I've been thinking about it, and I think the metaphor for me for this past season was the fact that the most entertaining hockey I watched involved the Montreal Canadians.Oh, and I should mention that the Canadians were playing the Flyers and the Capitals at the time.
Both times I got treated to high-energy, high-skill, flowing hockey featuring two teams that wanted the win.
And the thing is I never got that feeling watching the Ottawa team.
This is why I have serious doubts about next year. This is, fundamentally, the same group of players who quit on Paddock and Hartsburg. Last night suggested that are not above quitting on their new golden boy Clouston. The effort shown was conspicuous mostly by its absence.
Clouston came in and did turn things around, and showed what a sustained effort could net you -- the team improved from being worse than the entire Western conference to being slightly better than the Toronto Maple Leafs. But can one really expect that the team could hold together that kind of effort and discipline through an entire season? Every season will have its ups and downs, and Clouston's tenure so far has been mostly up.
In the end, though, the proof will be in the results this time next year.
