By Anthony Gulizia, News Staff
The much-anticipated search for a new hockey coach concluded today as Director of Athletics Peter Roby announced Northeastern alumnus and three-time Beanpot champion Jim Madigan will fill the vacant position.
The announcement will be made official in a press conference today at 12:30 p.m. in Matthews Arena.
“Today begins a new and exciting era of Northeastern hockey, an era that accelerates our progress and builds on our recent success,” Roby said in a statement issued today.” Jim played a prominent role in one of our program’s most illustrious decades. More importantly, though, Jim has shown a great ability to identify talent and is committed to developing players on the ice, in the classroom and in the community. His energy and enthusiasm, along with his commitment to Northeastern values, made him the obvious choice.”
Madigan served as a scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins since 2006 and helped the franchise build a team that captured the Stanley Cup in 2009. He also helped identify two Huskies who have excelled in the Penguins organization—Brad Thiessen and Joe Vitale. This season, Vitale spent time on the Penguins’ NHL roster and Thiessen was named the AHL’s most outstanding goaltender. Prior to his tenure with the Penguins, Madigan served as a scout for the New York Islanders for 13 years.
Madigan returns to Matthews Arena as head coach after serving as an assistant from 1986-93. During his time with the Huskies, they won 100 games and in 1988 captured the program’s last Beanpot title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s a true honor to be named head coach at Northeastern,” Madigan said. “I have tremendous passion for this university and for this program. Northeastern is a world-class institution and Boston is a world-class city. I’m thrilled to be back where it all started for me—Matthews Arena. The expectations I have for our program are high. We will continue to build on the momentum established by Greg Cronin and his staff, and we will compete at the highest level, both in Hockey East and nationally.”
The four-time letterwinner skated for the Huskies from 1981-85, and helped the Huskies win 25 games his freshman year, which is tied for the all-time best in school history. Madigan capped off the season by helping lead the Huskies to the NCAA Frozen Four. The NU Rookie of the Year also was a key contributor to two Huskies’ Beanpot championships in 1984 and 1985.
