansas City Scouts. For Eric Vail, the Atlanta Flames were a decent team with some decent players during their existence in Georgia and to be the franchise’s leader in goals scored and games played is a pretty big deal.
Eric Vail – Junior and Minor Pro
Vail spent three years of major junior in the Ontario Hockey League (then OHA Junior A) from 1970-71 to 1972-73. His junior odyssey is one for the history books as far as the teams he played for. Eric’s first two years were with the Niagara Falls Flyers. This was the original version of the Flyers and the team played their last season in Niagara Falls in 1971-72.
The Flyers, once the Barrie Flyers, moved north for 1972-73 to become the Sudbury Wolves. Vail didn’t immediately follow. Instead, he started 1972-73 with the expansion Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, also playing their first year in the OHL. However, he did move east along the Trans-Canada Highway before the year was up to finish with the Wolves.
Sudbury finished seventh in the ten team league, qualifying for the post season but easily swept by the Ottawa 67’s in the opening round. As for the Greyhounds, they finished dead last, winning just eleven of their 63 games. Vail finished tenth in the league with 48 goals.
Vail spent little time in the minors during his career. He started 1973-74, his first pro season, in the Central Hockey League with the Omaha Knights but finished the year with Atlanta. His final year of pro hockey, 1982-83, was played exclusively with the Adirondack Red Wings in the American Hockey League.
Eric Vail – NHL
The 1973 NHL Amateur Draft was for the Atlanta Flames, the second trip to the well. After their expansion season in 1972-73, the Flames chose Eric Vail in the second round, 21st overall. It proved to be, of course, a great pick. Vail was also taken in the third round of the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft by the Quebec Nordiques, 29th overall.
Eric played 591 regular season games in the NHL between 1973-74 and 1981-82 with the Flames and Detroit Red Wings. Over that time, he scored 216 and assisted on 260 for 476 points. In 20 Stanley Cup playoff games, he added eleven points.
Vail moved with the Flames to Calgary for the 1980-81 NHL season. His first year with Calgary was excellent with 28 goals and 64 points over 64 games but it fell apart from there. He appeared in just six games with the Flames in 1981-82 before being traded to Detroit in November, in exchange for Gary McAdam. Eric then played the last 52 NHL games with the Red Wings to finish out the season.
His career started out strong with an exceptional 1974-75 season, his first full year in the National Hockey League. He scored 39 goals and added 21 assists for 60 points over 72 games. He led the team in goals and was just outside the top ten in the NHL with Rene Robert of the Buffalo Sabres finishing tenth with 40 goals.
Playing under head coaches Bernie Geoffrion and Fred Creighton in that opening season, Vail was the top first year player in the league. His goal total was at the time a record for first year players, one more than Gilbert Perreault’s 38 in 1970-71. Eric was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy.
Three times over his short career, Vail was a 30 goal scorer. His top offensive season came in 1978-79 when he scored 35 and assisted on 48 for 83 points over 80 games. Eric finished behind Bob MacMillan and Guy Chouinard in team scoring with both of those players topping the 100 point plateau.
Vail was a major player for Canada at the 1977 IIHF World Championships held in Vienna, Austria. Canada finished fourth with Czechoslovakia taking gold, Sweden taking silver and the Soviet Union taking the bronze. Eric scored four goals in Canada’s nine games.
In Flames history, Eric still sits ninth all-time (Atlanta and Calgary) with 452 points. For just the Atlanta Flames, he leads in career goals and games played, while second in career points behind Tom Lysiak.
Eric Vail – Rookie Card
The Eric Vail rookie card appears as number 391 in the 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee set. His first Topps card showed up a year later as number 135 in the 1975-76 set. Of course, he is shown as a member of the Atlanta Flames.
The card is valued as a common card. People didn’t collect in 1974-75 as speculators for future value. But, if they did, this card would have been a hot commodity with the torrent start to Vail’s career.
Eric Vail Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1970-71 | Niagara Falls Flyers | OHA | 59 | 18 | 30 | 48 | 76 |
| 1971-72 | Niagara Falls Flyers | OHA | 60 | 25 | 48 | 73 | 122 |
| 1972-73 | SSM Greyhounds | OHA | 38 | 29 | 31 | 60 | 50 |
| 1972-73 | Sudbury Wolves | OHA | 25 | 19 | 26 | 45 | 30 |
| 1973-74 | Omaha Knights | CHL | 37 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 54 |
| 1973-74 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 23 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 30 |
| 1974-75 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 72 | 39 | 21 | 60 | 46 |
| 1975-76 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 60 | 16 | 31 | 47 | 34 |
| 1976-77 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 78 | 32 | 39 | 71 | 22 |
| 1977-78 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 79 | 22 | 36 | 58 | 16 |
| 1978-79 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 80 | 35 | 48 | 83 | 53 |
| 1979-80 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 77 | 28 | 25 | 53 | 22 |
| 1980-81 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 64 | 28 | 36 | 64 | 23 |
| 1981-82 | Oklahoma City Stars | CHL | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 1981-82 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 10 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| 1981-82 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 1981-82 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 52 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 35 |
| 1982-83 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 74 | 20 | 29 | 49 | 33 |
| NHL Totals | 591 | 216 | 260 | 476 | 281 |