Connie Madigan
Born (1934-10-04)October 4, 1934
Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada
Died January 2, 2024(2024-01-02) (aged 89)
Portland, Oregon, US
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for St. Louis Blues
Playing career 1955–1976

Cornelius Dennis "Mad Dog" Madigan (October 4, 1934 – January 2, 2024) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. He played 20 games in the National Hockey League with the St. Louis Blues during the 1972–73 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1955 to 1976, was spent in the minor leagues. Madigan was the oldest rookie in NHL history, aged 38.

Biography

Cornelius Dennis Madigan was born in Port Arthur, Ontario on October 4, 1934. After playing several years in senior leagues in Ontario and British Columbia in the late 1950s, Madigan had a lengthy career as a minor league star, most notably with the Fort Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League for three seasons in the early 1960s, and then for the Portland Buckaroos of the Western Hockey League for nine seasons. He won accolades as First Team league All-Star in 1960, 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969, Second Team All-Star in 1965, 1971 and 1972, as well as winning best defenceman honors in 1966.

Beset with numerous injuries in the 1972–73 season, the St. Louis Blues of the NHL bought Madigan's rights from the Buckaroos, and he suited up for the Blues in January 1973 at the age of 38, becoming the oldest rookie ever. He played competently for the Blues in twenty regular-season games and five playoff games, before finishing his career with Portland in parts of the two successive seasons.[1]

At the time of his retirement, Madigan was second in minor league history in career penalty minutes. Despite being retired for 40 seasons, Madigan is still 89th in career penalty minutes.[2]

In addition to Madigan's hockey career, he had a minor role in the 1977 cult classic movie Slap Shot as legendary hockey goon Ross "Mad Dog" Madison.[3]

Madigan died in Portland on January 2, 2024, at the age of 89.[4][5]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1952–53 Port Arthur Bruins TBJHL 27 4 3 7 67 — — — — —
1953–54 Port Arthur Bruins TBJHL 26 2 11 13 124 9 1 2 3 18
1954–55 Port Arthur Bruins TBJHL 34 7 11 18 168 — — — — —
1954–55 Humboldt Indians SJHL 5 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1955–56 Penticton Vees OSHL 54 4 18 22 231 — — — — —
1956–57 Penticton Vees OSHL — — — — — — — — — —
1957–58 Vernon Canadians OSHL 8 0 3 3 34 — — — — —
1958–59 Vernon Maple Leafs WIHL 50 4 24 28 145 11 2 4 6 24
1958–59 Spokane Spokes WHL 3 1 1 2 2 — — — — —
1958–59 Nelson Maple Leafs Al-Cup — — — — — 7 0 3 3 12
1959–60 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 66 7 50 57 272 13 0 3 3 44
1960–61 Cleveland Barons AHL 8 0 2 2 13 — — — — —
1960–61 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 57 9 28 37 231 8 2 3 5 26
1961–62 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 2 0 0 0 9 — — — — —
1961–62 Spokane Comets WHL 63 9 28 37 171 16 0 4 4 28
1962–63 Spokane Comets WHL 48 7 15 22 115 — — — — —
1963–64 Los Angeles Blades WHL 68 10 27 37 120 12 2 4 6 49
1964–65 Providence Reds AHL 10 1 2 3 34 — — — — —
1964–65 Portland Buckaroos WHL 60 11 20 31 158 10 1 4 5 18
1965–66 Portland Buckaroos WHL 72 13 31 44 159 14 1 6 7 15
1966–67 Portland Buckaroos WHL 72 9 42 51 147 4 2 1 3 6
1967–68 Portland Buckaroos WHL 59 7 25 32 105 12 1 5 6 16
1968–69 Portland Buckaroos WHL 71 3 25 28 175 10 1 8 9 22
1969–70 Dallas Black Hawks CHL 10 1 4 5 26 — — — — —
1969–70 Portland Buckaroos WHL 60 5 28 33 101 11 0 6 6 59
1970–71 Portland Buckaroos WHL 72 8 59 67 175 3 0 3 3 38
1971–72 Portland Buckaroos WHL 61 8 48 56 170 11 0 7 7 44
1972–73 St. Louis Blues NHL 20 0 3 3 25 5 0 0 0 4
1972–73 Portland Buckaroos WHL 42 3 26 29 146 — — — — —
1973–74 San Diego Gulls WHL 39 3 19 22 80 — — — — —
1973–74 Portland Buckaroos WHL 16 0 12 12 22 9 0 2 2 40
1974–75 Portland Buckaroos WIHL 10 2 11 13 20 — — — — —
1975–76 Portland Buckaroos NWHL 24 7 16 23 88 — — — — —
WHL totals 806 97 406 503 1846 112 8 50 58 335
NHL totals 20 0 3 3 25 5 0 0 0 4

References

  1. ^ "Connie Madigan player profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  2. ^ Top 100 All-Time Minor League Penalty Minutes Archived January 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Merron, Jeff. "Old-time hockey indeed". ESPN. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  4. ^ Friedman, Elliotte (January 4, 2024). "32 Thoughts: Where things stand between the Maple Leafs and William Nylander". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  5. ^ "Legendary minor league hockey enforcer Connie Madigan, who turned pro in Spokane, dies at 89 | the Spokesman-Review".

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