Clouston and a plane crash

A week ago, the Kootenay Ice didn’t have any vacancies on its coaching
staff.
At some point this week, the WHL team is expected to be looking for a head
coach and an assistant coach.
A source with knowledge of the situation told The Daily News on Sunday that
Cory Clouston, the Ice’s head coach since 2002-03, is expected to be named
head coach of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators this week.
Last week, Brad Lauer, Clouston’s assistant coach for the last five seasons,
announced he was leaving the Ice. While an announcement has yet to be made,
Lauer is believed to have agreed to become the general manager and head
coach of the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
“I don’t know about that,” Clouston said when asked if he was leaving the
Ice. “I can’t make a comment on that. Maybe within the next 24 to 48 hours .
. .”
Clouston joined the Ice prior to the 1999-2000 season as an assistant coach
under Ryan McGill. When McGill left for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack after
winning the 2002 Memorial Cup, Clouston was named the Ice’s head coach.
Clouston is the WHL’s reigning coach of the year, an award he also won after
the 2004-05 season.
He also guided Canada’s under-18 team to a gold medal at the IIHF Junior
World Cup in Czech Republic and Slovakia last summer.
A native of Viking, Alta., Clouston coached with the BCHL’s Powell River
Paper Kings and the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm before joining the Ice.
In Binghamton, he would replace Dave Cameron, who left after three seasons
to take over as GM/head coach of the OHL’s Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors.

Clouston was shocked when informed of a Saturday plane crash involving LW Glenn Olson, 23, who played part of 2003-04 with the Ice.
Olson, 23, the older brother of Seattle Thunderbirds D Benn
Olson, survived the crash on Vancouver Island on Saturday. The crash,
near Olson’s hometown of Port McNeill, claimed the life of the pilot.
Glenn Olson, who played last season for the Worcester Sharks, the AHL
affiliate of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, suffered a broken right leg. He and
another passenger — the plane was headed for Merritt and the country music
festival — were listed in critical condition last night.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Olson played 41 games with Kootenay in 2003-04,
putting up three points and 126 penalty minutes.