The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

Probably the only bright spot to come out of this mostly forgettable 2008-09 Senators season is the emergence of rookie NHL coach Cory Clouston.

No one, me included, thought Clouston was the answer. If anything, a young (for coaching standards) 39 year-old coach with no NHL experience would just be another bench boss the players would run roughshod over. The fourth coach hired in just two years gave the Sens reputations as coach killers, and Clouston had an tremendous task put in front of him to right the ship that had gone off course for some time.

It was not the ideal situation any new coach wanted. By the time he came in, the players pretty much knew this was their last kick at the can before they would be blown up if they couldn't turn things around. The rumoured "country club" atmosphere quickly disappeared (not what the players wanted) and an aggressive style of play that stressed offense rather than a defensive game plan previous coach Hartsburg implemented (what the players wanted) was the antidote the team needed.

With a 19-10-3 record since taking over, Clouston earned himself a new two year deal today with the hopes that type of performance will carry forward. I for one see no reason why it couldn't. Aside from restructuring the team's strategy with better outcomes, he managed to find a better combination of lines (particularly the Shannon-Fisher-Foligno combo) that have made Ottawa more threatening. The only hope for Sens fans is that it's not a flash-in-the-pan occurrence but something that can be counted on for next year.

The Sens likely still need to tinker their roster a little more to become a serious contender for next season, while hoping goaltender Pascal Leclaire can stay healthy (someone pointed out to me he has the same initials as Patrick Lalime as a little side note). But one thing I think can no longer be questioned, is the quality of coaching of the Ottawa Senators.