Former Leaf Captain Vaive found not guilty of impaired driving
Posted April 12, 2012 4:52 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NEWMARKET, Ont. – Former Leafs’ captain Rick Vaive has been found not guilty of impaired driving and driving with over 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.
A Newmarket judge delivered her decision Thursday afternoon, adding that his ability to operate a motor vehicle was not impaired. He had been charged
Vaive, 52, was stopped by York Regional Police in the Highway 407 and 427 area as he was returning from a golf outing in Gravenhurst on July 14, 2009.
“He was a tired fellow that was playing golf with a bunch of ex-NHL hockey players,” said his lawyer Calvin Barry. “It was a hot day and he was wearing flip-flops and it is what it is. The judge heard everything and the police put their best foot forward, and he was acquitted because he should have been.”
The crown has alleged that he was driving with more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system and had failed a breathalyzer. The court heard evidence about him drinking six cans of light beer in the span of two hours, twice his usual self-imposed limit of three.
“He heard the thing in bars about pacing yourself, and basically what the evidence was is that he blew 0.15, which is like basically one one fifth of what the legal limit is on the evidence,” said Barry.
The judge said a stain on his pants was excusable because of his prostate problem, adding that she found him candid and straight forward as a witness giving details that were very embarrassing.
Throughout his testimony, he maintained his innocence, saying he wasn’t drunk and felt fine to tackle the approximate three-hour drive to Oakville.
Vaive was the first 50-goal scorer in Maple Leaf history.
The former captain said he also suffers from chronic joint pain and sleep apnea.
