As he prepares for his first season as the Philadelphia Flyers’ coach, head coach Dave Hakstol said he’s looking forward to a season in which his players are as passionate about the game as they are about each other.
Hakstoli, who has coached three Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings, said he and his team have been able to build a “team identity” in recent weeks.
“We’re definitely looking forward [to] being on a team with a group of guys who love hockey and are passionate about hockey,” Hakstolsaid.
“They’re not just playing the game.
The Flyers, who have won five of their last six games, opened the season with a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night. “
When you have a lot of people on your team who are really passionate about this game, and have been playing it for so long, you’ve got to be able to keep that passion going and have people come along with it.”
The Flyers, who have won five of their last six games, opened the season with a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night.
They then swept the Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks before winning three of four on the road.
Hakstol, who will be a candidate for the NHL’s Coach of the Year award, also has said the Flyers are still looking for a new coach to join the team.
He said that, even though the team is headed in the right direction, he is still looking to hire a coach who is “really passionate about his job and how he can help us.”
“There’s a lot more people on our team who love this game than there are in the world who have never played this game,” Hakstrom said.
“We’ve got guys that love the game and are really dedicated to it.
I think that’s a big thing.”
He added that, while he likes to look forward to his first coaching job in Philadelphia, he has not decided yet.
“I’m looking forward,” he said.
“I think it’s going to be a good experience for me to have.
We’re going to work together.
We want to be together.
It’s going for sure.”
