In the summer of 2021, two former Terrier captains joined Albie O’Connell’s staff. Jay Pandolfo left the Bruins to become associate head coach. And Doug Friedman, Pandolfo’s teammate for two seasons (‘92-‘93 & ‘93-‘94) was named Director of Hockey Operations.
Prior to his return to Comm. Ave, Friedman had been program director and head coach of the USPHL’s Twin City Thunder. Before that, he was director of athletics and head boys' varsity hockey coach at the Kents Hill School in Maine and a coach for the Portland Junior Pirates.
Friedman shares a distinction with Hobey Baker Award winner Matt Gilroy. Both went from walk-on to BU captain to playing in the NHL. Unlike Gilroy, however, Friedman, who grew up in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, was a recruited walk-on having after a standout prep career at Lawrence Academy.
A rugged left-wing with the ability to finish, he was one of only three freshmen—along with Scott Lachance and Keith Tkachuk—to skate regularly on BU’s loaded ‘90-‘91 squad that reached the national championship game. By his junior year, he was BU’s second leading scorer with 41 points and as a senior he captained the Terriers to another national championship game, while earning top defensive forward in New England honors. Friedman played in the NCAA tournament all four seasons, won the Beanpot twice and a Hockey East title once, finishing with a 43-61-104 line.
Jack Parker points out that Friedman got “better and better each season and became a real solid player. He was always a physical player. If you ran into him, you’d get the worst of it. Opponents learned they always had to know where #23 was.”
A 1993 Quebec Nordiques draft pick, Friedman spent most of
his seven professional seasons in the AHL, but earned a call-up from Edmonton
in 1997-98 and another from Nashville the following year. In 1996-97, he won the
Calder Cup at Hershey along with Terrier teammate Rich Brennan.
Q. What does the Director of Hockey Operations position encompass?
A. A little bit of everything, helping the staff out to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible. It involves the general day to day of the program with everything from scheduling, travel, team and player items, and a variety of other responsibilities, and some hockey too.
Q. Just prior to joining the staff at BU, you were named head coach of the NA3HL team in Danbury. What went into the decision to take a position where coaching isn’t the number one responsibility?
A. When the opportunity to come back to BU presented itself it seemed like a good fit. And obviously to be back at BU meant a lot as well. I have really enjoyed being back at BU, and we have such a great staff to work with every day.
Q. How did your prior roles as Athletic Director at Kents Hill School and as program director for the USPHL Twin City Thunder prepare you for the DHO position?
A. It helped me quite a bit to continue to learn how to
manage people, projects, and tasks. Being Athletic Director is similar to the
DHO in a sense. In that position you had to deal with a wide array of items
such as travel, equipment, budgets, and staff, to name a few. It’s nice as the
DHO as you are only focusing and dealing with one team rather than multiple
teams each semester.
Q. How much interaction do you have with the players? What is your role during games?
A. I interact with the players on a daily basis. It’s important to get to know the guys and build relationships and trust with them. It’s also a very enjoyable part of being involved with hockey as you’re around some great young men. During games I am generally an extra set of eyes on the bench for Jay, Kim and Joe. If I see something happening out there, I can let them know. I have the headset to communicate with our video coach as well to discuss plays we may want to review or challenge.
Q. At the break, how far has the team gone in reaching the high-compete/tough-to-play- against identity that the coaching staff is seeking?
A. I think it’s a work in progress but trending in a very good direction. Most nights we are high compete and tough to play against with the players we have, and I think the coaches have worked to ingrain that in the team- playing the right way.
Q. In September you said that Joe Pereira and you would be making sure the Terriers played with grit. How is that coming along?
A. Again, another work in progress. We have a lot of skill on our team. But we have shown we can compete that way as a team, and some players have done a really good job of bringing that aspect to the rink.
Q. You grew up in Maine where the Black Bears program had become a powerhouse. So why B.U.?
A. Well, I wrote to Shawn Walsh up at Maine multiple times but never got a reply from him. I had a couple D1 visits but no offers and was going to go to Colby College in Maine. I happened to meet Coach Parker through some very good friends, and he said I could walk on if I wanted to give it a shot. So, I decided to go to BU and see what happened.
I started on the JV team but worked hard and got brought up to Varsity the second weekend of the season for a game against BC, I think Senior Darrin MacDonald injured his shoulder the first weekend. That game went well for the couple shifts I had, I recall having a good body check by our bench, and Coach Parker liked what I brought and after that first game I don’t think I missed another game for the remainder of my time at BU.
Q. As a Terrier, you played in the NCAA tournament all four seasons, including one semi-final and two national championship games. Besides those tournaments, was there a particular game or games that were personal highlights?
A. I always remember the game up at Maine when we ended their perfect season, with Mike Prendergast scoring the winning goal from Mike Pomichter. That was great, especially knowing a lot of the Maine guys, and how strong their team was, especially up at the Alfond Arena back then. Scoring a goal in the Beanpot my first year on a pass from David Sacco was very memorable as well, playing for the first time in the Garden with a packed house.
Q. It’s likely a game you don’t want to revisit, but what do you think explains the one-sided loss to Lake Superior in the ’94 title game?
A. That’s a tough one, it just wasn’t our night and unfortunately, we had that very rare type of game at the end of the year. I really think if we played them in a three game series it would have been 2-1 for us. But unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Regardless, the fact that the guys rebounded the following year with Jacques Joubert, Richie Brennan, and Jay leading the team to get back to the Championship game again and winning it all was very rewarding, even though I had graduated.
Q. After two seasons at BU on the 3rd and 4th lines, you became a primary scorer (41 points) as a junior. Was that a matter of experience and opportunity or was there something else that enabled you to reach the next level?
A. So, it was a couple things- certainly the experience I had gained and the opportunity that Coach Parker provided to me to earn more time, and really trying to work on the offensive side of my game. And, playing with David Sacco was a huge help. I may not be the smartest guy around, but I was smart enough to know to get him the puck and just get open, he had great vision out there and could set up anyone for goals.
Q. Your seven-year pro career encompassed 452 games, including 18 in the NHL. What do you recall about that first game with Edmonton?
A. It was a surreal moment, I had worked really hard just
to make it in college, and that work ethic helped me to play seven years pro and
make it to the NHL. I think the thing that stands out most was how well you get
treated, and how good all the players were.
Q. There was at least one familiar face on the Oilers when you arrived, Mike Grier, who had been a freshman when you were Terrier captain. At BU, you’re now working with Jay Pandolfo. You played for Jack Parker and with Scott Lachance. Next year, you’ll be working with Scott’s son and Jack’s grandson, Shane Lachance. How special do connections like these make your job?
A. Well, Hockey really is a small world. And the Terrier Family is very special. Being able to work every day with guys who were your teammates, or staff that has been here since I was a player, or when you run into guys at the rinks- it’s a small world when you’re a Terrier and you all share that connection.
