Freddy Meyer has seen a great deal of what hockey has to offer in his 39 years.
From growing up as undersized, undrafted defenseman playing youth hockey in small-town New Hampshire, to climbing the ladder all the way to senior captain and NCAA first-team All-American at Boston University, where he played on three NCAA tournament teams before moving on to a seven-year career in the National Hockey League, Meyer had to fight for every inch he gained along the way.
But after all those years of hard work, grinding to achieve the highest level of the sport, compensating for his lack of size and playing bigger than he actually was, Meyer’s NHL career came to a screeching halt due to concussions just 281 games after it began. The final blow came on Feb. 3, 2011, when Meyer, 30 at the time and playing for the Atlanta Thrashers, collapsed face-first at center ice in the second period after absorbing a series of, what appeared to be, minimal-grade hits from Calgary.
Almost a decade after that harrowing scene, Meyer has enjoyed a successful post-playing career in coaching. After hanging up the skates following a season in the Swedish Hockey League, which ended the same way as his final year in the NHL — with a concussion — he returned to his roots in the Granite State and spent a pair of seasons in the American Hockey League as an assistant coach with the Manchester Monarchs.
At the same time, he got to work on the inception of Dream Big HockeyStars, his hockey training program in Winchester, Mass. It was Meyer’s wife, Lindsey, who, with a bit of persuasion, initially kickstarted his transition into the coaching realm.
“Once I got hurt in Sweden — I had kids and a family at that point — that’s when the light bulbs started going off that there’s greater things in life than to continue to play sports,” Meyer said in a recent interview with New England Hockey Journal. “My wife and I talked at length, and I was looking all over the board in terms of what I wanted to pursue next, and she kept pushing me back toward hockey and coaching, helping kids. I always thank her for that because it’s worked out great.”
With Dream Big HockeyStars, Meyer’s hope is that kids do just that: Dream big.
“The ‘dream big’ message was always something I cherished,” Meyer said. “I get mad at some people when they tell kids not to dream big to play in the NHL and that it’s impossible to get there. I think kids always need dreams and goals, and why not dream as vague as you can? Who knows what you can do along the way and what you can achieve? It’s always special when you haven’t seen a kid in a few years and he’s really developed into a nice player and he sees you and he’s got a smile on his face and he’s happy to be back out on the ice, so it’s been a lot of fun.”
In 2014, he joined the East Coast Wizards in the Eastern Hockey League, where he assumed several roles, including head coach, general manager and hockey director.
Now, the former NHLer is on to the next step of his post-playing journey, filling the vacant head coaching job at Rivers School, a perennial prep contender in Weston, Mass., following the departure of previous head man Shawn McEachern (Waltham, Mass.).
“We felt Freddy had just the right mix of skills and experience for this position,” Rivers athletic director Bob Pipe said in a statement announcing Meyer’s hiring in late March. “He’s a dynamic personality in the hockey world who has played at every level and has a proven track record as a coach of young players. He works well with young people and knows how to develop their skills.”
Meyer, who was hired at Rivers in tandem with new girls head coach, Courtney Sheary (Melrose, Mass.), joins the Red Wings in the Eberhart Division of the Independent School League not only looking to continue the record the team built under McEachern, but also to have a tangible impact on his players, just as he aspires to do with HockeyStars.
“For me, it’s all about developing well-rounded kids, both students and athletes, and Rivers kind of offers me that package,” Meyer said. “Kids can excel both in the classroom and on the fields, and hopefully after a combination of that they end up at a great school and have an opportunity to continue to pursue their dreams.
“I’m excited about that and also getting involved in the recruiting process to bring great kids into Rivers. Kids that are focused, not just on the ice, but obviously in the classroom and being good citizens around campus. Shawn did a great job with that in his time at Rivers. He brought in some great kids that are still a part of the program, and now I have to keep finding those kids that can check all the boxes.”
For senior Sam Amato, one of the many veterans returning to Rivers, Meyer’s arrival presents another chance to pull back the curtain and learn from a guy who has been through the wringer at every level, including the NHL.
“That’s where a lot of us, whether we get there or not, we’re striving to get to the highest level possible, and he’s been there, so we have trust in what he’s going to bring to the table,” Amato, an 18-year-old native of Woburn, Mass., said. “I feel like the main emotion we’re all feeling is we’re just excited to have his wisdom and experience. He knows what it takes, so we’re fortunate to be able to have that.”
“I really do truly love being on the ice, helping kids of all ages and all abilities,” Meyer added, “and I think it’s us as coaches that can really have a lasting footprint on these kids’ development both on and off the ice, and I think Rivers is a prime spot for me to help these guys and make them great young men.”
Although this will be Meyer’s first experience coaching at the prep level, it’s not an introduction. After moving from Rochester, N.H., to Sanbornville at the end of his sixth-grade year, where he got his start playing in local youth leagues, and then with the elite Seacoast Spartans, Meyer spent three years at Cardigan Mountain School before moving away to join the U.S. National Team Development Program.
“It had a lasting impression on me in terms of the foundation that it developed, both athletically and academically,” Meyer said of his time at the Canaan, N.H., prep school. “And I think that’s what makes these prep environments so special, is kids have the opportunity to excel on both sides of it and make lasting friendships and experiences and, hopefully, once they’re done with school and playing later on in their lives, they’re able to look back and share some memories they made there.”
For now, with the start of the prep season still up in the air amid the COVID pandemic, the new coach is just excited to get to work. In fact, according to Amato, one of the team’s new captains, Meyer already has started meeting with him and the other leaders, Coleman Nee and Ryan Bell, on a weekly basis to gauge where all of his players are at, including film analysis from the previous season. “It’s a good feeling to establish trust right away,” Amato said.
“He’s really putting in the time to get a full sense of what he has to work with, having not coached any of us before, so he’s been great on that front and also helping the seniors, and I’m sure some of the juniors, with the recruiting process. Obviously, it’s new for him, too, to help us navigate through this time, but he’s already been reaching out to coaches for me. I really appreciate that from him.”
Naturally, there will be some growing pains for the new head coach. But just as he was as a player at 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, Meyer is eager to face the challenge head on.
“Obviously, the goal is to win games, as any coach is at any level,” Meyer said, “but for me the bigger picture is to help these guys develop and become better hockey players, and hopefully better college hockey players. That’s the message for me, for those guys that want to come in and buy in to that development and get better each day in practice, and as the season gets moving at some point, hopefully, we’re able to win some games and make some noise and have fun developing together.”
@LiamFlaherty
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