Vic Hadfield

Victor Edward Hadfield (born October 4, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played sixteen years in the National Hockey League (NHL), spending thirteen with the New York Rangers and three with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Vic Hadfield
Born (1940-10-04) October 4, 1940
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 174 lb (79 kg; 12 st 6 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for New York Rangers
Pittsburgh Penguins
National team  Canada
Playing career 1959–1977

Early career

Hadfield played all of his minor hockey in Oakville before moving to the Dixie Bee Hives for one season.[1] He was signed by the Chicago Black Hawks and assigned to their junior league affiliate, the St. Catharines Teepees of the Ontario Hockey League. He established himself as a physical presence, tallying many more penalty minutes than points. With a strong squad in 1959–60 that included future notable NHL players Chico Maki, Roger Crozier and Pat Stapleton, he averaged a point a game in the regular season and playoffs, and racked up an average of five penalty minutes a game in the playoffs en route to the Teepees' second Memorial Cup championship.

He was assigned to Chicago's Buffalo Bisons farm team in the American Hockey League the following season. He was left unprotected after the 1960–61 season and claimed by the Rangers in the intra-league draft.

NHL career

By the 1963–64 season, Hadfield had secured a place in the Rangers' lineup as an enforcer. Over time he concentrated more on scoring than on fighting, especially with feared enforcer Reggie Fleming on the team. He joined teammates Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert to form the famous GAG line (which stood for "goal a game"). From the 1967–68 season on Hadfield always scored at least 20 goals in any full season.

Hadfield's best season was 1971–72. Named the team's captain after the trade of longtime captain Bob Nevin, he became the first Ranger - and only the sixth NHL player - to score 50 goals in a season, nearly doubling his previous best marks; with his linemates Ratelle and Gilbert, the GAG Line totalled 139 goals and 325 points en route to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Rangers signed Hadfield to a controversial and lucrative contract the following summer to deter him from defecting to the newly created World Hockey Association. He scored fewer points thereafter and was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Nick Beverley on May 28, 1974.[2] He scored thirty goals in each of his two full seasons for the Penguins although he was plagued by injuries and weight troubles. Near the end of the 1975–76 season he sustained a knee injury which forced his retirement.

Retirement

At the time of his retirement, Hadfield was fourth in Rangers' franchise history in goals, assists and points (behind his linemates Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert, and Andy Bathgate), second in penalty minutes (behind Harry Howell) and fourth in games played (behind Ratelle, Howell and Gilbert). He currently stands ninth in scoring and third in penalty minutes in the Rangers history.

His younger brother, Carl, was drafted in 1964 by the Chicago Black Hawks.

Hadfield now owns the Vic Hadfield Driving Range and instructional centre in Oakville, Ontario.

In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked Hadfield at No. 20 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.[3]

The Rangers retired Hadfield's #11 jersey on December 2, 2018.[4]

International play

After his stellar 1971–72 season, Hadfield was named to Team Canada for the 1972 Summit Series. After playing sparingly in just two games, he left the team after the Swedish exhibition games and returned home to Canada, drawing criticism for his move.

Personal life

Vic's grandson Victor Hadfield is an ice hockey defenseman with the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL. Victor previously played for the Barrie Colts of the OHL and the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.[5]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1958–59 St. Catharines Teepees OHA-Jr. 51 6 14 20 72 7 1 2 3 12
1959–60 St. Catharines Teepees OHA-Jr. 48 19 34 53 130 17 11 13 24 84
1959–60 Buffalo Bisons AHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1959–60 St. Catharines Teepees M-Cup — — — — — 14 6 8 14 60
1960–61 Buffalo Bisons AHL 62 5 16 21 111 3 0 0 0 11
1961–62 New York Rangers NHL 44 3 1 4 22 4 0 0 0 2
1962–63 New York Rangers NHL 36 5 6 11 32 — — — — —
1962–63 Baltimore Clippers AHL 29 10 9 19 84 — — — — —
1963–64 New York Rangers NHL 69 14 11 25 151 — — — — —
1964–65 New York Rangers NHL 70 18 20 38 102 — — — — —
1965–66 New York Rangers NHL 69 16 19 35 117 — — — — —
1966–67 New York Rangers NHL 69 13 20 33 80 4 1 0 1 17
1967–68 New York Rangers NHL 59 20 19 39 45 6 1 2 3 6
1968–69 New York Rangers NHL 73 26 40 66 108 4 2 1 3 2
1969–70 New York Rangers NHL 71 20 34 54 69 — — — — —
1970–71 New York Rangers NHL 63 22 22 44 38 13 8 5 13 46
1971–72 New York Rangers NHL 78 50 56 106 142 16 7 9 16 22
1972–73 New York Rangers NHL 63 28 34 62 60 9 2 2 4 11
1973–74 New York Rangers NHL 77 27 28 55 75 6 1 0 1 0
1974–75 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 78 31 42 73 72 9 4 2 6 0
1975–76 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 76 30 35 65 46 3 1 0 1 11
1976–77 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 9 0 2 2 0 — — — — —
NHL totals 1,004 323 389 712 1,159 74 27 21 48 117

International
Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1972 Canada SS 2 0 0 0 0

Awards and achievements

See also

References
  1. "Home". vichadfieldgolf.com.
  2. Eskenazi, Gerald. "Captain, 33, Dealt for Beverley, 27 a Defenseman," The New York Times, Wednesday, May 29, 1974. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  3. Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. p. 172. ISBN 978-0470736197. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  4. "Vic Hadfield's Number 11 to be Retired on December 2, 2018". NHL.com. September 4, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  5. "Victor Hadfield". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
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