Northeastern men’s hockey alumni Chris Nilan and Jim Madigan will be inducted into the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame, the organization announced April 2.
Madigan has been a fixture of Northeastern athletics since 1981, spanning from a student-athlete and head coach of the men’s hockey team to becoming the director of athletics and recreation in 2021.
At the end of his coaching career with the Huskies, Madigan held a 174-132-39 record. Under his leadership, the team won the Beanpot Championship three consecutive years, earned two Hockey East titles and had three NCAA appearances. In 2022, Madignan was inducted into the Beanpot Hall of Fame. He also coached the first and only Hobey Baker Award winner from Northeastern, Adam Gaudette.
Madigan left the Northeastern community in 1985 before coming back as an assistant coach in 1986. In that time, he joined the University of Vermont coaching staff for one season. In 1993, he left Boston once again to join the New York Islanders and then the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006 as a scout. He collected a Stanley Cup ring with the Penguins in 2009.
Nilan, whose tough gameplay earned him the nickname “Knuckles,” wore the Husky sweater for three seasons, 1976-79, before entering the NHL with the Montréal Canadiens. At Northeastern, the Boston native played in 66 games, where he scored 20 goals and logged 28 assists.
Nilan went on to play for the Canadiens, the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers during his 15 years in the league. In 688 games, he netted 110 goals and 115 assists. He is one of two former Huskies to win the Stanley Cup as a player after theCanadiens’ 1986 win.
The ceremony will be held at the Sea Crest Beach Resort in Falmouth, Mass., Saturday, May 2.