Tigers Part Ways with Sean Clouston
https://chatnewstoday.ca/article/597979/clouston-and-tigers-part-ways
Major News Conference
A Major announcement is expected for 10 AM on Friday.
Is Willie Desjardins Coming Back?
Taking Note has been told that Willie Desjardins will be returning to the Medicine Hat Tigers as GM/head coach.— Gregg Drinnan (@gdrinnan) May 30, 2019
Desjardins has previously mentioned in a radio broadcast last season that there have been offers from others but it would be difficult to coach anyone in the whl, but the Tigers.
Sean Clouston
Sean's Tenure with the Tigers has had both good and bad moments. He was initially brought in by Willie Desjardins back in the 2003-2004 season. He was an associate/assistant coach under Willie Desjardins for 6 years. He was a big part of the coaching staff on 2 WHL titles in 2004 and 2007
In 2010-2011 Sean took over the reins as the Tigers Head Coach after Willie left to try out the pro ranks and coach with the Dallas Stars. In 2012 Clouston took over the GM role.
In 9 years as the Tigers Head Coach, Clouston has amassed a regular season record of 365-234-0-45. a Career .602 winning percentage. He also holds the record for most wins as a Tigers Head Coach.
During his tenure, the Tigers only missed the playoffs once, but also never advanced passed the 3rd round. 2 first round playoff exits, 4 - 2nd round playoff exits, and 2- 3rd round playoff exits. They had a couple of very good teams but were unable to find playoff success.
Fan Reputation
Not everything has been fine and dandy under Clouston though. There have been a handful of players to publicly sit out and demand trades. This past season 2 players Henri Rybinski and Gary Haden demanded out and both saw incredible success with their new teams. Both players put up .33ppg early in the season with the Tigers and jumped up to over a ppg pace on their new teams.
Clouston's reputation among the fans has long been soured because of this. If you're a daily/weekly reader here there have been lots of comments about wanting a coaching & GM Change. It's been a constant debate and theme.
Under Clouston, the Tigers have largely kept the same style of team and the past few season attendance has been dwindling. This past season the average attendance was 3121 which is a 19-year-old low. Ref: http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=6774
Hockey is always changing and coaching is a very volatile job. For what my opinion is worth 2 seasons ago I stated I was giving Clouston until the end of the next season to put up a winning season before I would publicly call out for a change.
Many readers of this blog have been crying out for a 5+ seasons that they need a change and it looks like today it has finally happened. As a long time follower of the Tigers, I do want to say thanks to Sean Clouston for his work with the Tigers.
I also feel hugely excited about Tigers hockey again. Might be time to pick up seasons tickets again. One thing for sure, this weekend I'll be starting my work on predictions for next season!
Go Tigers Go!
Sean Clouston's Response via Twitter
Thank you @tigershockey ! pic.twitter.com/6xKWMJKWKe— Shaun Clouston (@ShaunClouston) May 30, 2019
27 comments:
Wow, there it is. The Medicine Hat Tigers announced this morning that the Hockey Club and General Manager/ Head Coach Shaun Clouston have parted ways. Will be interesting to see how the Tigers do this upcoming season.
Just saw that about Clouston, I am on my way now to renew my season tickets!
I think you and a few other from the city are about to do the exact same thing. Will be very interesting to see if the Tigers can make the playoffs without Clouston. They made the playoffs 8 out of the last 9 years under Shaun and some of those years they shouldn't have even been a playoff team.
YAHOOOOOOOO!!! Great news , thought we were going to be stuck with him for another year.Is there a chance Willie comes back and runs his academy on the side??I would think they have someone lined up because the Import Draft is in another month.Looking forward to a fresh start it was time.At least we wont have to see Sillinger and Weisblatt ask for trades out of town in a year or two.
longtimefan
Greg Drinnan who has reported on the WHL forever is reporting Willie Desjardins has agreed to become the head coach and gm of the Tigers. Press conference tomorrow at 10am.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!
Copied comments Over.
Holy mother of.....I'm out of breath...
**Fingers Crossed that Willie is back**
**Fingers Crossed the Tigers keep Ryan Smith**
That combo of Willie's offensive game, and Smiths Defensive smarts is a combo I'm drooling over.
I know that some of you are not fans of Shaun - you have made that very clear. I want to make something very clear...(and I have said it before but most of you just ignore the facts)...the players that asked to leave the team did so for other reasons...not because of Clouston. Yes, I do know that for sure. Instead of bringing that up every time you want an excuse as to why you don't like him please try actually giving accurate information.
This has been a very emotional day for all involved. Shocked is the main word that was swirling around this morning following the press release. Shaun is very respected by the current team and so many past players that he has coached over the years. Now in saying all of that change is something that is part of life. I'm sure that whoever ends up taking over will be wonderful and will bring lots of positive changes. I hope that all of you who have been holding out getting season tickets (having a temper tantrum) because you don't like the head coach will now go and support this team.
Choice of icetime/attitude/whatever I'm not going to comment on players reasons for wanting out, but I can't leave that part out as it's part of his Tigers Legacy.
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I won't be surprised to see him back in the whl someday. There are many teams/franchises that could use his experience.
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I do think it's a tough time for him and his camp and It's probably a good idea to not read into comments made on blogs or social media.
agree with 6:50 totally. Known fact Rybinski left cause of parents running the show plain & simple. Others that left that went to other teams we don't see them in the NHL now do you?
7:51 name the players!!
Anon 6:50 I can name three that left or changed their role due to Clouston. Darren Kruger couldn't coach with him anymore, Jared Sauer and player Spencer Jensen.
