New York Rangers great Carol Vadnais dies at 68
Former New York Rangers captain and six-time NHL all-star Carol Vadnais died at age 68 Sunday.
He was not on the list.
Carol Vadnais, who will always have a special place in hockey history, died at age 68, the New York Rangers announced Sunday. A cause of death was not announced, but former Canadiens teammate Serge Savard told Le Journal de Montreal (via the New York Times) that Vadnais had been suffering from cancer.
The longtime NHL defenseman will be in hockey history books for years to come as he was part of one of the biggest trades in league history when the Boston Bruins traded him along with Hall of Famer Phil Esposito to the New York Rangers for Brad Park, Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi in 1975.
Vadnais appeared in 1,087 games, 485 of which came as a member of the Rangers. The blueliner, who also spent time with the Oakland/California Golden Seals, Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils, posted 587 career points and appeared in six NHL All-Star games over his 17-year career.
His best season came as a member of the Boston Bruins in 1974-75 when he had 74 points. He also won two Stanley Cups, first with the Habs in 1968, then with the Bruins in 1972.
According to the Rangers, Vadnais is survived by his daughter and two grandchildren.
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 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