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Five greatest defense pairs in Rangers team history

By Steve Paulus

2004 Season: Player Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
2004 Season: Player Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA. – 1970’s: Dave Maloney #26 and of the New York Rangers skates against the Boston Bruins at Boston Garden. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA. – 1970’s: Dave Maloney #26 and of the New York Rangers skates against the Boston Bruins at Boston Garden. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) /

#5 Dave Maloney and Carol Vadnais

An underrated defense pair, Maloney and Vadnais was the defense duo at the heart of the 1979 New York Rangers team that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the Montreal Canadiens in five games.

MONTREAL 1980’s: Carol Vadnais #5 of the New York Rangers skates with the puck against the Montreal Canadiens in the early 1980’s at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Denis Brodeur/NHLI via Getty Images)
MONTREAL 1980’s: Carol Vadnais #5 of the New York Rangers skates with the puck against the Montreal Canadiens in the early 1980’s at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Denis Brodeur/NHLI via Getty Images) /

The duo was a fixture for years, starting in 1975 when Vadnais came to the Rangers from the Boston Bruins along with Phil Esposito in exchange for Jean Ratelle and Brad Park.

Vadnais could never live up to Park’s standards, but he was a reliable defender who played seven years for New York.  Maloney set a record when he made his debut as an 18-year old in the 1974-75 season, becoming the youngest player to ever play for the team.  In 1978 he became the youngest captain in the team’s history.

Teaming the 30-year old Vadnais with the 19-year old Maloney was an experiment that worked out as the pair became defense partners who played mostly with each other until Vadnais was waived in 1982.  The duo was never an offensive powerhouse and they found themselves teamed up with offensive defensemen like Mike McEwen and Ron Greschner, but it was their work in 1979 that set them apart as a duo.

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