In 1996, Angela Gorgone was the first woman to ever become an assistant general manager in the NHL and was hired by the Anaheim Ducks. On July 6th, Kate Madigan became the sixth female assistant general manager in the NHL and the first female assistant general manager for the New Jersey Devils.
Kate Madigan joined four other women who are currently in this position including Émilie Castonguay and Cammi Granato for the Vancouver Canucks; Meghan Hunter for the Chicago Blackhawks; and Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Madigan was promoted to the assistant general manager role at just 29 years old. Out of the five current female assistant general managers, she is the youngest to reach this position. Additionally, she is the only one out of that group that did not have a playing career in hockey.
Madigan grew up in Massachusetts and was a competitive figure skater. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in accounting from Northeastern. She started her career with the New Jersey Devils in 2017 as a player information and video assistant. In the following years she worked her way up to director of pro scouting in 2019 and executive director of hockey management/operations in 2020.
Amanda Stein, a reporter for the Devils, sat down with Madigan to discuss her new role. Madigan mentioned how honored she is to take the next step; she wants to continue to make the New Jersey Devils better and bring success to fans. Madigan stated in an interview: “I think visibility is of the utmost importance. So when it’s young girls, young boys any age, watching the draft tomorrow, and they see, not just me, but probably other females on that stage, too. It’s what does she do? That’s cool. I’ve never seen a woman up there.”
Madigan attended the 2022 NHL draft on July 7th and 8th where she announced the second overall selection for the Devils. The future is big for the Devils and Madigan–by recently being promoted, it is exciting to see what she will do in the future.
Kate Madigan and others are leading the way for women in sports. Not just in the NHL but now all over the world there are women making history in sports. Women are continuously being promoted to new positions and roles they typically did not have until recently. It is inspiring for young women to see these role models changing the world of sports. For all women in sports, this is another monumental and inspirational moment.
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