Carol Vadnais | |||
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Vadnais in 1978
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Born |
Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
September 25, 1945||
Died | August 31, 2014 Laval, Quebec, Canada |
(aged 68)||
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 |
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National team | Canada | ||
Playing career | 1966–1983 |
Carol Marcel Vadnais (September 25, 1945 – August 31, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played seventeen seasons in the National Hockey League from 1966–67 until 1982–83. Vadnais won two Stanley Cups 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 intra-league draft. He became the Seals' captain at the beginning of the 1971-72 season but was traded mid-season.
On February 23, 1972, Vadnais was acquired by the Boston Bruins 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.
Vadnais was involved in the November 7, 1975 blockbuster trade that sent him along with star forward Phil Esposito to the New York Rangers. Vadnais went on to play seven seasons for the Rangers and one for the New Jersey Devils before retiring in 1983.