At first glance, it might seem like an odd career move to leave an NHL assistant coaching job for a non-head coach college job. But that’s exactly what Jay Pandolfo did this week, leaving the Bruins’ coaching staff to become the associate head coach at Boston University, his alma mater.
Pandolfo, a Burlington native, starred at BU from 1992-96, helping the Terriers win a national championship in 1995 and earning First Team All-America honors in 1996.
Pandolfo went on to a 15-year NHL playing career and then joined the Bruins in a player development role in 2014 before becoming an assistant coach in 2016. He will now be BU’s top assistant under head coach Albie O’Connell.
Pandolfo met with a few reporters via Zoom on Friday and explained why he decided to make the move from the Bruins to BU.
“I’m really excited about it. It was obviously a tough decision,” Pandolfo said. “I’ve had a great experience with the Bruins. They’ve been great to me. I have so much respect for that organization, everyone from the top down -- the Jacobs family, Cam Neely, Don Sweeney. Bruce Cassidy and the coaching staff have done so much for me. The players, I have so much respect for those guys.
“So it was obviously a tough decision, but for me right now, being able to come back to BU, a place that I love, my alma mater -- I mean, I had four of the best years of my life there. To have this opportunity to come back, it just got more exciting by the day. After the playoffs were over, I had some more conversations with Albie about the program, about what he felt about the team he had moving forward. For me, it just felt like a great fit.”
Pandolfo said the seeds were planted right around the time the Bruins’ playoff run was beginning, when O’Connell first mentioned to him that BU’s associate head coach job may be opening up (the school and Paul Pearl officially parted ways in early June).
He also explained that his family and young kids factored into his decision, as he believes being at BU will allow for a better work-life balance than being on an NHL staff.
“It started about a month ago,” Pandolfo said. “I had talked to Albie, just basically about the program, about this past year. Obviously it was tough with COVID. They ended up doing a pretty good job, making the national tournament. He felt really good about their team, and we just kind of got talking and he said that there might be a change with the associate head coach, and he was gauging my interest. Once he asked me, it kind of got the wheels turning. Obviously I told him, ‘Listen, we’re starting the playoffs here. I need to get through this before I can really think about it.’
“Once the playoffs ended, we started talking again. For me, just timing-wise, just family-life balance was a big part of it. The NHL, there’s 82 games. College, I think there’s a little better balance. I have younger kids. I think they can really be a little bit more a part of the program as well. I remember, just thinking back to when I was in college, I just remember the families being around. It’s just a different atmosphere.
“For me moving forward, I thought it’ll be a really good fit. I think also it will continue to help me grow as a coach. I started with the Bruins in player development, and this is a similar role where you work with young kids on a daily basis. For me, I really enjoy that, the process. You have a lot of time to work with these guys and it’s rewarding to see these guys grow as players and as people. That’s one of the reasons I decided to do this. I don’t think I would’ve left pro hockey for another college position, but BU is such a special place for me and my family that it just really feels good.”
Pandolfo said he hasn’t thought too far ahead in terms of where his coaching career will go long-term. He said he hadn’t interviewed for any NHL head-coaching jobs and that he thinks he’d probably have to get some head-coaching experience at another level, like the American Hockey League, before he would have been a serious candidate anywhere.
One head-coaching job he did interview for was BU’s -- three years ago when David Quinn left for the New York Rangers. Pandolfo’s candidacy ultimately “came to a little bit of a halt,” as he put it, when it was revealed he hadn’t actually finished his degree after leaving BU for the NHL and still had some classes he had to finish. Pandolfo has since rectified that issue by taking some online classes.
The job ultimately went to O’Connell, whose first three years have not been as successful as a lot of BU fans would like. After posting a sub-.500 record across his first two seasons, the Terriers took a step forward this past season, going 10-5-1 in a COVID-shortened campaign and finishing second in Hockey East in the regular season. They struggled in the postseason, though, losing their first-round series in the conference tournament to UMass Lowell and then getting crushed, 6-2, by St. Cloud State in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
There has been some speculation from some fans that Pandolfo is being brought in in part to eventually replace O’Connell, which could obviously create a bit of an awkward situation if true. Pandolfo said there has been no friction or awkwardness, though, and that he and O’Connell -- who were teammates at BU for the 1995-96 season -- are on the same page.
“I’ve had some great conversations with Albie. We have the same vision of moving this program forward,” Pandolfo said. “I think with me coming in there, I can help him with some fresh ideas. I think our goal is obviously to win a national championship, and while doing that, continue to help these players grow, not only as players but as people. I think that’s both of our visions and that’s what we’re looking to do moving forward. I think if we come in there and have success, then everyone’s going to be happy, and that’s what the program’s looking for. So, that’s our mindset. I’m excited to get started.”
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