The Toronto Maple Leafs have finalized their search for a new head coach hiring former St. Louis Blues bench boss Craig Berube. The 58-year-old has a successful track record and brings a no-nonsense attitude to the team.
After days of speculation, it was finally revealed by NHL insider Frank Seravalli that Craig Berube would be landing the job in Toronto with an official announcement to be made soon.
In his nine-year NHL head coaching career, Berube has spent time between the Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues. He’s posted a win-loss record of 281-190-72 and helped coach the Blues from dead last in the NHL in January 2019 to the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals. Berube became the sixth coach in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup after taking over mid-season.
Berube is known for a demanding style and emphasis on defensive structure which is an ideal fit for a Leafs team that has struggled to find playoff success with such an elite offensive core. Berube boasts a strong ability to instill a hard-nosed, disciplined approach which could be the missing ingredient to finally push Toronto over the hump.
Craig Berube joins a storied franchise as their 41st head coach in their long and rich history. The team has not won a Stanley Cup since 1967, Berube made it known that the Leafs coaching job was his dream job and now it seems like a new beacon of hope will be instilled in the Toronto Maple Leafs fanbase.