Once he completes his duties in North Dakota, Dave Hakstol will find life much more hectic in Philadelphia. How he handles his job as Flyers coach is yet to be determined.
But don't think Hakstol, 46, a successful college coach for more than a decade, will be under less pressure in the big city.
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Wait, Philly and Grand Forks, N.D., are comparable? In terms of expectations, yes. Win, make the playoffs, win. Did we mention win?
Flyers fans do; North Dakota fans do. That's the gist of what Tim Panaccio wrote for CSNPhilly.com in his look at Hakstol, the guy the Flyers believe will take them back to the Stanley Cup.
"People expected him to win," Tim Hennessy, the voice of North Dakota hockey, told Panaccio. "The pressure is to make the first round of the playoffs. They even include that in the budget with tickets sales, etc. — it's a given. And that you will be at home in the playoffs, which meant [his clubs] had to finish in the top four every year. They figured that into the budget in advance.
"If you don't make that, the university loses a ton of money. I don't think people understood that he had that kind of pressure to win and be that successful."
Think the Flyers should have gone after Mike Babcock, Todd McLellan or Dan Bylsma? Sought someone with an NHL resume? You're not alone. There was plenty of speculation about the man GM Ron Hextall hired.
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So naturally there are questions among Flyers fans about how Hakstol will handle the job. To allay those concerns, Brad Elliott Schlossman offered a rundown on what to expect from Hakstol.
Example: "Hakstol's UND team plays in a heavy, grinding style that focuses on wearing down opponents. That style may particularly suit the NHL's seven-game series format."
Remember, Hakstol produced NHL players during his years at North Dakota. It's not a pedestrian list, because it includes Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews. He told CSNPhilly: "That's an opportunity definitely earned. I think he'll seize it and do well. … Nice to see him have that success, get recognized and get the opportunity at the highest level."
In 11 years, Yahoo! Sports noted, Hakstol produced high-profile NHL players including T.J. Oshie, Zach Parise, Matt Greene, Travis Zajac and Flyers forward Chris VandeVelde.
VandeVelde will be a popular man in the room as teammates ask him about Hakstol.
"He's a great coach and a great guy, even off the ice," VandeVelde told Pannacio. "He's a good leader for your team. He's kind of a no-nonsense guy, straight forward. I think he's the right fit for sure.
"I'm sure there's some skepticism out there, but I have no doubt he'll have success with Philly."
Hextall's take, via PhillyVoice.com: "Quite frankly, if someone said to me you can bring in an NHL assistant coach or you can bring in a guy that's been in college for 11 years as a head coach, I'll take the head coaching experience. That's the valuable part."
If Hextall is right, Hakstol will succeed.
USA Today called Hakstol's hiring a shrewd move by Hextall. It has been 28 years since Herb Brooks left St. Cloud State for the Minnesota North Stars. Badger Bob Johnson was perhaps the most successful former college coach in the NHL, leaving Wisconsin for the Calgary Flames, getting them to the finals in 1986 and winning a Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991. Before than, Ned Harkness became the Detroit Red Wings' coach in 1970. End of list.
But with nearly a third of current NHL players now having spent time in college, Hakstol finds himself in a better environment than the one his predecessors had.
And that makes Hakstol all the more worth watching, and not just by the tough critics of Philadelphia.