Carol Marcel Vadnais (September 25, 1945 – August 31, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1966–67 until 1982–83. Vadnais won the Stanley Cup twice during his career, in 1968 with the Montreal Canadiens and again in 1972 with the Boston Bruins.
| Carol Vadnais | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Vadnais with the New York Rangers in 1978 | |||
| Born |
September 25, 1945 Montreal, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Died |
August 31, 2014 (aged 68) Laval, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Montreal Canadiens Oakland Seals California Golden Seals Boston Bruins New York Rangers New Jersey Devils | ||
| National team |
 Canada | ||
| Playing career | 1966–1983 | ||
Playing career
editOriginally a forward, Vadnais was shifted to defence in his final year of junior hockey with the Montreal Jr. Canadiens. In his first NHL training camp, he made the Montreal Canadiens lineup for the 1966-67 season. While the Canadiens were initially successful in not exposing Vadnais to the 1967 expansion draft, he was left unprotected after the 1967–68 season and would be claimed by the expansion Oakland Seals in the 1968 NHL Intra-League Draft.[1] He became the Seals' captain at the beginning of the 1971-72 season but was traded mid-season.[2][3]
On February 23, 1972, Vadnais was acquired by the Boston Bruins[3][4] in an attempt to bolster their blueline for a Stanley Cup run. The Bruins outbid Vadnais' old club, the Canadiens, to secure his services. The move paid off and Vadnais headed the Bruins' second defence pairing behind Bobby Orr's first unit, which helped the Bruins capture the 1972 Stanley Cup.[5]
Vadnais was involved in the November 7, 1975 blockbuster trade that sent him along with star forward Phil Esposito to the New York Rangers for Jean Ratelle and Brad Park.[3] Vadnais went on to play seven seasons for the Rangers and one for the New Jersey Devils before retiring in 1983.[6] Along with Wayne Cashman of the Bruins and Serge Savard of the Winnipeg Jets, he was one of the final NHL players to participate in the pre-expansion Original Six era (the Bruins and Jets both made the playoffs, extending Cashman's and Savard's careers by that long).
Vadnais played 1,087 career NHL games, scoring 169 goals and 418 assists for 587 points, as well as adding 1,813 penalty minutes. In his best statistical season (1974–75), he scored 18 goals and set career highs with 56 assists and 74 points. Vadnais participated in six NHL All-Star Games and was a member of Team Canada at the 1976 Canada Cup (but didn't play in the tournament) and 1977 World Ice Hockey Championships.[2] In 1972 Vadnais was arrested in a case of mistaken identity while the Boston Bruins were on a road trip in Philadelphia. FBI agents were convinced that they have found their suspect from a bank robbery that had happened earlier that afternoon. Vadnais looked very similar to the robber. Vadnais eventually let out of custody and given an apology.[7]
Coaching career
editVadnais joined the Rangers' coaching staff as an assistant for the 1983–84 and 1984–85 seasons. This was followed by one season as the head coach of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Verdun Junior Canadiens, after which Vadnais left hockey for good.[8]
Personal
editAfter hockey, Vadnais worked as a real estate agent in the Montreal area. His wife, Raymonde, died of cancer in 2004; they had one daughter, Michele.[9]
Vadnais died of cancer on August 31, 2014, at the age of 68.[10]
Achievements
edit- In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, was ranked No. 52 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons[11]
- Stanley Cup champion (1968, 1972)
- Selected to National Hockey League All-Star Game (1969, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1978)
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1963–64 | Montreal NDG Monarchs | MMJHL | 44 | 39 | 49 | 88 | 90 | 17 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 34 | ||
| 1963–64 | Montreal NDG Monarchs | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 12 | ||
| 1964–65 | Montreal Jr. Canadiens | OHA | 56 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 74 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | ||
| 1965–66 | Montreal Jr. Canadiens | OHA | 48 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 184 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 24 | ||
| 1966–67 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1966–67 | Houston Apollos | CPHL | 21 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 31 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1967–68 | Houston Apollos | CPHL | 36 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 178 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Oakland Seals | NHL | 76 | 15 | 27 | 42 | 151 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | ||
| 1969–70 | Oakland Seals | NHL | 76 | 24 | 20 | 44 | 212 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 15 | ||
| 1970–71 | California Golden Seals | NHL | 42 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 91 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | California Golden Seals | NHL | 52 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 106 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 16 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 37 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 43 | ||
| 1972–73 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 78 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 127 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1973–74 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 78 | 16 | 43 | 59 | 123 | 16 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 42 | ||
| 1974–75 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 79 | 18 | 56 | 74 | 129 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0 | |||
| 1975–76 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 12 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | New York Rangers | NHL | 64 | 20 | 30 | 50 | 104 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | New York Rangers | NHL | 74 | 11 | 37 | 48 | 131 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | New York Rangers | NHL | 80 | 6 | 40 | 46 | 115 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 16 | ||
| 1978–79 | New York Rangers | NHL | 77 | 8 | 37 | 45 | 86 | 18 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 13 | ||
| 1979–80 | New York Rangers | NHL | 66 | 3 | 20 | 23 | 118 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1980–81 | New York Rangers | NHL | 74 | 3 | 20 | 23 | 91 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 26 | ||
| 1981–82 | New York Rangers | NHL | 50 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 45 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1982–83 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 51 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1,087 | 169 | 418 | 587 | 1,813 | 106 | 10 | 40 | 50 | 185 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Canada | WC | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 33 | |
| Senior totals | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 33 | |||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "1968 NHL Intra-League Draft". Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia. 2012-10-26. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "Six-Time NHL All-Star Vadnais Passes Away at 68". TSN.ca. August 31, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Carol Vadnais, notes". NHL.com. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ "Bruins get Vadnais; Orr gets some help". The Montreal Gazette. February 24, 1972. p. 17. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ "Carol Marcel Vadnais". Legends of Hockey. Hockey Hall of Fame.
- ^ "Carol Vadnais Passes Away at 68". New York Rangers. August 31, 2014.
- ^ Canday, Dorin. "That time a Bruin was wrongfully arrested on the team's road trip". www.bruinsinsider.com. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ "Les Canadiens de Montréal et les partisans en deuil de Carol Vadnais". Radio NRJ. August 31, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ "Cut, cut: Scene is repeated in Providence". Boston Globe. November 21, 2004.
- ^ "Former NHL defenceman Carol Vadnais dies". Montreal Gazette. August 31, 2014. Archived from the original on April 30, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. p. 108. ISBN 978-0470736197. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
External links
edit- Carol Vadnais at IMDb
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database