Eric "Freight Train" Vail (born September 16, 1953) is a retired Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 professional ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 player. He played nine seasons in the National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

, mostly with the Atlanta Flames

Atlanta Flames

The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA from 1972 to 1980. The team, a member of the National Hockey League , was relocated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the start of the 1980–81 NHL season and were re-named the Calgary Flames. The NHL returned to the...

/Calgary Flames

Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...

 organization, and then later in his last season (1981–82) he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

.

Vail was drafted 21st overall by the Atlanta Flames in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft

1973 NHL Amateur Draft

The 1973 NHL Amateur Draft, the 11th National Hockey League draft was the first to be held on a separate day from other league activities on May 15, 1973, at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal, Quebec so it would not overshadow the rest of the league meetings. Previously, the league had held the...

. He played 591 career NHL games, scoring 216 goals and 260 assists for 476 points. He was the Calder Trophy winner for 1974–75 after scoring 39 goals and 60 points in his rookie season. He currently resides in Johns Creek, Georgia

Johns Creek, Georgia

Johns Creek is a suburban city in Fulton County, Georgia, USA, which incorporated December 1, 2006. It is named for a tributary that runs through the area. The city was created out of the northeastern part of unincorporated Fulton County...

.

Eric has 2 children. His son currently caddies on the PGA tour for Brandt Snedeker.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...	Team	League		GP	G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...	A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...	Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one...	PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1970–71	Niagara Falls Flyers Niagara Falls Flyers ----The Niagara Falls Flyers were two junior ice hockey franchises that played in the top tier in the Ontario Hockey Association. The first, a Junior "A" team existed from 1960 until 1972, and the second in Tier I Junior "A" from 1976 until 1982....	OHA Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...		59	18	30	48	76		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Niagara Falls Flyers	OHA		60	25	48	73	122		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Sudbury Wolves Sudbury Wolves The Sudbury Wolves are the name of the ice hockey team from Sudbury, Ontario. Sudbury has had a hockey team known as the "Wolves" nearly every year since World War I. The Sudbury Wolves, the senior men's AAA team, have twice been chosen to be Canada's representatives at the Ice Hockey World...	OHA		63	48	57	105	80		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Omaha Knights Omaha Knights The Omaha Knights were a minor league professional ice hockey team from 1959 to 1975, based in Omaha, Nebraska at the Ak-Sar-Ben arena. The Knights were founded in 1959 as members of the International Hockey League...	CHL		37	10	18	28	54		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Atlanta Flames Atlanta Flames The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA from 1972 to 1980. The team, a member of the National Hockey League , was relocated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the start of the 1980–81 NHL season and were re-named the Calgary Flames. The NHL returned to the...	NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...		23	2	9	11	30		1	0	0	0	2
1974–75	Atlanta Flames	NHL		72	39	21	60	46		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	Atlanta Flames	NHL		60	16	31	47	34		2	0	0	0	0
1976–77	Atlanta Flames	NHL		78	32	39	71	22		3	1	3	4	0
1977–78	Atlanta Flames	NHL		79	22	36	58	16		2	1	1	2	0
1978–79	Atlanta Flames	NHL		80	35	48	83	53		2	0	1	1	2
1979–80	Atlanta Flames	NHL		77	28	25	53	22		4	3	1	4	2
1980–81	Calgary Flames Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...	NHL		64	28	36	64	23		6	0	0	0	0
1981–82	Oklahoma City Stars Oklahoma City Stars The Oklahoma City Stars were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the Central Hockey League from 1978 to 1982. They were affiliated with the Minnesota North Stars of the National Hockey League....	CHL		3	0	3	3	0		—	—	—	—	—
1981–82 1981–82 AHL season The 1981–82 AHL season was the 46th season of the American Hockey League. Eleven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The New Brunswick Hawks finished first overall in the regular season, and won their first Calder Cup championship.-Team changes:...	Adirondack Red Wings Adirondack Red Wings The Adirondack Red Wings were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Glens Falls, New York, USA at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The team was affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League...	AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...		10	3	4	7	0		—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Calgary Flames	NHL		6	4	1	5	0		—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Detroit Red Wings Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...	NHL		52	10	14	24	35		—	—	—	—	—
1982–83 1982–83 AHL season The 1982–83 AHL season was the 47th season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Rochester Americans finished first overall in the regular season, and won their fourth Calder Cup championship.-Team changes:...	Adirondack Red Wings	AHL		74	20	29	49	33		5	1	1	2	0
NHL totals				591	216	260	476	281		20	5	6	11	6

External links