Friedman Energized for Season

It’s been almost five weeks since Alan Friedman became the majority owner of the Brooklyn Aces and he hasn’t stopped smiling yet. Excited about the direction both the league and team is going in, the Brooklyn business owner and new head honcho of the Aces sees great things in the future ahead. Chatting over the phone on Tuesday night with AcesOverBrooklyn.com, the Canarsie-native discusses his ownership style and what he wants to accomplish this season with his team.

Aces Over Brooklyn.com- Considering the fact that the sports market of New York has enigmatic owners like the Dolan’s, Steinbrenner’s and Wang’s, it’s obvious that fans here want to know more about who calls the shots for their favorite teams. How do you see yourself as an owner?

Alan Friedman- Well to start off, I’m a real hands on kind of guy. I don’t like to sit around at a desk and watch other people do work while I twiddle my thumbs. I like to get involved. I feel like we should have a front office that works hard and I will be by their side working hard with them, rather than sitting back. However, I do know when not to get involved. When it comes to coaching and player personnel, I have to leave that to [Aces Head Coach] Chris [Firriolo]. He has so much knowledge and is so well versed in the sport. I have to let him do that. He wouldn’t come into my office and tell me how to do things, so it ends up being a situation where you have to know when to get involved and when not to.

AOB- Even though the team has only played one game, do you have a favorite Ace thus far?

Friedman- You know something, as of right now, I couldn’t pick a favorite. I try not to look at them as individuals though. I look at them as a team. As a matter of fact, it’s really strange that you asked me that because my son asked me the same question the other night. I asked him how could you pick someone out of this bunch of guys? Off the ice, they’re always smiling and they’re good-natured guys. These are the kind of guys that you want to root for. How could you pick one guy over another? You really can’t.

AOB- Why did you decide to get involved with the Aces?

Friedman- Even though I’m a big Ranger fan, I’m an even bigger hockey fan. That’s the reason why I feel like I had to get involved here. It happened late in the game. I’ve only been with the team for five weeks. Being the big hockey fan that I am, when the opportunity came in my lap, I jumped all over it. To make a long story short, the owner of the Brooklyn club was Curt Russell and he is actually my son’s hockey coach. I know Kurt for years and years and actually, this season I went and got all my licensing done and I’m able to coach the kids as well, so I coached with him. One day, we got to talking and I told him I really wanted to get involved in the league and he asked me to get involved here in Brooklyn. I thought he was kidding at first, but he was totally serious; I jumped all over it.

AOB- You sound really excited. This sounds like a dream come true to you.

Friedman- It really is. I mean seriously, we play at Aviator Rink. Right down the block is Kings Plaza where I used to spend my Friday and Saturday nights hanging out as a teenager. These are my roots and I really love this sport and I love Brooklyn. I had a meeting with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz today and he’s another guy that really shares my love of the area. We feel the same way.

AOB- What do you think will set this team apart from the other teams in the league?

Friedman- Being a minor league team, I feel that these guys really want to do the little things like sign autographs and talk to the fans. They have a special kind of class. Overall, I think they’re a bunch of really classy kids. They want to be a part of the experience for the fans and they’re happy to be on the ice. They really love this game and it shows a lot with them.

Considering that this is only about the first half of the interview, I’ll post the rest next week. Until then, you can expect a podcast and an interview with Aces coach Chris Firriolo before the team’s home opener.

Photo by the Brooklyn Aces

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