WAYNE NELSON: No reason to wait on this hire

Hiring coaches at UND, for the most part, has been an arduous task in the past. The state’s vast open records statutes have made it difficult at times for UND athletic directors to make quick hires, the ones that keep successful programs headed in the right direction.

UND athletic director Brian Faison didn’t have to clear that hurdle Monday when he named Brad  Berry as the school’s 16th men’s hockey coach.

In a whirlwind day, UND announced the resignation of Dave Hakstol -- the winningest college hockey coach in the country the past decade -- but then hired Berry roughly two hours after announcing the departure of Hak for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Since it was an internal hire and the coach Faison wanted was already working at The Ralph, UND didn’t have to prolong the search. The position didn’t need to be advertised for 30 days. No search committee was needed.

UND President Robert Kelley gave Faison the go-ahead to approach Berry as soon as Hakstol announced his resignation. From there, everything quickly fell into place.

“We got permission to make this search; we did everything we needed to do with Human Resources to back it. We felt it was necessary for stability and continuity within the program,” said Faison. “We had the right people here to lead the program. We needed to get it done.”

Hakstol’s announcement had a lightning-bolt impact. It seem to come out of the blue. Few people at UND knew that the Flyers had been on the power play the past two weeks to get Hakstol.

Talks between Hakstol and the Flyers became serious Saturday night and by Sunday the deal was done.

Was Faison surprised by Hakstol’s move?

“Yes and no,” said Faison. “Dave always has wanted to be a head coach in the NHL. So from that standpoint, no. But the timing and the set of circumstances around it, I think you’re always surprised.”

But the UND athletic director said he was kept in the loop by Hakstol from the start.

“He was communicating from pretty much the start,” said Faison. “We fought the good fight to keep Dave but at the end of the day we couldn’t win that last battle. Change is change. But Brad is going to do an incredible job for us.”

The quick timing of Berry’s hire was important for many reasons -- recruiting and retention being two near the top of the list.

But Faison and UND also knew it was the right thing to do. So why wait?

“Let’s be clear; we have the best program in college hockey; we have the best facility in college hockey and we’re in the best conference in college hockey,” said Faison. “So you want to do the best you can to maintain that elite status. And I think we’ve done that.”

Dave Hakstol:

• UND's Hakstol resigns , accepts job in Philadelphia; Brad Berry to become next head coach
• Flyers general manager says he  wasn't going for "the popular choice"  when picking new coach

Brad Berry:

• Brad Berry takes the reins
• From the Archives: Ex-UND player Brad  Berry returns as assistant coach
• A Brad  Berry biography

Reactions:

• Players react  to UND coaching change
• Boosters' expectations  for UND hockey program remain
• The public ponders  Dave Hakstol's move

Analysis:

• Brad Schlossman:  Hakstol off to Philly , Berry takes reins
• Tom Miller:  A wild Monday  for hockey fans
• Wayne Nelson:  No reason to wait on Berry hire
• Our Opinion:  Hakstol's promotion speaks well of him  - and UND