Hakstol enjoys hockey and is savoring life in the NHL.
SEATTLE — Dave Hakstol is an intense coach ─ there’s no hiding it. Former gamers say it’s his stare. Some have even reported staring at him is like staring into the sun… a frightening, speaking Canadian sun. He has not, nor will he, hear the close of it.
Beneath that challenging exterior, Hakstol is simply just a mentor who enjoys his career. There is no query that Hakstol is savoring existence in the NHL and as the mentor of the Seattle Kraken. 1 of his most loved sections is taking part in at Weather Pledge Arena ─ one thing which he thinks provides the crew an gain.
“It’s an amazing spot to arrive to perform each day,” he mentioned, “Which is what we want for our gamers and for absolutely everyone involved.”
He also explained the workforce loves the community and feels the obligation of bringing dwelling some wins.
“We’ve experienced a difficult stretch below. We have not been able to get a lot in front of our house lovers and that weighs on the players due to the fact they know and understand and appreciate how substantially our fans treatment and how a great deal electricity they bring to us.”
He has normally beloved hockey and has quite a few memories of his 16 many years coaching at the school level in North Dakota ─ some excellent, some not so fantastic.
For illustration, there was a single time when Hakstol and fellow assistant Brad Berry had been driving from Denver back again to Grand Forks immediately after a weekend collection. With Hakstol at the wheel and Berry asleep in the passenger seat and the snow coming down really hard, their trusty Buick LeSabre lost its grip on the highway.
“As I tapped our brakes, I also tapped Brad on the shoulder and stated ‘Hey bubs you could want to wake up for this one particular,” Hakstol said. “When we ultimately pulled into the nearest gasoline station, we experienced corn hanging from the auto, the bumpers have been hanging off and 1 distinctive detail I remember was there was barbed wire fence marks all the way up the windshield.”
The good thing is, they survived that bumpy night time. And now, Hakstol’s latest challenge? Surviving this time and building Seattle happy of their new favourite staff.