Looking At John Madden’s Hiring As Arizona Coyotes Assistant Coach
NHL enthusiasts might recall John Madden. Obviously, we aren’t talking about the legendary NFL coach and broadcaster but one of the main cogs in the New Jersey Devils dynasty in the early 2000s, who now finds himself with the Arizona Coyotes.
He has one of the most impressive resumes in hockey, both as a player and coach. Madden first blossomed in the NHL in 1998-99, having a four-game cup of coffee before becoming a full-time player for the Devils in 1999-00.
It was in New Jersey where the current 49-year-old became a defensive specialist. After winning their first Stanley Cup in 1995, the Devils added two more Cups to their name in 2000 and 2003; the two Madden won with New Jersey.
On a team where the most well-known players were Martin Brodeur, Patrik Elias, Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Ken Danyeko, Madden turned into a player that was just as important. He was one of the “do it all and excel in all facets of the game” types of players.
Obviously. he was well-known for his defensive abilities, as evidenced by his 2001 Selke Trophy. But he wasn’t a liability on the offensive side of the puck either. Madden had ten seasons of scoring at least 10 goals including eight straight from 1999-00 to 2007-08.
Adding John Madden is a great move for the Arizona Coyotes
After the 2008-09 campaign, Madden was let go by the Devils and became a free agent. He inked a deal in Chicago where he would win a third Stanley Cup title in 2010.
After brief stops in Minnesota and Florida, Madden ended his playing career on Sept. 4, 2012, and immediately delved into his next realm: coaching.
It was soon after that Madden would begin his second career after his retirement. The Montreal Canadiens gave him his first non-playing role as he joined the amateur recruiting department.
A little while after, he got his first gig behind the bench as an assistant coach in 2013 for the last team he ever suited up with, the Florida Panthers. He remained an assistant coach for a few years until the Cats fired him in 2016.
Then, he was hired as a head coach for the first-ever time with the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He coached in Cleveland for three seasons, starting in 2016-17.
Here is a clip of Madden back when he was with Columbus:
He had middling success at the helm of the Monsters. In his three seasons, he only made the Calder Cup Playoffs once, which was in 2019. The previous two years saw Cleveland miss the postseason, which included a frustrating exit in his first year due to a tiebreaker.
He had a record of 101-99-4-4. Then he spent the last two seasons as an assistant with the San Jose Sharks. That has led him to this current position with the Coyotes.
This is a move that hasn’t been analyzed much for the Coyotes. Bringing in John Madden is going to work wonders for this team. Last season, Arizona ranked 31st in goals against and was tied for 28th with the Winnipeg Jets in penalty-killing percentage.
He should be able to help out in this aspect because of his experience and knowledge of good hockey in the defensive zone. Since Madden is a proven winner as well, it will be easy to win over the young players on the team and have them play a structured defensive system.
Some of the younger guys like Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse and Barrett Hayton have already improved their respective play under Andre Tourigny offensively, so now Madden’s presence should do them good defensively.