Maybe it shouldn’t have been a complete surprise that Dan Bylsma took over as coach of a floundering Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team on February 15, 2009, and less than four months later led them to a Stanley Cup championship. After all, Bylsma always has been good right away. He was medalist at the Class D state golf finals in the fall of 1984 as a freshman and, in the spring of that year, helped Western Michigan Christian to a baseball state title. He was a state baseball Dream Team selection as a senior.

Bylsma also played basketball for the Warriors, but ironically, the sport he ended up focusing on – hockey – was not offered at his high school. Bylsma played elite travel and junior hockey during high school, then went on to a standout four-year career at Bowling Green. He then played 12 years as a defensive forward in the National Hockey League, including 429 games with the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

He retired from the NHL with 19 career goals and 43 assists. In 2010-2011, Bylsma guided the injury-riddled Penguins back to the playoffs, earning NHL Coach of the Year honors as his reward.