(EDITOR'S NOTE: Today is the first of four Feature Friday stories for the week. We have decided to space them out so the readers will have time to enjoy each one. Two more will run tomorrow and a final one will run on Saturday. Today's story is on men's ice hockey head coach Jaymie Harrington, who overcame a professional mistake to become a respected leader in the Franklin Pierce Department of Athletics.)

By Doug DeBiase
Franklin Pierce Director of Athletic Communications 

In the waning seconds of Franklin Pierce men's ice hockey's Northeast-10 Conference semifinal victory over Southern New Hampshire last Saturday, Director of Athletics Bruce Kirsh made his way around the rink towards the team's locker room to congratulate head coach Jaymie Harrington.

As is the case following a monumental win by any one of the teams on the Rindge campus, Kirsh has made it a habit of personally congratulating the respective head coach with a hand shake and pat on the back.

As Kirsh inched his way closer to the locker room, Harrington saw him coming and sprinted over to meet him. This time, however, no hand shakes were given. The two men reached out and gave the other a giant bear hug with several hard pats on the back.

Yes, it was a huge win for Harrington and the men's ice hockey program as the Ravens were tasting post-season success for the first time in history. But it was much more than that. The victory and the resulting trip to the conference championship game was the culmination of four years of hard work by both men to put the date of Jan. 13, 2009 behind them. 
It was four years of the AD never giving up on the head coach and providing valuable guidance and leadership.

It was four years of the head coach taking a professionally low moment, looking deep into himself, listening intently to the advice offered and making the necessary adjustments to become the well-rounded leader he has proven to be today.

"I can't say for sure, but things could have been different if there was another AD in that chair," said Harrington. "Bruce Kirsh didn't cast me aside. He took the time to work with me, not just on a coaching level, but on a personal level as well. He's been like a father to me."

JANUARY 13, 2009

Jaymie Harrington's intensity and passion for the sport of ice hockey is evident anytime someone speaks with him.

Those traits served Harrington well as a player as he played in more than 100 games in the United States Hockey League (the top junior hockey league in the U.S.) before going on to play collegiately at the Division I level for Iona -- before the school dropped the program in 2003 -- and then the remainder of his career at Canisius.

Not many people get the opportunity to play Division I ice hockey and that playing career helped Harrington land the assistant coach's job at Franklin Pierce in 2007 following his graduation from Canisius. After just one year on the job, Harrington was elevated to the program's head coach entering the 2008-09 campaign.

Bruce Kirsh saw in Harrington a young man driven to become a successful head coach in his chosen sport. In fact, Harrington was no different from Kirsh when he was handed the reigns of the men's basketball program in 1977, which came just six years after he had graduated from Franklin Pierce.

"His passion, not just for the sport of ice hockey, but to be a good coach was evident right from day one," Kirsh said. "He was firey and had a vision for the program, but at the same time we both knew he needed to control his intensity and funnel it down the right avenues."

Kirsh knew those same traits could come back to haunt Harrington as a coach if not channeled properly. Sadly for both men, that's exactly what happened in a 4-1 home loss to Saint Michael's on Jan. 13, 2009.

The game that night featured a lot of aggressive play by both sides. Harrington felt that player safety was being jeopardized by the lack of calls from the referees, especially in the way his goalie was taking several charges from the opposition. The rough play continued and Harrington had had enough and began arguing with the refs. He was quickly ejected from the game, but he didn't stop with the yelling. The arguing continued and grew in intensity as he left the bench area. Before Harrington knew it, security was escorting him from the arena.

Still furious over the lack of calls Harrington did not fully digest the ensuing events of the evening until later on.

"I was sticking up for my players and their safety and I will always do that until I'm no longer coaching," Harrington said. "Looking back on it now, if I had to change one thing about that night I would not have continued the argument after being ejected. I would have just walked away."

Humans can only wish they had the benefit of hindsight during times of stress. In those instances, things can become chaotic with words and actions being used that only add to the stress. But as is the case every time, hindsight is only available after the fact.

WHAT TO DO?

