EDITOR’S NOTE

I thought ofien of Connie Madigan while putting together this issue. Name doesn’t ring a bell? It probably won’t for most. Madigan skated in just 25 games, including playofis, with the St. Louis Blues in 1973. It was the sort of unremarkable career that might have been forgotten entirely if not for two remarkable footnotes.

When he first stepped onto the ice on Feb. 6, 1973, Madigan was 38 years old, making him the oldest player to make his debut in NHL history. He also has another lasting claim to fame: a cameo in “Slap Shot” as Ross “Mad Dog” Madison, the Syracuse goon who “never travels anywhere without his long-time friend and attorney, Sam ‘Small Print’ Lyman.”

Given the brevity of his time in the big league, it’s no surprise that O-Pee- Chee overlooked Madigan during his playing days. Still, it felt like an oversight given his background, so when the hockey team at Panini was looking for a compelling card to fill out a rookie subset, we selected him to appear in the