NEWS FILE PHOTO
Former Medicine Hat Tigers head coach Shaun Clouston talks to his team during a Western Hockey League game at the Canalta Centre on Dec. 8, 2018.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Shaun Clouston was able to give the Kamloops Blazers a quick tour of the city he called home for 16 years.
The Blazers’ bus rolled through Medicine Hat Thursday on its way to Lethbridge ahead of their matchup with the Hurricanes on Friday.
“We had to kind of go right past (Medicine Hat) and that was pretty cool,” the Blazers head coach and GM said. “Just sitting at the front of the bus talking with staff and I’d point to the left, ‘that’s where I lived, that’s the college.’
“Just a lot of memories, my kids did most of their growing up in Medicine Hat, so just a lot of fond memories.”
When that Blazers’ bus packs up in Lethbridge and rolls its way back to the Hat on Saturday it will mark the first time Clouston has coached in Co-op Place as a member of the Blazers.
The 55-year-old spent 16 seasons with the Tigers, two as assistant coach, four as an associate, nine as head coach and seven of those with double duties as general manager. He’s now in his fourth year as head coach of the Blazers, second as general manager.
Clouston has enjoyed getting to re-experience the Central division and coaching in Alberta but says with it being four years in the making it’s not something he kept on his radar.
“When I came to Medicine Hat, I instantly just became a Tiger, was proud to be a Tiger and my golf bag was orange and black, that’s where I was and that’s what it was all about,” Clouston said. “Similarly when I arrived in Kamloops, it wasn’t orange or black, it was orange and blue. The main focus really just switched quick.”
While the Blazers were making that drive through the Gas City, Clouston says there were too many memories that came to his head to mention, with a lot revolving around the old Arena and his family.
“I wouldn’t say that there’s one specific memory. As far as hockey is concerned, obviously the two championships I was fortunate enough to be part of,” Clouston said. “Those were, career wise, big memories. My youngest daughter was born in Medicine Hat, that’s a big family memory.”
He says there are times he’s watching WHL games with family and they settle on a Tigers game and are reminded of people in the crowd.
“The camera pans to the crowd and it’s, ‘Oh there’s somebody there, that somebody’s friend’s dad,'” Clouston said.
Clouston was on the Tigers coaching staff under current head coach Willie Desjardins when they won the WHL championship in 2003-04 and 2006-07. The Viking product had a record of 375-241-46 behind the Tigers bench and held the franchise win record, previously held by Desjardins, who reclaimed it in 2021. He’s thankful for the opportunity to be part of one organization for as many years as he was in Medicine Hat.
“I feel grateful to the Masers for giving me the opportunity way back in 2003, and I learned a ton in my seven years coaching with Willie,” Clouston said.
“Shaun’s a good coach, he’s done a good job,” Desjardins said. “He does a really good job of the structure, his teams play hard. He has lots of people here that he knows so I’m sure he’s excited about coming back. And they’re in a big spot as a team, they’re hosting the Memorial Cup so it’s a year they’ve built for.”
Clouston was the talk of the WHL and hockey world during the trade deadline as the Blazers sent 10 draft picks, including four first rounders to the Everett Silvertips in exchange for defenceman Olen Zellweger and forward Ryan Hofer.
“When you’re hosting (the Memorial Cup) there’s definitely, in our situation, an obligation to improve the team,” Clouston said.
“The market was the market, right before we made our deal (Zack) Ostapchuk went for three first rounders, so we got Hofer and we got Zellweger and it cost us four and more. But overall with Winnipeg kind of going all in, with Seattle going all in, it was just the cost of doing business.”
Clouston says with the trade deadline passed he’s been able to spend a majority of his day coaching. He’s kept the Memorial Cup in the back of his mind and will start thinking about it the minute it’s their next game to be played.
“All I can really control is kind of what’s right in front of me, like for the players it’s one shift at a time and then you can’t really do anything about something that’s still months off in the future,” Clouston said. “We’ve got a lot of time between now and then so let’s just have a good day today and see if we can find a way to get a little bit better somehow somewhere and go and compete.”
