The media has already begun to ponder Cory Clouston's odds in the Jack Adams race at the end of the season. The latest coach of the Senators has seen some success during this season, working with a hodge-podge of a club that at the moment, is in the playoff hunt (although the likelihood of any post-season triumphs is obviously questionable).
Take your chewable in small bites this week: 1) Will Cory Clouston get a shot at the Jack Adams if the Sens make the playoffs; 2) Regardless of whether he has a chance to win it or not, expectations for the young coach are bound to rise, and fan support is still at a very fragile stage (see ticket sales). Can he continue to handle the pressure?
More later.
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Clouston will handle the pressure just fine - I think he has proven to be a pretty emotionally durable guy. My favourite illustration of that came when a reporter asked him if he felt badly for the Wild's plight when their equipment bus caught fire. "No" was his one word reply. This is a guy who is pretty focused and even keeled - I can't see him melting down.
As for the Jack Adams Trophy, it seems to be a bit of a poisoned chalice when you look at its history. A lot of coaches who won it disappeared beneath the waves quickly afterward. (Bob Francis, Bill Barber, etc.) It also tends to be the, "coach of the team that does the biggest surprise turnaround" award, so from that perspective you can probably expect that Tippett from the Coyotes or Sacco from Colorado would be the leading contenders. I'm not sure the Sens qualify as a huge surprise turnaround - a mild one, perhaps, but not as unexpected as the Avs or Coyotes.
Dennis Prouse
2:41 p.m.
Agree with Denis on this one.
The thing is, the Senators had just gone through two previous coaches. They knew the party was over and now they're playing as they should be playing.
I don't see Clouston winning as Sacco, Tippett and even Gordon in NYI have done well with their charges.
As for pressure...there is none in Ottawa. Not from the Sun anyway, or the Team 1200, or the Citizen outside Panzeri and Scanlan, who at least ask questions every now and then.
BesterThanYesterday
9:29 a.m.
Clouston should not win the Jack Adams award simply because Hartsburg should have won the award for the worst coach in the league last year. Let's call it the Chet Adkins Award....I suspect Chet would have been a pretty bad hockey coach.
Free Willig
7:25 p.m.
Hartsburg was Ottawa's second choice at the time. They originally wanted Peter DeBoer, but he left the Melnyk compound without signing a contract. The Senators were only offering three years, but DeBoer already had a four year offer from the Panthers in his back pocket. This angered Eugene, so they went out and got Hartsburg. (Shocking that no one else was chasing a guy who had been fired in both Anaheim and Chicago, and had zero NHL track record of success.) Clearly DeBoer would have been the better call, but I think it ended up working out just fine with Clouston.
Dennis Prouse
1:23 p.m.