When he was hired by the Flyers and left the University of North Dakota on Monday, Dave Hakstol became just the third coach in NHL history to climb directly from the college ranks to the NHL.
He hopes to be as successful as one of them, the late Bob Johnson, who directed Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup in 1991.
Johnson coached the University of Wisconsin for 16 seasons and won three national titles before being hired by the Calgary Flames in 1982. The Flames made the playoffs in all five of his seasons and reached the Finals in 1986.