Bruce Kirsh was not in attendance for the St. Mike's game, so when he got a call informing him of what had happened, a myriad of thoughts and emotions ran through his mind. He was on his way to the NCAA Convention when the news broke to him so his conversations with Harrington went strictly through the phone. 

Harrington didn't know what to expect, so he too had a myriad of thoughts running through his mind.

Kirsh, as anyone close to him can attest, does not mince words and is straight to the point. He spoke to Harrington about his disappointment in his actions and stressed that the coach understand the gravity of the issue. Harrington was allowed to speak as well to give his side of the story. For as straight to the point as Kirsh is, he too allows the other person in a conversation to offer their opinion.

"We talked, mostly him, but I still didn't know what the final outcome was going to be," Harrington said. "Bruce was brutally honest and some of things he said were tough to hear, but I knew he had to say them and I knew I had to listen even though the conversation was a tough one to have."

The conversation ended and the outcome was clear. Harrington wouldn't be relieved of his duties, but he was suspended for a week. The assistant coaches would run the practices and coach the team during games, while a senior staff member from the athletic department would oversee their handling of the squad. The two men would revisit the situation when Kirsh returned from the convention and Harrington returned from his suspension.

After the penalty was lifted, Harrington returned to the school and a course of action Kirsh laid out was that he would serve as a mentor to the young coach to avoid a repeat of the situation in the future.

"My job as an athletic director is to not just cast people aside who make a mistake," said Kirsh, who as an assistant coach, head coach, AD and Vice President, has worked at Franklin Pierce for a combined 40 years. "My job is to also provide guidance and leadership and to help my coaches grow and evolve; not just in the profession, but as people.

"I was given the chance to be a head coach at a young age just like Harry and I was fortunate to receive a lot of guidance from then (Franklin Pierce) President Walter Peterson. He was invaluable in helping me to grow as a leader and that's the approach I've taken with any of my coaches."

COACHING, SUCCESS & LIFE

The two men agreed to the course of action as they would both meet on Tuesday afternoons. There would not be much hockey talk, but rather coaching lessons on dealing with stress, players, referees, growth and maturity. The meetings not only covered athletics, but also life.

If running an intercollegiate ice hockey program was not stressful enough, Jaymie Harrington also had the stress of not having his then-long time girlfriend and now-wife, Emilie, by his side as she was working and living in Canada.

"It was rough at that particular time, and it still is today, not having her around all the time," Harrington said. "I typically keep stuff to myself, but she seems to have a way of knowing what I'm thinking and ultimately getting it out of me. She is my best friend and biggest supporter so naturally I missed not having her there. We would talk on the phone, but it's different when the person isn't there next to you."

That's where the life conversations came in during those Tuesday meetings. When Bruce Kirsh was that young coach building the men's basketball program in the 70s and 80s, he too, was pulled away from his family at times. The two men understood where the other was coming from.

"Bruce really became a father figure to me," Harrington said. "Sometimes the meetings wouldn't be long, but he would always ask how I was doing. Those little things are actually big things. I could definitely sense he cared about me and how I was progressing. Our conversations were very positive."

Harrington took the talks to heart and as the two men continually met, the coach was growing and the ice hockey program was growing with him.

"Harry worked his butt off through those years," said a modest Kirsh. "He did all the work. I just talked with him."

Franklin Pierce hosted the first Northeast-10 playoff game in program history at the end of the 2008-09 season and then posted a school-record for wins in a single season in 2009-10, while also hosting a second-consecutive playoff game. The Ravens continued to set records in 2010-11, as they produced a new program mark for single-season wins, finished third in the conference regular season standings (the highest finish in program history) and once again hosted a playoff game.

Harrington wasn't just growing as a bench boss, but also as a leader off the ice. He handled player discipline problems with swift, decisive action. Players that didn't want to conform to his vision for the program, both on and off the ice, were dismissed and replaced with ones that wanted to take the program to the next threshold which was post-season success. Players that had made mistakes, but were working to get back into good standing were ones that he personally met with to serve as a mentor.

Harrington keeps a copy of the box score from that Saint Michael's game in his office and will show it to players he works with. It's to serve not just as a reminder of that night, but as a visual aid into how someone can go from making a mistake to fixing it through hard work.

