Blazers head coach Shaun Clouston (left) and new Blazers associate coach Don Hay have battled against each other many times over the years in the WHL (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

BLAZERS COACHING DUO

Hay, Clouston remember coaching battles, look forward to getting back to Memorial Cup Final together

Aug 5, 2022 | 11:03 AM

KAMLOOPS — The year was 2007. The Vancouver Giants and Medicine Hat Tigers were battling for the WHL championship. On one side, Don Hay, head coach of the Giants. On the other side, Shaun Clouston, assistant coach with the Tigers.

It was one of the best WHL Finals ever — and while both teams were guaranteed spots in the Memorial Cup with Vancouver hosting — the Tigers were crowned champions in overtime of Game 7.

“That was Brennan Bosch’s double overtime winner, so we ended winning the league championship,” remembers Clouston. “We ended up beating Vancouver in the round robin [of the Memorial Cup] but lost to them in the finals, so some good memories, some hard memories [coaching against Hay].”

The two are now coaching together after Tuesday’s announcement that Hay will be the Blazers associate coach on a multi-year deal.

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Hay and Clouston, though, have been coaching against one another since 2004-05 when Hay returned to the WHL as Giants head coach and Clouston was an assistant in Medicine Hat.

Hay is the league’s all-time coaching wins leader with 750, while Clouston has the most WHL wins out of any active coach. Both have a lot of respect for one another, not only for the on-ice battles but just for their hockey philosophy.

“Don’s teams always play extremely hard. They’re relentless. They’re structured. All things you have to have to be successful in the end,” said Clouston.

Hay added, “You don’t become a real good coach unless you’re a competitive guy. He’s done a lot of good things here with the Blazers. He did a lot of good things with the Tigers before he came to Kamloops. He’s a top-notch coach.”

While there were other candidates to become Blazers associate coach, the hiring process was easy in a sense because Clouston and Hay have common ground in the way the game should be played and a team’s identity.

“We talk about with our team playing hard, playing smart, playing fast, playing disciplined. Those are key words for us and those are all trademarks for both of us,” said Clouston. “I think you have to have skill and speed in today’s game, but in the end you have to really compete. You have to have that hard element.”

Hay and Clouston faced off in a Memorial Cup Final 15 years ago and come next spring, the duo are hoping to get back and winning it all together.