John Madden (ice hockey)
John J. Madden | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 4, 1973 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey centre, coach, scout |
| Years active | 1998–2012 (player), 2013–present (coach/scout) |
| Known for | NHL player mainly for New Jersey Devils, three-time Stanley Cup champion, Frank J. Selke Trophy winner |
John J. Madden (born May 4, 1973) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who competed in the NHL for 13 seasons, mainly representing the New Jersey Devils. Although undrafted, Madden emerged from the University of Michigan, where he set the NCAA record for most shorthanded goals in a single campaign with 10. Throughout his career, he secured three Stanley Cup titles—two with the Devils and one with the Chicago Blackhawks. He was recognized for his expertise in penalty killing, two-way gameplay, and scoring while shorthanded.
Widely acknowledged as one of the premier defensive forwards in the league, Madden earned the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2001 and placed as runner-up in 2003, 2004, and 2008. During the 1999–2000 season, he established a franchise mark for the Devils and tied the NHL rookie record by netting six shorthanded goals.
Following his retirement in 2012, Madden shifted to roles in coaching and scouting, including a three-year tenure as head coach of the Cleveland Monsters—the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Presently, he serves as an assistant coach for the NHL team now known as the Utah Mammoth (previously the Arizona Coyotes).
Early years
Raised in Toronto’s Parma Court housing complex, Madden participated in numerous minor hockey leagues before advancing to Junior "B" with the Barrie Colts. In the 1992–93 season, he set franchise records by registering 75 assists and accumulating 124 points.
Although selected 173rd overall by Niagara Falls Thunder in the 1992 OHL Priority Selection, Madden opted to pursue an NCAA scholarship instead of joining major junior hockey. Despite his impressive junior statistics, he was not chosen during the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. By 2010, only 24 players drafted that year had appeared in more NHL games than Madden.
At the University of Michigan, Madden played in 160 contests, tallying 80 goals and contributing 100 assists for a total of 180 points. He holds an NCAA career record with 23 shorthanded goals and was instrumental in securing the 1995–96 NCAA championship. In his senior year, he received CCHA First All-Star recognition as well as NCAA West First All-American honors. His college teammates included future NHL talents Brendan Morrison and Mike Knuble.
Madden’s association with Morrison attracted the attention of New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello, resulting in a contract offer. On June 26, 1997, Madden signed with New Jersey as an amateur free agent.
New Jersey Devils
During his initial professional seasons, Madden primarily played with the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League (AHL), leading that team in scoring during the 1998–99 campaign by setting single-season records for assists (60) and points (98). He made his NHL debut on January 6, 1999, facing off against the New York Rangers and appeared in four games that season. His first NHL point came on January 18, 1999, against the San Jose Sharks. Madden secured a permanent roster spot with New Jersey beginning in the 1999–2000 season and remained through to the end of the 2008–09 season.
On October 29, 2000, during a commanding 9–0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Madden and teammate Randy McKay became the first pair of NHL teammates since 1922 to each score four goals within a single game. Over his career, Madden achieved thirty-two games with two points, three games with three points, one game with four points, and another with five points.
For much of his time with New Jersey, Madden was paired alongside left winger Jay Pandolfo; their effective partnership earned them the nickname "Madolfo." This duo proved especially valuable after the NHL lockout during the 2004–05 season when New Jersey maintained its status as one of the league's stingiest teams defensively and disciplined despite losing key veterans such as Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, and Ken Daneyko.
On April 25, 2006, Madden recorded his first playoff hat-trick during a 4–1 win over the New York Rangers; notably, two of those goals were scored while shorthanded—matching an NHL postseason record.
Madden played an integral role in helping New Jersey capture Stanley Cup championships in both the 1999–2000 and 2002–03 seasons. Following captain Scott Stevens’ retirement prior to the 2005–06 campaign, leadership duties were distributed among four alternate captains—Madden included—alongside Brian Rafalski, Colin White, Scott Gomez, Alexander Mogilny, and Patrik Eliáš. Madden frequently wore an alternate captain’s "A," except briefly during part of the 2007–08 season when it was assigned elsewhere. When Jamie Langenbrunner was named captain on December 5, 2007, Madden resumed his role as alternate captain alongside defenseman Colin White.
Significant milestones throughout his career include scoring his hundredth regular-season goal on April 1, 2006 against Philadelphia Flyers; registering his hundredth assist on October 18, 2006 versus Pittsburgh Penguins; reaching his two-hundredth point on October 12, 2006 against Toronto Maple Leafs; and playing his five-hundredth game on November 17, 2006 against Ottawa Senators.
Chicago Blackhawks
On July 1, 2009, Madden entered free agency without restrictions and subsequently agreed to a one-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks valued at $2.75 million. That season, he secured his third Stanley Cup championship while playing for the Blackhawks.
