Carol Vadnais
Encyclopedia
Carol Marcel Vadnais is a retired professional
ice hockey
defenceman who played seventeen seasons in the National Hockey League
from 1966–67 until 1982–83. Vadnais won two Stanley Cup
s during his career, in 1968 with the Montreal Canadiens
and again in 1972 with the Boston Bruins
.
Originally 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 June 1968 interleague draft. He became the Seals' captain in 1971.
In 1972, Vadnais was acquired by the Boston Bruins in an attempt to bolster their blueline for a Stanley Cup run. The move paid off, and Vadnais helped the Bruins capture the 1972 Stanley Cup.
Vadnais was involved in a blockbuster trade in 1975, as part of the deal that sent star forward Phil Esposito
to the New York Rangers
.
Vadnais played 1087 career NHL games and scored 169 goals and 418 assists for 587 points, as well as adding 1813 penalty minutes. In his best statistical season (1974–75), he scored 18 goals and set career highs with 56 assists and 74 points. He represented Canada at the 1976 Canada Cup
.
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
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...
defenceman who played seventeen 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...
from 1966–67 until 1982–83. Vadnais won two Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
s during his career, in 1968 with the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
and again in 1972 with the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
.
Originally a forward, Vadnais was shifted to defence in his final year of junior hockey with the Montreal Jr. Canadiens
Montreal Jr. Canadiens
The Montreal Junior Canadiens were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Junior Hockey League from 1933 to 1961, and the Ontario Hockey Association from 1961 to 1972. They played out of the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-History:...
. In his first NHL training camp, he made the Montreal Canadiens lineup for the 1966-67 season
1966-67 NHL season
-NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points-Leading goaltenders:Note: GP = Games played; Min - Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts-Debuts:The following is a list...
. 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 June 1968 interleague draft. He became the Seals' captain in 1971.
In 1972, Vadnais was acquired by the Boston Bruins in an attempt to bolster their blueline for a Stanley Cup run. The move paid off, and Vadnais helped the Bruins capture the 1972 Stanley Cup.
Vadnais was involved in a blockbuster trade in 1975, as part of the deal that sent star forward Phil Esposito
Phil Esposito
Philip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have...
to the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
.
Vadnais played 1087 career NHL games and scored 169 goals and 418 assists for 587 points, as well as adding 1813 penalty minutes. In his best statistical season (1974–75), he scored 18 goals and set career highs with 56 assists and 74 points. He represented Canada at the 1976 Canada Cup
1976 Canada Cup
The 1976 Canada Cup was an international ice hockey tournament held September 2–15, 1976, in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Quebec, Canada as well as in Philadelphia, United States. It was the first of five Canada Cup tournaments held between 1976 and 1991...
.
Trivia
In 1973, Vadnais was mistakenly arrested in Philadelphia when police mistook him for a bank robbery suspect.Legacy
- Ranked No. 52 on the all-time list of New York Rangers in the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & SonsJohn Wiley & SonsJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc., also referred to as Wiley, is a global publishing company that specializes in academic publishing and markets its products to professionals and consumers, students and instructors in higher education, and researchers and practitioners in scientific, technical, medical, and...
, 2009).