Connie Madigan (Oct. 4, 1934 – Jan. 2, 2024) is one of the most popular players in the history of the beloved Portland Buckaroos hockey team.
Long before he became the oldest rookie in National Hockey League history, he was a leader and an enforcer for 20 years on amateur and minor league teams.
The native of Port Arthur, Ontario made his way through 10 seasons of hockey before his arrival in Portland. Stops in Penticton, Spokane, Cleveland, Denver, Los Angeles, and Fort Wayne. He had NHL tryouts but could not make the show.
In late 1964, Madigan was grinding through the early season with the Providence Reds in Rhode Island. He didn’t want to sign a contract. Fortunately, his play out West had caught the attention of Portland Buckaroos owner and coach Hal Laycoe.
The Buckaroos may not have been an NHL team, but they were the city of Portland’s prime sports attraction for much of the 1960’s.
Connie flew from Boston to Portland on a Saturday and dressed and played on a Sunday. In his very first game he scored the game winning goal in overtime at the Coliseum. Three days later he did it again in Seattle.
But Madigan would be known much more for his physical play supporting his teammates. He would record 2,944 penalty minutes. At the time that was the second most career minutes in the history of minor league hockey.
And all of that helped the Buckaroos win. Portland went to the postseason eight consecutive years with Connie on the roster. Madigan was a regular Western Hockey League All-Star and was named defenseman of the year in 1966.
Finally, in 1972 at age 38, Connie Madigan achieved the dream of any hockey player. He was called to join the St. Louis Blues in the NHL. It was a cup of coffee, 25 games 3 assists 29 penalty minutes. Connie didn’t want to go back down after that but would play four more seasons for the Buckaroos until the franchise folded in 1976.
His hockey skills came in handy at the end of his career when he played, naturally, a tough guy defender, in the classic hockey film “Slap Shot.”
Career highlights:
WHL 1st team All-star 1960, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969
2nd team All-star 1965, 1971, 1972
Best defenseman 1966