Defenseman Carol Vadnais Scores Hat Trick For Rangers In Wild 8-6 Loss To Maple Leafs (1976)

When the Boston Bruins traded Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais to the New York Rangers on November 7, 1975, the return package included stars Brad Park and Jean Ratelle along with Joe Zanussi. It was one of the biggest deals of the decade, and Vadnais quickly made his presence felt on Broadway. In his first 22 games with New York, the defenseman recorded two four-point performances.

One of those standout games came on January 4, 1976, when the Rangers hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden. Vadnais opened his scoring at 4:50 of the second period, beating Toronto goalie Wayne Thomas for his seventh goal of the 1975-76 season. The tally, assisted by Pete Stemkowski and Walt Tkaczuk, briefly gave New York a 2-1 lead.

Toronto quickly seized control, however, scoring four straight goals to take a commanding 5-2 lead into the third period.

Any thoughts of a quiet finish vanished almost immediately. Vadnais struck again just 23 seconds into the final frame, with assists from Rod Gilbert and Esposito. Later in the period, Lanny McDonald scored shorthanded for Toronto at 11:46, igniting a remarkable stretch of offense. Over the next 2:33, the teams combined for five goals, at the time the ninth-fastest sequence of five goals in NHL history and still among the fastest ever recorded.

Vadnais assisted on the fourth goal of that flurry, Gilbert’s 13th of the season, before completing his hat trick at 19:09 with helpers from Gilbert and Esposito. The late surge wasn’t enough to overcome Toronto’s earlier outburst, and the Rangers fell 8-6 in one of the season’s wildest games.

Despite the loss, Vadnais finished with three goals and an assist, while Gilbert added a four-point night of his own with two goals and two assists. Vadnais also led all shooters in the game with seven shots on goal.

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NHL Hockey Card Greats: Carol Vadnais [Video]

Danny Grant Nets Two Against Capitals to Become Detroit’s Second 50-Goal Man

On April 2, 1975, at the historic Detroit Olympia, Danny Grant etched his name into Red Wings history. With two goals against the expansion Washington Capitals, Grant became just the second player in franchise history to score 50 goals in a season.

The only Red Wing to reach the milestone before him was Mickey Redmond, who hit the 50-goal mark in both 1972-73 and 1973-74. Grant’s 50-goal campaign in 1974-75 didn’t surpass Redmond’s team record of 52, but it firmly secured his place among Detroit’s elite scorers.

The game marked the second half of a home-and-home series with Washington. Grant had already tormented the Caps earlier, posting a goal and two assists. In six games against the new franchise that season, he piled up five goals and seven assists for 12 points, clearly relishing the matchup.

Detroit trailed 2-0 after the opening period in the April 2 contest, but the tide turned quickly. By the 9:30 mark of the second period, Grant buried his 49th goal of the season to give Detroit a 4-2 lead. The tally came against goaltender John Adams, with assists from linemates Marcel Dionne and Phil Roberto. That goal would stand as the game-winner in an eventual 8-3 Red Wings victory.

Grant’s milestone 50th goal came at 6:16 of the third period, once again assisted by Dionne and Roberto. Dionne enjoyed a standout night himself, recording a goal and three assists for four points. Grant, meanwhile, would finish the season right at 50, going scoreless in Detroit’s final two games.

Redmond’s franchise record of 52 goals remained intact until 1984-85, when John Ogrodnick raised the bar to 55.

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The Roadrunner Runs Wild: Three Power Play Goals vs. Toronto

During the 1966-67 NHL season, Yvan Cournoyer established himself as the league’s most dangerous weapon on the power play. The speedy Montreal Canadiens winger scored 20 of his 25 goals with the man advantage and finished tied for the NHL lead with seven game-winning goals.

On December 21, 1966, at the historic Montreal Forum, Cournoyer delivered one of his finest performances against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He scored three power play goals, his 8th, 9th, and 10th of the season, in a 6-2 Montreal victory. His second tally, assisted by Dick Duff and Henri Richard, stood as the game winner.

The Canadiens received strong support throughout the lineup. Bobby Rousseau added three assists, while Ralph Backstrom contributed two goals of his own. Toronto goals came from Larry Jeffrey and Kent Douglas.

Cournoyer enjoyed tremendous regular season success against Toronto, scoring 11 goals in 14 games versus the Leafs that year. However, the storyline shifted in the 1967 Stanley Cup Finals, where Toronto limited him to two goals and two assists in six games on their way to capturing the Stanley Cup.

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