from Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News,

Hakstol looks like Mike Babcock. He acts like Mike Babcock. He is a nononsense, anti-cookie-cutter coach who enjoys questioning the status quo and the way "things have always been done."

In a lot of ways, the Flyers' newest coach is Babcock Lite.

"I hope in this case we have another Mike Babcock," Flyers chairman Ed Snider said.

That the Flyers ended up with a coach whose style is similar to Babcock should not be all that surprising. After all, many thought Babcock was the Flyers' top choice to become the 19th head coach in team history. It probably is no coincidence that Hakstol was officially hired yesterday, a day after Babcock returned stateside after a week in Prague, watching the World Championships.

Flyers general manager Ron Hextall declined to discuss specifics of the 31-day process to fill the vacancy that will help shape his legacy, saying only that Hakstol was the "target all along." Hakstol's former assistant, Brad Berry, said yesterday the Flyers made two unsuccessful attempts to land Hakstol before they reached agreement on the third try.

more