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OHL Guelph Storm

Guelph's Greatest Goaltender

December 1, 2015 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Guelph Storm News Release


Looking back to the 1996 OHL Priority Selection, with the Guelph Storm welcoming an eighth round pick that would go on to become the franchise's greatest goaltender of all-time.

Steph Coratti, GuelphStorm.com ---

The 1995 OHL Priority Selection wasn't kind to the Guelph Storm.

The club saw five draft selections lost to NCAA play - including the team's third round pick.

That didn't stop General Manager Mike Kelly from looking south of the border once again for the 1996 OHL Priority Selection.

A decision that the Royal City would be more than grateful for, with three soon-to-be influential American-born players joining the Storm.

One of which would be goaltender Chris Madden.

The Liverpool, New York native was Guelph's eighth round selection in 1996, and it wouldn't take long for the third and final American pick to become a diamond in the rough.

Playing 21 games as a rookie in 1996-97, Madden strung together an 11-5-1 record with a 3.62 goals-against-average, including his first career OHL shutout.

It would be the following season, however, that officially cemented the netminder in Storm history.

Appearing in 51 games, Madden compiled a 33-11-3 record with four shutouts, registering a 2.73 goals-against-average and .917 save percentage - all remaining a career best for the six-foot-one, 175-pound goaltender.

The Storm, backstopped by Madden, finished first in the Central Division that season with a league-leading 90-points. From there, the 1997-98 roster would go on to sweep both the Sudbury Wolves and the Plymouth Whalers, followed by a 4-1 series win over the Ottawa 67's to take the OHL Championship - the first for the Storm since moving to Guelph in 1991.

During that run, Madden would be nearly perfect, boasting a 1.84 goals-against-average and a remarkable .939 save percentage on his way to becoming a league champion.

Nothing would change entering the national stage, with Madden a force in pushing the Storm through the 1998 Memorial Cup round robin with a 2-1 record, only to wind up in a 3-3 tie after 60 minutes of regulation in the final game.

Although, the happy ending so many had thought was in store would be rewritten by Bobby Russell, scoring the Memorial Cup winning goal for the Portland Winterhawks.

Madden's magic between the pipes wouldn't go unnoticed, however, with the Storm netminder earning the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the top goaltender of the tournament and the ultimate individual honour of the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the 1998 Memorial Cup Most Valuable Player.

Following up the impressive career-year, Madden would be selected in the fourth round (97th overall) by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.

From there, Madden would share the next two seasons with fellow Storm netminder Craig Anderson, ultimately putting together a remarkable 112-57-6 record, including both the regular season and the playoffs. In 141 regular season contests, Madden would compile a 3.11 goals-against average, paired with a .914 save percentage, while only getting better in the postseason, with a 2.83 goals-against-average and a .919 save percentage.

Now, with the Storm celebrating it's 25th Anniversary season, the name Chris Madden is no longer a shot in the dark as an eighth round pick from Liverpool, New York.

Instead, Chris Madden remains the greatest goaltender the Royal City has ever seen.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 1, 2015


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