Carol Vadnais
Carol Vadnais | |
|---|---|
| Born | Carol Marcel Vadnais 25 September 1945 Canada |
| Died | 31 August 2014 (aged 68) |
| Occupation(s) | Professional ice hockey defenceman, coach, real estate agent |
| Years active | 1966–1983 (player), 1983–1986 (coach) |
| Known for | NHL career spanning 17 seasons; two-time Stanley Cup champion (1968, 1972) |
Carol Marcel Vadnais (September 25, 1945 – August 31, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman whose NHL career spanned 17 seasons from 1966–67 through 1982–83. He secured two Stanley Cup championships, first with the Montreal Canadiens in 1968 and later with the Boston Bruins in 1972.
Playing career
Initially playing as a forward, Vadnais switched to defence during his last junior season with the Montreal Jr. Canadiens. He earned a spot on the Montreal Canadiens' NHL roster in the 1966–67 season. Following the 1967–68 campaign, he was left unprotected and subsequently claimed by the expansion Oakland Seals in the 1968 NHL Intra-League Draft. Vadnais was named captain of the Seals at the beginning of the 1971–72 season but was traded midway through that year.
On February 23, 1972, the Boston Bruins acquired Vadnais to bolster their defensive lineup for a Stanley Cup run. The Bruins successfully outbid Montreal for his rights, where Vadnais paired as the second defensive unit alongside Bobby Orr, playing a key role in Boston’s Stanley Cup triumph that year.
Vadnais was involved in a significant trade on November 7, 1975, when he and prominent forward Phil Esposito were sent to the New York Rangers in exchange for Jean Ratelle and Brad Park. He spent seven seasons with the Rangers before finishing his playing days with one season at the New Jersey Devils, retiring in 1983. Alongside peers Wayne Cashman and Serge Savard, Vadnais was among the longest-serving players from the Original Six era.
Throughout his extensive NHL tenure of 1,087 games, Vadnais tallied 169 goals and 418 assists, totaling 587 points. His peak performance came during the 1974–75 season when he recorded 18 goals and amassed 74 points. He participated in six NHL All-Star Games and represented Team Canada at both the 1976 Canada Cup and the 1977 World Championships.
A notable off-ice episode occurred in 1972 when Vadnais was mistakenly detained by FBI agents during a Bruins road trip due to his resemblance to a robbery suspect; he was released shortly thereafter with an official apology.
Coaching career
Following his playing career, Vadnais took on assistant coaching duties with the New York Rangers during the 1983–84 and 1984–85 seasons. He then served as head coach for the Verdun Junior Canadiens of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for one season before retiring from professional hockey altogether.
Personal
After retiring from hockey, Vadnais worked as a real estate agent based in Montreal. His wife, Raymonde, succumbed to cancer in 2004; they had one daughter named Michele. Vadnais himself passed away from cancer on August 31, 2014, at age 68.
Achievements
- Ranked No. 52 out of 901 players in 100 Ranger Greats, highlighting all-time New York Rangers
- Two-time Stanley Cup winner (1968 with Montreal Canadiens; 1972 with Boston Bruins)
- Selected for six NHL All-Star Games (1969, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, and 1978)
- Honored as one of the top 100 Boston Bruins players of all time in 2023
Regular season and playoffs
| 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 | 1 | 5 | 6 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 1978–79 | New York Rangers | NHL | 77 | 8 | 37 | 45 | 86 | 18 | 2 | 9 | 11 | |||
| 1979–80 | New York Rangers | NHL | 66 | 3 | 20 | 23 | 118 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 1980–81 | New York Rangers | NHL | 74 | 3 | 20 | 23 | 91 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 1981–82 | New York Rangers | NHL | 50 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 45 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 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
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Canada | WC | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 33 | |
| Career senior totals | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 33 | |||