2022 marks the 69th Beanpot Tournament, Boston’s annual college hockey competition that brings together the Boston College, Boston University, Harvard University and Northeastern University communities as well as sports fans throughout the city. On Feb. 14, one college will be crowned as this year’s men’s Beanpot champion and one new member will be inducted into the Beanpot Hall of Fame — Northeastern’s own Jim Madigan. 

From 2011 until his promotion to athletic director in 2021, Madigan acted as Northeastern’s men’s ice hockey coach, leading the team to dozens of victories, including two titles in Hockey East and three at the Beanpot. “I look at it as my body of work,” Madigan said in a press conference, when asked what it meant to him to be inducted, “Beanpot is such a big part of the fabric of Boston.” 

While Madigan’s career as the head coach of Northeastern’s men’s ice hockey team was full of successes, it was the Beanpot that meant the most to him. The first Beanpot victory he brought to Northeastern in 2018 marked the university’s first win since 1988. 

“I knew how important winning the Beanpot was to him,” said Jerry Keefe, current head coach of the Northeastern men’s ice hockey team. “If there was anyone who was going to get that done, it was Jim Madigan.” 

Madigan started his hockey career in 1981 after being recruited as a promising young player from Montreal, Quebec. Madigan graduated from Northeastern in 1985 with a degree in business administration but remained at the university as the assistant coach for the men’s ice hockey team for seven years. He then spent time scouting for the NHL — working for the New York Islanders and later the Pittsburgh Penguins — before returning to Northeastern in 2011 as head coach. 

When Madigan came back to a full-time position at Northeastern, he brought a passion and a will to win. 

“He has that fire on the bench,” said Jordan Harris, the captain and senior defenseman for the men’s hockey team who is currently drafted to the Montreal Canadiens. “We saw that every night.” 

In a press conference, Harris named Madigan’s “energy and excitement” as a source of motivation for the players at every practice and game. This determination was evident in the team’s successes in the Beanpot Tournament and the Hockey East championship. Both were titles that the team had not received since Madigan was first part of the coaching staff, but he was able to secure them for the team upon his return to Northeastern.

Madigan’s love for hockey remains strong as the former coach steps into a new role and a new perspective as athletic director. “As administrator, I’m excited about this time of year,” Madigan said.

After the COVID-19 pandemic put the Beanpot tournament on a year-long hiatus, he looks forward to the opportunity for students, coaches, and spectators to return to TD Garden. “[I’m] excited for a great atmosphere in the building,” Madigan said. 

This will be the first Beanpot tournament for the freshmen and sophomores on Northeastern’s men’s ice hockey team, while the juniors and seniors will be defending their 2020 title. Madigan hopes the men’s team will be able to collect a fourth consecutive trophy at this year’s tournament. “To do four in a row would put us in the same conversation as BU and BC,” he said.

However, what holds the most value to Madigan is not the trophy or the title, but helping his student athletes reach success. “It was all about the school, it was all about the players,” Keefe said, describing the mindset he aims to carry on as he steps into Madigan’s former role as head coach. 

During the 10 years that he spent as assistant coach to Madigan, Keefe learned from his predecessor’s 40 years of experience. 

“[It’s] not just about hockey,” Keefe said about Madigan’s coaching style. For Madigan, it was always about developing young men  — emotionally, socially and academically. Madigan has talked about seeing their success in all facets of their lives; he has watched them as they grew into themselves on the ice, in the classroom, and in the community. 

Madigan said he found it very rewarding to be able to have a positive effect on his co-workers and players as head coach, but is excited to now be able to work with all the coaches of Northeastern University. Throughout his career, he has noted the impact of “align[ing] [one’s] actions and words at the same time” to administer this positivity and looks forward to bringing it to the athletic department as a whole. 

With this love and pride for his players, putting their success and growth above his own, Jim Madigan describes his induction into the Beanpot Hall of Fame as “humbling,” In fact, he said it was not until he saw the names of the other members of the Hall — namely Tony Amonte of Boston University and Dave Poile of Northeastern University, who Madigan describes as “a visionary for [the] sport” — that he truly understood the significance of the occasion. 

For fans of college hockey in Boston, the Beanpot is a unique experience. The tournament is integral to the community, bringing some of the biggest names in college athletics together for one unified event. When visiting TD Garden for the Beanpot, many fans bring a love and a passion for the sport, but none like that of Jim Madigan. As he moves into a new position off the ice, Madigan’s view on the event that has marked the most success in his career has not changed, “The adrenaline you get from winning Beanpot … there’s nothing like it.”