Don MacAdam was a hockey lifer, and three years out of that life, he devoted himself to the Detroit Red Wings.
MacAdam, who died earlier this week at the age of 76, was a Red Wings assistant coach on the staff of Jacques Demers from 1986-89. Those were benchmark years for the franchise.
Detroit reached the Stanley Cup conference final in 1986-87 and 1987-88. That was the furthest the team had advanced in the NHL postseason since reaching the 1965-66 Stanley Cup Final.
When the Red Wings swept the Chicago Blackhawks in the opening round of the 1987 NHL playoffs, it was the first win by the franchise in a best-of-seven playoff series since also beating the Blackhawks in the 1966 semifinals.
Red Wings Were One Of Many Stops For MacAdam
MacAdam left the Red Wings organization in 1989. He took over as head coach of the Cape Breton Oilers. They were the AHL farm club of the Edmonton Oilers. Relocating from the Motor City to Maritime Canada was initially a lifestyle adjustment.
“The first day I pulled into the parking lot at the rink, I had just arrived from Detroit, which was a very different environment to live in," MacAdam told PNI Atlantic News. "I got out of my vehicle and instinctively hit the button to lock the doors.
“One of the guys who worked at the rink was walking by as I locked the door. He turned to me and said, ‘You don’t have to do that here, b’ye, you’re not in Detroit now.’"
MacAdam also coached in the OHL, ECHL, QMJHL, Canadian university hockey, and in Italy and Japan. He is enshrined in the PEI Sports Hall of Fame.
His final coaching job was with the Hungarian national team in 2023-24. He led the team to the gold medal at the IIHF 1A World Championships, earning promotion to the top division. In recognition of his contribution to Hungarian hockey, MacAdam was honored by the Hungarian Parliament.