Early career

Originally signed by the Chicago Black Hawks and assigned to their junior league affiliate St. Catharines Teepees of the Ontario Hockey League, Hadfield 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, Pat Stapleton, he averaged a point a game in the regular season and playoffs, but racked up an average of five penalty minutes a game in the playoffs en route to the Teepees' second Memorial Cup championship.

Assigned to Chicago's Buffalo Bisons farm team in the American Hockey League the following season, he was left unprotected after the 1961-62 season and claimed by the Rangers in the intra-league draft.

NHL career

By the 1963-64 season, Hadfield had cemented a place in the Rangers' lineup as an enforcer. Gradually, he focused more on scoring than on fighting - especially with feared enforcer Reggie Fleming on the squad - and paired with teammates Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert, became known as the famous "GAG line" (which stood for Goal A Game). From the 1967-68 season on and with the resurgence of the long-time doormat Rangers as a strong team, Hadfield would never again score less than 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 leading the team to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Signed to a lucrative contract the following summer seen to deter Hadfield from defecting to the newly created World Hockey Association, he could not maintain his 1971-72 level of scoring, and was traded after the 1973-74 season to the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenceman Nick Beverley. He scored thirty goals in each of his two full seasons for the Penguins, although plagued by injuries and weight troubles, but sustained a knee injury towards the end of the 1975-76 season which forced his retirement.

Retirement and facts

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 franchise history in scoring and third in penalty minutes.

His younger brother, Carl, was a 1964 draft choice by the Chicago Black Hawks.

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

In 2009, Hadfield was ranked No. 20 on the all-time list of New York Rangers in the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & Sons).

International play

After his stellar 1971-72 season, Hadfield was named to Team Canada for the 1972 Summit Series. Controversially, 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.

Career statistics

				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		67	16	19	35	112		—	—	—	—	—
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				1002	323	389	712	1154		74	27	21	48	117

Awards and achievements

• OHA-Jr. First All-Star Team (1960)
• NHL Second All-Star Team (1972)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1965, 1972)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]