Craig Berube talks to players during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Chicago, on Nov. 26, 2023.Nam Y. Huh/The Associated Press
The Maple Leafs have hired Craig Berube as the 32nd head coach in club history.
Berube, 58, will join Toronto after six seasons at the helm of the St. Louis Blues. In 2019, he led them to their first Stanley Cup championship. The team entered the NHL in 1967-68.
He was the top coaching candidate available and will replace Sheldon Keefe, who was fired as the Maple Leafs coach on May 9. Keefe’s teams had a combined 212-97-40 record over parts of five regular seasons but were just 16-21 in the playoffs, including a 1-5 series mark.
The Maple Leafs latest loss came in seven games to the Boston Bruins.
Last week Keith Pelley, the new president and chief executive officer of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, said the status quo was no longer acceptable.
“Good is simply not good enough,” Pelley said at a news conference with club president Brendan Shanahan and general manager Brad Treliving. “We need to win. Nothing else matters. No doubt you have heard that before. But I am 1,000-per-cent committed to it.”
Later, when asked, he said, “For me, winning is winning the Stanley Cup.”
Toronto last won a Stanley Cup in 1967.
Berube compiled a regular-season record of 206-132-44 with the Blues and was a finalist for the 2019 Jack Adams award, which is given to the top coach of the year in the NHL.
Berube also served as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers for two seasons (2013-14 and 2014-15) and in 543 regular-season games as an NHL head coach has a record of 281-190-72.
In addition to his head-coaching experience, Berube also spent parts of two seasons as the associate coach in St. Louis, seven seasons as an assistant coach with Philadelphia, one season as head coach of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, and parts of four seasons with the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms.
During his playing career, the Alberta native spent 17 seasons in the NHL as a left wing with Philadelphia, Toronto, Calgary, Washington and the New York Islanders. In 1,054 regular season NHL games, Berube had 61 goals and 159 points and 3,149 penalty minutes.
He had more than 290 minutes in penalties twice while playing for the Flyers and 305 minutes in penalties one season with the Capitals.
He added three goals, an assist and 211 penalty minutes in 89 playoff appearances.
Most recently Berube had served as an analyst with Turner Sports. He was fired by the Blues on Dec. 12.
The Leafs posted photos of Berube, to social media, in a Toronto uniform with the message, “Welcome back coach.” He will be introduced as the Maple Leafs’ coach during a news conference at the Ford Performance Centre on Tuesday.
Berube also had a supporting role in one of Toronto’s franchise-altering moments.
Traded three times in quick succession following the 1990-91 season, the second brought him to the Leafs for a 40-game stint before he was included in the blockbuster 10-player deal with Calgary in which Toronto acquired Doug Gilmour.
The gritty centre and fan favourite would lead the Original Six franchise on memorable back-to-back runs to the conference final in 1993 and 1994.
He is the third coach for the Leafs, following Keefe and Mike Babcock, since the team put together the core group of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares. It’s an an ultra-talented group that has been unable to truly break through in the playoffs.
It will be Berube’s task to finish the job.
With a report from The Canadian Press
Marty Klinkenberg