John Madden John Madden ( born May 4 , 1973 ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre , Madden is noted for his on - ice ability to kill penalties , play both ways , and score shorthanded goals . Playing career . John Madden ' s journey to the NHL was an uncommon one . As a child , he grew up in a public housing project , Parma Court , in Toronto . Madden is a graduate of the Victoria Village House League and has also played for a number of minor league teams , including the Don Mills Flyers , Scarborough Bruins , Hillcrest Summits , and the Junior " C " Alliston Hornets , before moving up to the Junior " B " Barrie Colts . During his second full season ( 1992 – 93 ) with the Colts , Madden set team records for assists ( 75 ) and points ( 124 ) . Madden was selected in the 11th round ( 173rd overall ) in the 1992 OHL Priority Selection by the Niagara Falls Thunder after a 104 point season with the Barrie Colts Jr . B . ( OHA ) team . Madden did not report to Niagara Falls , instead chose to pursue an NCAA scholarship . After his 2nd season in Barrie , when he scored 124 points in 43 games , he was still passed over in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft . However , of the 286 players drafted that year , only 24 have played more career NHL games than the undrafted Madden ( as of the end of the 2009 - 10 NHL season ) . Madden played college hockey for the University of Michigan playing in 160 games and getting 80 goals and 100 assist for 180 points with 123 minutes of penalties . During his four - year career with the Wolverines , Madden set the NCAA record for most career shorthanded goals ( 23 ) and was a member of the 1995 – 96 championship team . In his final season at Michigan , he was named to both the CCHA First All - Star and NCAA West First All - American Teams . Madden ' s teammates at Michigan included future NHL players Brendan Morrison , Mike Knuble , Blake Sloan , Marty Turco , Steve Shields and Bill Muckalt . The presence of Morrison , the Devils ' second round pick in 1993 , proved fortuitous for Madden , whose strong work ethic was noticed by General Manager Lou Lamoriello as he monitored Morrison ' s college development . Lamoriello eventually offered Madden a contract , and he signed with the Devils as an amateur free agent on June 26 , 1997 . Madden spent the bulk of his first two professional seasons with the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League ( AHL ) . Madden led the Rats in scoring during the 1998 – 99 season , setting team records for assists ( 60 ) and points ( 98 ) . Madden made his NHL debut on January 6 , 1999 against cross - town rivals the New York Rangers ( one of four games he played for the Devils that season ) and collected his first career NHL point on January 18 , 1999 against the San Jose Sharks . He won a permanent spot on the Devils ' roster the following season ( 1999 – 2000 ) and remained with the team through the 2008 - 09 season . Madden is regarded as one of the league ' s best defensive forwards ; he was awarded the Frank J . Selke Trophy in 2001 , and finished second in voting 2003 , 2004 and 2008 . His penalty - killing skills often generate breakaway chances while his team is shorthanded . Madden led the NHL and set a Devils ' team record — and tied the NHL rookie record ( G . Minor , Van . , ’ 80 - 81 ) — by scoring six shorthanded goals during the 1999 – 2000 season . On October 29 , 2000 , in a 9 - 0 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins , Madden and Randy McKay became the first NHL teammates to each score four goals in one game since January 14 , 1922 . For most of his time with the Devils , Madden was paired with left wing player Jay Pandolfo , prompting many Devils fans to refer to this ubiquitous duo as " Madolfo . " The value of the Madden / Pandolfo partnership to the Devils was particularly notable after the 2004 – 05 NHL lockout . Despite the loss of defensive stalwarts Scott Stevens ( retirement ) , Scott Niedermayer ( free agency ) , and Ken Daneyko ( retirement ) , as well as a series of rule changes designed to increase offence , the Devils have remained one of the league ' s least scored on and least penalized teams . On April 25 , 2006 , Madden completed his first career playoff hat - trick in a 4 - 1 win over the New York Rangers ; two of his goals were shorthanded , tying an NHL record . Madden was a member of the Devils ' 1999 – 2000 and 2002 – 03 Stanley Cup champion clubs . After the retirement of long - time captain Scott Stevens before the 2005 – 06 season , the Devils abandoned the use of the captain ' s ' C ' and instead used four alternate captains , drawing from a pool of Madden , Brian Rafalski , Colin White , Scott Gomez , Alexander Mogilny , and Patrik Elias . Madden has continued to wear the alternate captain ' s ' A ' , except for a short time in the 2007 – 08 season , in which the ' A ' was given to Brian Gionta , Dainius Zubrus and Patrik Elias ( Elias , after having the captaincy taken away ) . Once Jamie Langenbrunner , on December 5 , 2007 was named captain , Madden once again was assigned the ' A ' , along with defenseman Colin White . Madden scored his 100th career goal ( regular season ) on April 1 , 2006 against the Philadelphia Flyers . Other recent career milestones include his 100th assist ( October 18 , 2006 vs . Pittsburgh Penguins ) , 200th point ( October 12 , 2006 vs . Toronto Maple Leafs ) , and 500th game ( November 17 , 2006 vs . Ottawa Senators ) . As an unrestricted free agent on July 1 , 2009 , he signed a one - year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks worth $ 2 . 75 million . He won his third Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks that year . On August 6 , 2010 , Madden signed a one - year deal with the Minnesota Wild .