BROOKLYN, NY - In professional sports, it’s pretty rare to see a team’s owner greeting fans as if they were a member of his own family.  But that’s exactly the type of reception you will receive from Alan Friedman, the president and CEO of the Brooklyn Aces, when you attend a home game at Aviator Sports Arena.

After hearing about the EPHL from his son’s hockey coach and at the urging of his wife to find a hobby after semi-retiring, Friedman, the owner of Greenpoint Scrap Metal, decided to become a part of the league, and insisted on finding a place for his team to play in his hometown of Brooklyn.

“I said to them (EPHL), ‘just give me a puddle of ice in Brooklyn, the Canarsie native said, with a laugh. “As long as I’m in Brooklyn, I’m

Aces Owner Alan Friedman with NY Sate Senator Carl Kruger (Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.)

happy.  It doesn’t matter where I play; it’s Brooklyn.”

Friedman, 48, grew up playing roller hockey for Kings Bay Hockey Boy’s Club in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, and rooted for the New York Rangers. Though relatively new to minor league hockey, Friedman believes nothing beats the experience of a live Aces game.

“Minor league hockey is amazing. You go to an NHL game, and you’re really not seeing what’s actually going on,” the Marlboro, New Jersey resident said.  “ (When) You watch it on TV, you really can’t follow the plays, see the line changes, see what’s happening behind the net, and the players down on the other end of the ice. When it comes down to being here (Aviator Sports Arena), you can see everything, hear everything.”

Fortunately for the Aces, they have been drawing decently during an economic downturn. However, Friedman didn’t purchase the team to turn a profit.  He did it to bring professional hockey to Brooklyn for the first time and give young players the opportunity to advance to the next level.

“It’s not about making money,” he said.  “If I wanted to make money, I wouldn’t be owning a minor league hockey team.  I’m in it for the love of the game. I’m in it to make everyone (fans) happy and give these kids (players) a chance to move up.”

Whether Brooklyn captures a championship or not, Friedman feels the season will be successful if a number of his players get called up.

“If our team was one and forty-nine, which we're not, and we push up twenty kids to the next level of hockey, I would say the season was a success,” he said.

If you have been lukewarm to hockey up until now, Friedman is confident an Aces game will turn you into a true puck enthusiast.

“All you have to do is come down to one game and you’re hooked,” Friedman exclaimed.  “You’ll fall in love with this game.  It’s just unbelievable.”

Contact the author at jeryy.delpriore@prohockeynews.com