1968-69 O-Pee-Chee 81 Carol Vadnais Hockey Card (Front)
1968-69 O-Pee-Chee 81 Carol Vadnais Hockey Card (Back)
1968-69 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
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Card Notes
Just turned 23 years of age, Carol Vadnais is one of several players obtained by Minnesota in off-season deals with Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens. After a star-studded junior career, Carol was groomed briefly in Houston before hitting the NHL.
En Français
Défense. A l’âge de 23 ans, Carol Vadnais est l’un des joueurs obtenus par le Minnesota entre les saisons dans des transactions avec les Canadens de Montréal. Après une carrière d’étoile dans le hockey junior, Carol passa quelque temps à Houston avant de monter dans la LNH.
Details
Not unusual to the 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee NHL hockey card set, this Carol Vadnais card contains a pretty big ERROR. Vadnais was not obtained by Minnesota from Montreal, it was obviously the Oakland Seals. Over his NHL career, Carol was never in the employ of the Minnesota North Stars. Not an error but just shoddy work by OPC, the original photo on the front has him wearing a Habs uniform (as seen on the Topps version) and the Seals colours are crudely painted over.
A bit in the style of Bobby Orr, Vadnais became a goal scoring defenseman with the Seals. In 1968-69, he netted 15 and in the following season, he led the team with 24 goals. Those 24 goals would turn out to be a career high, although he came close in 1975-76 with 22 (2 with Boston and 20 with the New York Rangers).
Part of two blockbuster trades over his career, Carol left the then California Golden Seals for the Boston Bruins on February 23, 1972 with Don O’Donoghue for Reg Leach, Rick Smith and Bob Stewart. He left Boston for New York on November 7, 1975 with Phil Esposito for Brad Park, Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi.
Between 1966-67 and 1982-83, Carol Vadnais appeared in 1,087 regular season and 106 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Canadiens, Seals, Bruins, Rangers and New Jersey Devils. He was part of two Stanley Cup championships, one with the Habs and one with the Bruins.