The book on Donato: Harvard coach

No matter what Ted Donato accomplished during his 13-year career in the National Hockey League, there was always a little voice inside his head reminding him of what he really wanted to do -- become the hockey coach at his alma mater, Harvard University.

So when he learned last month that Mark Mazzoleni had stepped down from the position, Donato, who has no coaching experience, took action.

"I started beating the phone lines, quite honestly, and just tried to let the people involved with the decision know that I was interested and how I felt about the position and my enthusiasm about the program," said the 35-year-old Donato, who graduated from Harvard in 1991. "I was fortunate enough to be able to sit down with them and go through the process."

Harvard interviewed six candidates for the job.

That search officially ended yesterday. At a press conference attended by family and friends, Donato, who spent eight-plus years with the Bruins, was named the 11th head coach in school history.

"I think that this position has always been at the back of my mind, it's a dream job," said Donato, the Most Valuable Player of the 1989 NCAA Frozen Four, Harvard's only national championship team. "I have obviously a special place in my heart for Harvard University and the Harvard hockey program. I think the one special thing about a Harvard education is that it allows you options and this is absolutely the best option for me at this stage in my life. I jumped at this as soon as I could."

"We were thrilled that he expressed an interest but we probed pretty hard in the interview process to see if he knew what this thing called college coaching is all about," said director of athletics Bob Scalise. "And he showed us in the interviewing process that he does. He has a good concept of what it will take to be successful." Harvard returns 16 lettermen, including senior captain Noah Welch, from a team that went 18-15-3 last season. The Crimson won the ECAC tournament championship but lost to Maine in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

"The whole team is excited right now, it's going to be a great thing for the program, a great change," Welch said. "There's a certain attitude about him, I think, from having won a national championship here and hopefully that will rub off on our team. Maybe that's what we need to get over the hurdle of getting past the first round of the NCAAs."

Donato doesn't have definitive expectations for his first year.

"I don't want to say that we are going to be this or going to be that," he said. "I do expect that we will be a very competitive program. I think I share the same goal as the hockey players here at Harvard. We want to have our eyes on the NCAA prize like everybody else, but more importantly it's the journey there. We want to do things the right way."

The timing, with the NHL facing a work stoppage in September, could not have been any better for Donato.

"I didn't think the scenario would maybe take place one day," said Donato, who probably would have attempted to play one more season if the Harvard job wasn't available. "But with me kind of at the twilight of my career and the position being open, in a lot of ways the stars have been lined up for me. I am very fortunate to be standing where I am and I'm so excited about the opportunity."

Evident by some of the faces at the press conference -- which included Bruins president Harry Sinden, Bruins coach Mike Sullivan, and former Harvard coach Bill Cleary -- Donato should have some friends to turn to for advice.

"Teddy is a guy that I think can solve problems and that's what you do as a coach," Sullivan said. "You deal with people, you teach the game and you solve problems on a daily basis. And I believe Teddy has all those capabilities. Then you combine that with the network of people he has and I think it makes for a great recipe for success."

"I'm available," Sinden said with a laugh. "I don't do much else."

Cleary believes his former player has what it takes to be a successful coach.

"He has something special that a lot of people don't have," Cleary said. "He has a great way with people and I think that's the one of the biggest assets you have to have in coaching. It's more important than X's and O's. I think the lack of coaching experience will be overcome by his ability to deal with people."