Carol Vadnais

Who is Carol Vadnais?

Carol Marcel Vadnais is a retired 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 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 Bruins outbid Vadnais' old club 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 a blockbuster trade in 1975, as part of the deal that sent star forward Phil Esposito to the New York Rangers.