Jared sauer left because he was having a kid and he’s now a gym teacher. Nice try
Anon 10:37 so you're telling me his dad's not telling the truth.
Have you seen all the comments on twitter from Clouston former players ? They loved him. Fans can say all they want and yeah maybe the Tigers needed a change but he had the respect of his players. Not sure I like this timing from management after Clouston signed 3 prospects at the camp.
Unfortunately for him the fans pay the bills and are speaking loudly with dwindling attendance and shrinking seasons ticket base. Shaun isn't solely responsible for those problems as the ownership has to take the brunt of the blame but something had to be done. If nothing else this is a good pr move for an organization that sorely needs an image upgrade with their fan base.
OK 'Tiger Turf' it's time to be a responsible blogger and take down the anonymous comment made on May 30th at 7:51pm. That is a false statement that is considered slander and since this is your blog you would be liable if this was taken to a lawyer. I am pretty sure you don't want to be dealing with a lawsuit right now. The players and staff that were mentioned by 'longtime fan' are completely false claims. I know each of their stories and none of them left for that reason. Two of them didn't like Clouston but that was a personality conflict just like in any other workplace there are personality conflicts. There is no need for untrue accusations to try to destroy a good man's reputation. I'm sure they would be happy to know their names are on this blog as well....NOT! This is a personal attack on Clouston's character that is completely false and those comments need to be removed immediately. I have enjoyed reading the banter on this blog for years however I needed to speak up on this one.
Anon 7:44 am you need to pull your head out of the sand.
@Tiger Turf sure you can leave that out of his legacy. Only bad trade was Gary Haden, every other player had an attitude problem, or wanted too much. Clouston and the Tigers organization weren't able to accommodate. Henry Rybinski wanted top 6 minutes and the Tigers weren't able to give it to him, so he whined and cried and said he wanted out. When you're in one spot a long time like Clouston was you're not going to get along with everyone. So, in the end, is that on the players or the coach? So if Willie comes in as the coach this year if those rumors are true, if a player does the exact same thing you will hold Willie to the same standard as you just did Clouston? Don't you think after all these years the Masers have had a say in who the team drafts and doesn't draft, it's not just Shaun and his scouts picking. It will be interesting to see if the Tigers miss the playoffs for a few years and see. Sad to see so increased attendance just because Shaun is gone. Maybe that's what the Masers were trying to do, to get people in the building am I wrong? This City is nuts.
The dwindling attendance has nothing to do with the on-ice product. Has everything to do with the office ice game presentation. Under Shaun, this team knew they were playoff bound 8 out of the last 9 years. Sure they didn't go as far as they would have liked to go, but it's hard to get to round 3/4 or even win a championship. Some of those years the Tigers shouldn't have even been a playoff team, but they did. The poor attendance is all on management. We the fans get nothing for coming back year after year, nothing this year for 50 years or renewing our season tickets. The Tigers need to wake up and do more of a show on game days instead of we just have hockey, that's so old school. They need to wake up and get with the times. The family pack was finally a nice add, but 10 years too late. It's 2019, not 2000's. The Tigers only do 3 event's all year, home opener, pink in the rink and fan appreciation. They need flex packs or other ticket options, prize giveaways, a few themed nights throughout the year, Saint Patrick day green jersey, pink jersey for pink in the rink, 70's-80'2 night as our base is an older fan base. They would make so much on a themed jersey. Just like the Don Cherry jerseys. They need more of a show on game days instead of just the same old same old. They don't give people a reason to come. So why should we? It's very difficult to attend all 34 home games.
The truth is Shaun wasn’t Willie and that’s who the community wants because he brought ONE championship. That’s literally the difference is ONE championship. Clouston came close and besides Willies one championship , Clouston probably did better than Willie. I don’t think Clouston ever did anything to the fans so I’m not sure why so much hate. Some of the comments on this blog should be removed out of respect for his 16 years he poured his heart and soul into the organization. 100% of people on this blog could not do the job he did so maybe some of us need to shut up.
I think Willie won 2 championships ^ but I see your point. That is the difference. Willie brought championships and Clouston didn’t. Although he did do a very good job. And let’s not forget Clouston was an assistant coach for Willies championship teams. Everyone is so quick to give Smith and Frazer credit but why not Clouston credit when he was Willies assistant?
I'm not sure I believe all the "abuse" comments either but I must admit I was more than ready for a change in management. I think we have become too predictable in our drafting and game plans and needed a shake up. We need a better mix of size and skill.
Willies teams were a lot smaller than Cloustons . Clouston brought that from Willie. So don’t expect the teams to get any bigger.
Also, don't expect the teams to get bigger when the owners have some say in who they draft and who they don't.
As a Tigers fan of over 30 years, here is my take on everything.
It is hard to knock Clouston when you don't 100% know the full story. The Tigers have been pretty good at keeping a closed door. There have been many rumours over the years on why players ask out but who knows the real truth. Not all the rumours have been flattering which gave Clouston a very negative perception in the community.
My biggest knock against the guy was his personality. After having Willie who you could stop and chat with at the grocery store to having Clouston who always gave off the impression that you weren't worth his time, that makes the guy hard to like. Whether or not he realized it but he was the face of the franchise for years and he should have worked on his image in the community
Glad to hear he's gone, too little too late...
have heard first hand from players he is absolutely despised.
arrogant, and an obnoxious narc.
Good riddance. You've ruined enough careers and kids and the expense of taking care of your own interests.
So true...too bad it took so long
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