Like local kids who idolized Mickey Mantle or Derek Jeter, John Madden had his hero as a youngster in Ontario – Doug Gilmour of the Maple Leafs.
When Madden arrived from college for his first Devils training camp in 1997, there was Gilmour, acquired by New Jersey from the Leafs during the previous season. In that moment, Madden was an awestruck hockey fan.
“He was pouring himself a coffee and I was just waiting. He looked at me and said, ‘Do you want a cup? Here, take this one,’ ” Madden recalled. “You wouldn’t believe how many phone calls I made back home to tell my friends and my family.”
Gilmour now is an assistant coach with the Leafs’ farm team in Toronto. He came to the Devils on Feb. 25, 1997, with Dave Ellett and a draft pick (Andre Lakos) for Jason Smith, Steve Sullivan and the rights to Alyn McCauley – all three of whom became NHLers.