"The box score illustrates that mistakes can be made," Harrington said. "But more importantly the success this program has had since shows that through hard work you can rise above them. The players, current and past, have made this program grow throughout the last several years. I've learned a lot from them and hopefully they've taken a lot away from me. That's why I will defend my players when needed. As I said before, I will always defend my players until the day I'm done coaching."

Mark Gibbons, a former player in the Ravens men's ice hockey program, never played for Harrington, but now as a high school coach he has worked closely with his alma mater sending several of his players on to play in Rindge.

"What Jaymie has done with the Franklin Pierce program is amazing," Gibbons said. "The Franklin Pierce hockey program is very different from when I played there. It's a recognized program in New England and a lot of people in the hockey community are impressed with what he has done. I've sent several players to play for him and I stay in contact with each guy and they rave about how the program is a real positive in their college experience. Jaymie is an honest guy who doesn't pull any punches and the players respect that."

As the program continued to rise in stature and Harrington continued progressing into a strong leader, the Tuesday afternoon meetings became less frequent and ceased all together in the fall of 2011. 

"Jaymie had grown and it was remarkable to see," Kirsh said. "I always let him know my door was open, but he didn't need to hear from me weekly."

In fact, Kirsh was so proud of Harrington's transformation that when the athletic department decided to form a leadership committee of student-athletes in the summer of 2012, Harrington was one of two head coaches selected to lead the panel.

"I was very honored to be a part of the program," Harrington said. "It meant a lot to me that Bruce put that much trust in me to lead a very important initiative."

"HOW ABOUT THAT WIN?!?"

As Jaymie Harrington and Bruce Kirsh finished their bear hug following the playoff win over Southern New Hampshire, Harrington gave a fist pump and shouted to anyone within ear shot, "how about that win?!?"

Kirsh congratulated him once again and made his way back out to the entrance of the rink so Harrington could be alone to celebrate the victory with his players and family.

"I thought he was giving me a hug because he was impressed with how I looked in my new suit," Harrington recounted with laughter later on.

After you notice Harrington's intensity and passion for the sport ice hockey, you will also quickly notice his sense of humor.

"That's Harry," Kirsh said laughing when hearing about Harrington's comment. "He is never at a loss for words when it comes to a joke."

Harrington spoke to his team in the locker room after the game and congratulated them on all they had accomplished to that point in the season. He told the players to enjoy it and then they would get back to work focusing on this Saturday's NE-10 championship matchup at Saint Anselm.

While telling the players to savor the win on Saturday night, Harrington was already in preparation mode focusing on their next opponent.

"The instant the final horn sounded I said to myself 'all right, it's time to get ready for Saint Anselm'," Harrington said. "They have a tremendous program and they are accustomed to playing in the NE-10 championship so I wanted to personally focus on them right away."

While the players whooped and yelled in the locker room, Harrington went out to offer thanks to family and friends for coming to the game and offering support.

He left the rink and got in his car to drive home. While making the nearly hour-long drive to his house, Harrington allowed himself to stop thinking about Saint Anselm for a moment. He started to focus on all the players who had come through the program during his watch and who had helped the program reach this point through all the highs and lows they had gone through.

"Anyone who has ever played for me in this program has a right to share a piece of this win," he said. "Like myself, all of those players have gone through their own ups and downs, but they never quit and kept fighting back. We had lost home playoff games for three-straight years. A lot of the seniors on this year's team were a part of those losses and they could have packed it in, but they didn't. That's what this program has been built upon. I hope everyone is enjoying this win as much as I am."

Kirsh, too, was driving home from the rink and allowed himself to drift off into thought. He was happy for the program, the student-athletes and the school. But what made the win even more special was that it was Harrington who guided the team to it.

"He deserved that win more than anyone," Kirsh said. "I've been fortunate to work with a lot of great coaches and Jaymie has the makings of being one. His experiences and his hard work have made him not just a better coach, but a better person. He has a great support system in place with his wife and family. I can't stress how proud I am of him."