All year we heard about tension between Clouston and the players. It was mentioned on this site a few times actually.
The way he handled some of the guys in the room was an issue from the get go and communication never really was his strength. As the team continued to slide,it became clear that he wasn’t on the same page as some of the veterans on the team.
Simply put, Clouston was not a pleasant guy to be around. On multiple occasions throughout the season, Murray spoke to Clouston and asked him to lighten up a bit but Clouston was set in his ways. In the end it cost him his job.
Clouston is a fine hockey coach and an extremely hard working guy. It’s just player management that he struggles with. He failed to reward guys that deserved to be rewarded and he punished guys at odd times. His decision to bench Da Costa in his second game with the organization down the stretch being a good example.
Clouston will land on his feet somewhere. He’s a smart hockey guy and in the right situation, has the tools to succeed. There is no way he should take all the blame for the season the Sens had but he certainly has to take on some of it. This was a move that had to be made.
As for the next Sens head coach, a number of names have already begun to surface. Dave Cameron and Kirk Muller seem to come up most often. Like Garrioch has mentioned though, there is a good chance the next bench boss could come from the NHL playoffs. There are a few teams that could replace their head coach if things go poorly in the playoffs.
Claude Julien would be an interesting fit here in Ottawa.
Some of you have already noticed the Yost tab missing from the top of the page…
From the moment the new site was launched, we have awaited the arrival of our new contributor. I’ve been talking about the contribution of Travis Yost for awhile now. His tab on the top was there waiting for him. But unfortunately, in the end, Mr. Yost has opted for greener pastures.
Literally…
Fact is the people over at that other site recognized a talent when they saw it. They offered him more than I thought he was worth and just like that, a good idea and a potentially strong partnerships has been halted in its tracks. Can’t say I blame him though.
In the meantime, I’ve been thinking maybe we had our new contributor here all along. It’s you, the loyal SensChirp readers. In the past we have done the Chirp of the Week feature and I think this is the perfect time to get that going on a regular basis.
So if you’ve got something to say, send your submission to me at senschirp@hotmail.com and you will have a chance to have your work featured on our new Chirp of the Week tab. Try to keep the submissions between 500-1000 words.
I’ll choose my favourites and feature them on the site periodically.
I would like to apologize for leading the readers on the last little while. I had a gentleman’s agreement with Yost, was confident it would get done but that quickly changed. Throughout this process I have learned a lot about the risk you run when you rely on the contributions of others.
For now, SensChirp will remain a one man show.
