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]

NHL Hockey Trivia: New York Rangers

The New York Rangers entered the National Hockey League for the 1926-27 season, a year after their roommates, the New York Americans, joined the league. It took the Rangers just two seasons before they were hoisting the Stanley Cup.

Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge of the New York Rangers with these four trivia questions.

Q. What venue was the first home of the New York Rangers?

A. The New York Rangers arena has always been Madison Square Garden. However, it was the third incarnation of MSG that the Rangers first called home. The New York Americans also played home games out of the same venue. They played in MSG III until 1968 when they moved into their present home, MSG IV, which, of course, has just recently undergone renovations.

Q. From 1930’s to 1950’s, what was the New York Rangers farm team that also played out of Madison Square Garden?

A. The New York Rovers were the New York Rangers farm team playing in the Eastern Hockey League and later the Quebec Senior Hockey League. The team had some famous Rangers behind the bench as head coach, including Frank Nighbor and Frank Boucher. Many great Rangers players also played for the Rovers at one time or another. The roster of all-time greats includes outstanding goaltenders like Gump Worsley, Ed Giacomin, Al Rollins and Gilles Villemure.

Q. Who wore the number 7 that was the first of nine New York Rangers retired numbers to be hang from the rafters at MSG?

A. Despite the long history of the Rangers, Rod Gilbert’s number 7 was the first to be retired by the team and it wasn’t until 1979. Gilbert played 1,065 regular season NHL games between 1960-61 and 1977-78, all in a Rangers jersey. Rod was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982. He was an integral part of the 1972 Summit Series that pitted Team Canada against Russia.

Gilbert stands as the New York Rangers all-time leader in goals and points. Over his 1,065 games with the club, Rod scored 406 goals and totalled 1,021 points.

Q. What is the song that is played after every New York Rangers goal when they play at Madison Square Garden?

A. The song is called ‘Slapshot’ and was written by Madison Square Garden Music Director, Ray Castoldi. The song has been played after ever Rangers goal since 1995. It is also the goal song of the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers.