After returning late Saturday night from a long but successful road trip, Mark Friedman woke up on Sunday morning to a missed call from his agent regarding his future with the Penguins. When Friedman returned the call, he learned that the team had extended him for two more years.
"Aren't You Guys Happy? Two More Years of Me!"
Friedman - and the rest of Pittsburgh - are glad that he's signed a contract extension
By
Grace Heidinger
Pittsburgh Penguins
"The first person I spoke to is my girlfriend, I live with her here," Friedman said. "The first person I called was my dad, and obviously my agent. He called me and we had a pretty short discussion. I knew this is where I wanted to be, so it didn't take too long to finalize."
Friedman was originally drafted by Ron Hextall and the Philadelphia Flyers in 2014. And yesterday, Hextall was the face behind Friedman's extension with the Penguins.
As Friedman and the members of his support system processed the good news, they got emotional thinking about the journey he's been on to reach this point.
"Obviously knowing Hexy for the time that I've known him, it's really nice for him to show that he has some confidence in me, along with the other guys and the staff," Friedman said. "I'm super excited that it's two-year, one-way. Looking down the road, it's definitely nice to see, and brought a smile to my face. We got pretty emotional yesterday because of the journey I've been on. It's not easy. You just got to grind, and I'm very thankful for it."
Friedman's journey started at Bowling Green State University in 2014, where he played with the Falcons for three seasons before heading to the AHL. He spent the majority of the next three years in the American Hockey League with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, suiting up for a total of 10 NHL games with the Flyers before Pittsburgh, Philadelphia's cross-state rivals, claimed him off of waivers on Feb. 24, 2021.
Friedman has played in 20 games with Pittsburgh this season, setting career highs in games played, assists (4), points (5) and game-winning goals (1). Friedman feels that the system in Pittsburgh fits his style.
"A lot of it is about jumping up in the play. I bring an edginess and grittiness to a team that needs it sometimes, and I like my role," Friedman said. "Only playing 36 games in this league, especially at 26, isn't easy. But I just want to continue to keep growing as a player and especially as a person, and I feel like I've done that so much this year."
Friedman has rotated in and out of the lineup this season, which has been challenging at times. He didn't see a lot of action during the first half of the year, playing in just one NHL game from Nov. 14-Feb. 17 before going to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a conditioning stint.
"(Sitting out) wasn't easy for my mindset, but like my dad tells me pretty much every day, you just got to control what you can," Friedman said. "You got to find the positives in everything."
Friedman looked at that time as a beneficial experience that helped him be ready for when his name was called here in Pittsburgh. He's since appeared in six of their past eight games.
"When we've asked him to play for us, he's played extremely well," Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said. "Some of the play that he's had as of late, he's earned. He's earned his way into the top six."
Friedman has done a great job of earning the coaching staff's trust and more playing time with the Penguins, but the journey doesn't stop there as he looks to continue to improve his on-ice performance going forward.
"Parts of my game I think I can continue to get better on would be just focusing on defense-first, and not being so eager to jump up into the play," Friedman said. "Creating odd-man rushes against, and picking my spots when to get under guy's skin."
Friedman certainly isn't afraid to mix it up, and the entertainment value that provides - along with his big personality - has resulted in him developing a bit of a cult hero status amongst his teammates, fans and the media. As Friedman walked into the interview room this afternoon, he said to reporters, "Aren't you guys happy? Two more years of me!"
The answer is yes, as they and everyone else are looking forward to having Friedman around both on and off the ice for the foreseeable future. He is, too.
"Obviously it's nice going into the summer and knowing that you have two years under your belt, to just keep growing as a player and a person," Friedman said. "I'm really excited for the next two years."
