The following is a guest post by Jaclyn Mason of Meet Me Behind the Net.
When the Flyers announced Dave Hakstol as the new head coach, many were blindsided. Since then, he’s been the subject of much speculation, which should come as no surprise given that he’s the first head coach to move directly from college hockey to the NHL in over three decades.
Hakstol’s a blank slate. All we can do is guess about his leadership at the professional level and whether he’s ready for the proverbial big leagues, let alone the Philadelphia Flyers rabid fan base.
A few months ago I analyzed the top three candidates for the Flyers coaching vacancy using numerology and decided to look at Hakstol the same way. Because hey, at this point, the universe’s guess is as good as any. So should we hedge our bets on Hakstol?
Hakstol's life path number – like former top prospect Mike Babcock, coincidentally – is seven, meaning that he is private, distrusting and socially awkward.
Uh oh. Sounds more like Craig Berube than Peter Laviolette. The players are going to have to earn his confidence which isn’t necessarily a bad thing during a period of rebuilding.
On the bright side, sevens are talented problem solvers and strategists, two qualities that Berube didn’t display during his time at the helm. It’s not surprising, then, that one of Hakstol’s proteges, Jonathan Toews, describes his former college coach as one of the brightest minds in hockey.
Hakstol’s second cycle number is three which means he has the charisma to attract supporters, a trait he will certainly need in this town. T.J. Oshie, who also played college hockey for Hakstol, confirmed that the players will quickly come to respect their new coach and want to perform at the highest level for him.
The bottom line: Focus, discipline and confidence are the keys to his success, and hopefully he will impart the same in his players.
Whatever the stars have in store for us this season we can rest assured that the team is off to a fresh start with a coach who can provide a much-needed spark to the Orange and Black.
Jaclyn Mason is a guest columnist for Flyerdelphia. Follow her on Twitter @MeetMeBhndNet.
