Darrin Madeley Reflects On Real World Journey Of Past 18 Months

By Ross Forman
Darrin Madeley has had offers to return to coaching and, yes, he wants to, at some point. He misses the game and absolutely misses the competition that hockey brings.

Madeley wants to build on his successful 20-year head coaching run at Lake Forest Academy, which included the incredible 2009-2010 season, when he led the prep Caxys to a tie against national powerhouse Shattuck St. Mary’s and a win over Culver Military Academy. “The guys were skilled, fast and fun to coach,” that season, he said.

Madeley’s coaching legacy has included leading stars such as Alex DeBrincat, Andrew DeBrincat, Jake Lewis, Charlie O’Connor, Zack Rose, Guy Blessing and so many others. “I can go on and on because we had so many great kids,” he said.

Madeley, though, has for the past 18 months or so endured the toughest slapshot the former NHL goalie ever faced.

Jump back to April 5, 2025. It was 5:30 a.m., and Madeley was in his Lake Forest office.

“I suffered a bad heart attack,” he said. “I was within an hour of not being here.”

An admitted workaholic, Madeley worked 364 days a year and his stress was sky-high.

“My father died of a heart attack at 80 years old and suffered over a dozen but lived right and followed (his) doctors’ orders,” Madeley said. “(My heart) was 100 percent blocked and blood wasn’t going back to the left ventricle. I cleaned up a track meet and threw a tent on my shoulder and thought I dislocated my shoulder; (that was) the start of the heart attack. The Lake Forest paramedics were amazing and the staff at Northwestern Hospital was incredible. I am here today because of them.

Madeley experienced chest pain but ignored it and continued to work.

The near-fatal heart attack stopped Madeley.

“I have spent the last year getting healthy and I have not felt this good in 20 years. I learned a lot about myself and people around me, good and bad,” since the heart attack, he said.

Madeley said his recovery was “terrible,” because he isn’t one who can sit still. But he needed to take time off from work.

Flash forward to August 2026. “I feel great,” he said. “My blood pressure was 206/135 during the heart attack; now it’s perfect. I have no stress in my life and I enjoy each day.”

He truly enjoyed his long-running hockey camp this summer, held at Lake Forest College, and said he had “the best summer.”

“I have my blinders off,” he said. “I know what makes me happy and what I want to do now. I was able to see the people in my life who are true friends and I got rid of the ones who are toxic and negative. My family has always been incredible but the students and my players showed me a lot this (past) year of why I did this job and why it is time to start a new challenge in life.”

Madeley spent the 2025-26 season as a fan, not a coach or player. He was able to enjoy the game again. “I missed coaching but found the love for the sport as a fan again,” he said.

Madeley’s spring endured another major medical obstacle. His younger brother, Kevin, 55, endured heart issues in their native Canada.

“My little brother was born with four holes in his heart. He is now 55 and the heart was having a lot of issues,” Madeley said. “(Doctors) had to remove his heart and hook him up to a machine and then replace a valve and shock the hearts rhythm. It was amazing to see, but also terrifying. He is doing great (now) and back to work, golfing and fishing.”

Kevin Madeley also builds custom saddles for high-end horses. 

Kevin’s woes were tough on Darrin.

“It was hard,” Darrin said, “we shared a room until I went to Lake Superior (State University), so seeing him struggle was not easy. The worst thoughts come into your head, but he is doing great now so I feel fortunate.”

Madeley coached at LFA from 2024-2025, and yes, he absolutely fulfilled his original LFA goal – to leave the program better than when he inherited it.

“We developed a program that had a lot of on ice success but that’s not where I measured the success,” said Madeley, who complied close to 600 wins at LFA.

“What mattered was that these guys came here and gave so much back to the school, on and off the ice. These guys would attend every fall play, winter musical, concert, other team’s games, and most of all, they learned how to trust each other so that long after they left, they knew they had a lot of friends whenever they needed them. Twenty years of players are connected and that’s special, especially in high school. They were very loyal to the school and to each other.”

Madeley also served as LFA’s athletic director. 

“I just wanted the kids to have a place they loved and felt like it was their home,” he said. “We built a lot with John Strudwick, Chris Tennyson and Kevin Versen and my only hope was that each space was for LFA students and alums to be proud and to enjoy.”

Madeley’s LFA career highlight was not a hockey win, but rather, a real-life win.

“We had a young man battle cancer and after the surgeons removed part of his knee, I watched him skate again. Nothing will ever beat that,” Madeley said.

Madeley misses the game, without question. He’s ready to return to the game, eventually.

“Everything happens for a reason,” he said. “My father always told me that I was working too hard and it’s just a job, that everyone is replaceable and soon no one will know or care who you are at the school or care that you worked so hard. He was right. He wasn’t trying to be negative but he wanted to protect me and get me to slow down and take time off. I didn’t listen and I regret it. I came here to give my family a better life and they are all successful and happy. This past year has been beyond difficult, but I got to see who my true friends are and that is a life lesson that I am so glad I learned. I am fortunate to have been in a place for 20 years and have had so many great students who I got to know. I am thankful to be healthy and have a great family and true friends. That’s what life is meant to be about.”