MARK STREIT has played for eight coaches in 10 NHL seasons. He knows when the head man is close to blowing his top. There have been plenty of times when Streit expected an eruption from first-year Flyers coach Dave Hakstol.
"There are times when, as a player, you think, 'Geez, we played like (bleep).' At times like those, you expect the coach to go crazy and lose patience," Streit said. "He came in and had a calmness, a clear way to communicate."
This season already could have been a disaster for the Flyers. Smaller, serious issues might have been exacerbated had Hakstol made a misstep.