[props] I had read where some Gopher fans were questioning why Mike Hastings would want to leave the University of Minnesota to go coach at the University of Nebraska Omaha. I this is probably the reason why. There are only 58 teams in Division one hockey and Hastings might have seen this as his best shot to be a head coach at the Division one level. When Blais left UND he strongly suggested Dave Hakstol be picked head coach, the rest is history. It is nice to see Blais back coaching in College hockey again.
OMAHA, Neb. -- The new University of Nebraska-Omaha hockey coach, on the job less than a week, has already picked his successor, thus ensuring the long-term future of the program's leadership.
Coach Dean Blais hired former Lancers coach Mike Hastings to be his associate head coach. Blais himself was just hired last month to succeed the program's first coach, Mike Kemp.
Blais said Hastings will be a good "go-between" for Blais and the players.
"He knows the guys better than I do," Blais said, acknowledging that he did not know if that was a good or bad thing. He does know that his successor will come from his staff.
"When I'm gone, he'll take over and we won't miss a beat," Blais said.
That is when the time comes, though. Blais is so new to the city that he said he still learning his way around.
"Only been lost a couple of times," Blais said.
His potential successor is not thinking about anything but the present.
"It's a thought that's down the road, but … we need to work on making sure we're as good as we can be when we play that first exhibition game in the season," Hastings said.
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