It was bound to happen, with fan dissatisfaction and the press' push for something (anything) that could turn things around. Coach Cory Clouston's job is now on the line. As if changing the coach will make an ounce of difference.

The fact remains that, although the Senators look good on paper, they have not welded into a team. Is that the coach's fault? Yes and no. It is the coach's job to weld 20 odd individuals into a team that is more than the sum of all its parts. But it is also each player's responisbility to buy in to the coach's vision and system. As the old adage goes: "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink".

It's funny to think that when Clouston arrived in Ottawa, less than 2 years ago, and turned the team around, some people were talking about a nomination for the Jack Adams trophy. How the mighty have fallen. Rumour has it that GM Bryan Murray may step behind the bench and try to save something as the last successful coach of the Senators.

Truth be told, the last truly successful coach of the Senators was Jacques Martin. He, more than anyone else, was responsible for making the Sens the powerhouse that they were in the late 90s and early 00s. Problem is, some folks got impatient about bringing a Stanley Cup to Ottawa, and decided that a coaching change was for the best. This remains to this day one of the biggestet mistakes made by the Sens organization.

Clouston now has to secure something good in the next two games in order to keep his job. The Senators face the Blackhawks and the Lightning on Friday and Saturday, two teams that are performning well. Whatever happens, firing the coach now liely means throwing in the towel on this particular Senators formation, and ushering in an era of reconstruction.