IRVINE, Calif. -- Dallas Eakins is used to these kinds of journeys. The ones that test your endurance. The ones that try to break your will. The ones where people doubt you can reach your destination, especially for a second time. The ones where you constantly battle against the self-doubt that they're right.
In December 2014, Eakins was fired after 113 games as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers. He arrived the previous season as a 46-year-old whiz from the AHL Toronto Marlies, the kind of coaching prospect for whom NHL success is assumed.