PODCAST: John Madden's Life After the Game

On this Labor Day edition of the Speak of the Devils Podcast, host Matt Loughlin and Chris Wescott are joined by Devils alumni John Madden to reminisce about his 13-year NHL career, ten of which were spent with the New Jersey Devils.
'Mad Dog' as he is affectionately known, delves right in off the top of the podcast about the origins of his moniker, one that was with him well before his NHL career started.
Madden was certainly maddening to play against, a defensive specialist, shutting down the league's top lines as a checking forward. It was a role he didn't necessarily expect to hold in the league, after years of 100-plus points during his junior hockey days and more than a point-per-game player in college.

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It was at the request of his first general manager, Lou Lamoriello to adapt his game in order to make the roster.
"Lou came to me and he said, 'if you want to play, it's fourth line checking role, and you got to be a defensive responsible guy', Madden recalled of that first conversation. "And I just jumped at the chance, picked up as much as I could from a guy like Larry Robinson or Bobby Carpenter and Bobby Holik. Whoever I was playing with, I just kept watching these guys play the defensive side of the puck. Sooner or later, it just became my niche and I enjoyed it and loved it, and I was able to make a career out of it."
A career he did. He played 712 regular-season games with New Jersey and winning two Stanley Cups in 2000 and 2003. In 2001 he won the Selke Trophy at the NHL Awards as the league's most defensively responsible forward. Madden spent another three seasons with the Blackhawks, Wild, and Panthers before retiring in 2012. Now, his life revolves far less around hockey, moving on to a new stage in his life.
"I kind of like living here in Kentucky where hockey isn't a big deal," Madden disclosed, "And, you know, you just kind of flip the page and move forward. Now I'm just, Ty's dad, Reese's dad. And I like it like that. I like being not sociated with hockey so much in terms of what I did. I don't know why."
That's not to say that he doesn't enjoy being associated with the game. He cherishes those moments too.
"At the same time, when I went to the [2000 Cup] reunion, I was in heaven," Madden remembered of the weekend in New Jersey this past season, "I was like 'Yeah, we were Stanley Cup champs!' It's great, it's something to reflect on."
Along with transitioning to a quieter life in Kentucky where he now lives with his family, Madden takes you through the entire journey of his career on the Speak of the Devils podcast, including his three Stanley Cup's, why his championship with Chicago felt different than the first two with New Jersey. Madden takes time out of his day to connect with Devils fans and bring them the latest on what life has been after hockey.