Minnesota Wild
Madden inked a one-year agreement with the Minnesota Wild on August 6, 2010. During his tenure, he tallied 12 goals and amassed 25 points across 76 games, although the team did not qualify for the postseason.
Florida Panthers
On January 4, 2012, Madden committed to a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers, reuniting with former Blackhawks colleagues Kris Versteeg, Brian Campbell, and Tomáš Kopecký, as well as ex-Devils teammate Scott Clemmensen. The Panthers advanced to the playoffs for the first time in twelve years; however, Madden did not register any points during their seven-game first-round defeat to the New Jersey Devils.
Madden formally concluded his NHL playing career on September 4, 2012.
Post-retirement and coaching career
Following his retirement on September 4, 2012, Madden joined the scouting department of the Montreal Canadiens, focusing on evaluating amateur free agent prospects within American collegiate hockey.
On November 8, 2013, he was appointed assistant coach of the Florida Panthers under interim head coach Peter Horachek and remained in this role when Gerard Gallant assumed head coaching duties. His tenure with the Panthers ended on May 13, 2016.
Madden took on the head coaching position for the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets, beginning August 29, 2016, succeeding Jared Bednar. Over three seasons, he amassed a record of 101–99–4–4 before departing in 2019.
He joined the coaching staff of the San Jose Sharks as an assistant coach on September 22, 2020. Madden was relieved from this role on July 1, 2022.
On July 26, 2022, he accepted an assistant coaching position with the Arizona Coyotes.
Personal life
Madden and his wife Lauren are parents to two children: Tyler and Reese. On June 23, 2018, their son Tyler Madden was selected 68th overall by the Vancouver Canucks during the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Kings in the course of the 2019–20 season.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||||||||
| 1989–90 | Alliston Hornets | MOJHL | 31 | 24 | 25 | 49 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1990–91 | Alliston Hornets | MOJHL | 14 | 15 | 21 | 36 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1990–91 | Barrie Colts | CJHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1991–92 | Barrie Colts | CJHL | 42 | 50 | 54 | 104 | 46 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 14 | |||||||||||
| 1992–93 | Barrie Colts | CJHL | 43 | 49 | 75 | 124 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1993–94 | Michigan Wolverines | CCHA | 36 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1994–95 | Michigan Wolverines | CCHA | 39 | 21 | 22 | 43 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1995–96 | Michigan Wolverines | CCHA | 43 | 27 | 30 | 57 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1996–97 | Michigan Wolverines | CCHA | 42 | 26 | 37 | 63 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1997–98 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 74 | 20 | 36 | 56 | 40 | 13 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 14 | |||||||||||
| 1998–99 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| 1998–99 ¦ Albany River Rats ¦ AHL ¦75 ¦38 ¦60 ¦98 ¦44 ¦5 ¦2 ¦2 ¦4 ¦6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 ¦ New Jersey Devils ¦ NHL ¦74 ¦16 ¦9 ¦25 ¦6 ¦20 ¦3 ¦4 ¦7 ¦0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–01 ¦ New Jersey Devils ¦ NHL ¦80 ¦23 ¦15 ¦38 ¦12 ¦25 ¦4 ¦3 ¦7 ¦6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–02 ¦ New Jersey Devils ¦ NHL ¦82 ¦15 ¦8 ¦23 ¦25 ¦6 ¦0 ¦0 ¦0 ¦0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–03 ¦ New Jersey Devils ¦ NHL ¦80 ¦19 ¦22 ¦41 ¦26 ¦24 ¦6 ¦10¦16¦2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–04 ¦ New Jersey Devils ¦ NHL ¦80¦12¦23¦35¦22¦5¦0¦0¦0¦0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–05 ¦ HIFK ¦ SM-l ¦3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–06 ¦ New Jersey Devils ¦ NHL ¦82 ¦16 ¦20 ¦36 ¦9 ¦4 ¦1 ¦5 ¦8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–07 ¦ New Jersey Devils ¦ NHL ¦74 ¦12 ¦20 ¦32 ¦14 ¦11 ¦1 ¦1 ¦2 ¦2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2007–08 ¦ New Jersey Devils ¦ NHL ¦80 ¦20 ¦23 ¦43 ¦26 ¦5
…
Awards and distinctions
External links |
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- 1973 births
- Living people
- Albany River Rats players
- Canadian ice hockey centres
- Chicago Blackhawks players
- Florida Panthers coaches
- Florida Panthers players
- Frank Selke Trophy winners
- HIFK (ice hockey) players
- Ice hockey people from Toronto
- Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey players
- Minnesota Wild players
- Montreal Canadiens scouts
- New Jersey Devils players
- Stanley Cup champions
- Undrafted National Hockey League players
- Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
- Canadian ice hockey coaches
- NCAA men's ice hockey national champions
- AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans
- Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Finland