On January 6, 2023, against Rice Memorial High School, Darrin Madeley reached a major milestone in his career, his 500th win as a hockey coach at Lake Forest Academy. The final score of the game was 8-0 LFA, a resounding victory.

   To reach this milestone in his career,  Madeley said he has had an “average of thirty wins per season; this shows that Poska [the assistant coach] and I have been very lucky to have a lot of great kids.” When Madeley walked into the locker room after his 500th win, he shared that, “the players just started drenching me in water.” The team was thrilled to be able to participate in Madeley’s success.

   Madeley is a former NHL goalie who had a ten year-long pro career. He was signed to multiple NHL teams, such as the Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks. Prior to his professional hockey career, he played D1 hockey at Lake Superior State in Michigan. After his time playing pro, he later became the Assistant Athletic Director at Lake Forest Academy in 2005, where he coaches the Prep Hockey team, serves on Dean’s Council, and later became the head Athletic Director. He has worked and coached at LFA for 18 years.

   Madeley’s furst and most memorable win came against the Barrie Colts. The Colts are based very close to where Madeley grew up. He said, “It felt odd having my first win so close to my hometown.”

   As a coach, Madeley is super welcoming and is, “someone you can talk to on and off the ice,” said current player Trevor Stewart ‘25. 

   He also shared that “Darrin tends to know when something is wrong or that you’re in your head and he’ll pull you aside to talk to you,”  but he also knows that “different people need to be coached differently.” 

   “Darrin will also be brutally honest with you,” said current captain Tommy Enrietto ‘23, which he shared has helped him significantly with his gameplay. “Darrin has shown me that hard work always pays off.” 

   Enrietto also shared that this team is “like a family and everyone is always getting along,” which helps the team become stronger on and off the ice. Madeley said, “Teams that have not had as much success are teams that don’t like each other.” Madeley wants his team to take care of one another, which creates a strong team dynamic.

   Madeley shared, “If you look at these players that I have coached and who they’ve become, to me that’s even bigger than 500 wins.” Madeley wants to set his players up for success–not only in hockey, but throughout their entire lives.