Craig Berube Appointed as the New Head Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have appointed Craig Berube as their new head coach, the NHL club announced on Friday. Berube becomes the 41st head coach in franchise history, replacing Sheldon Keefe, who was fired on May 8.

Berube, 58, led the St. Louis Blues to a Stanley Cup victory in 2019. However, he was let go by the Blues in December after missing the playoffs last season. Berube holds a 281-190-72 coaching record over parts of eight NHL seasons with the Blues and Philadelphia Flyers.

Promoted from an assistant’s role to head coach of the Blues on an interim basis in November 2018, Berube guided the team to its first Stanley Cup title seven months later and was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year.

As a player, Berube was known for his physical style, scoring 60 goals, 159 points, and amassing 3,149 penalty minutes over 1,054 games with the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, Calgary Flames, New York Islanders, and Toronto Maple Leafs from 1987 to 2003.

He also recorded three goals, one assist, and 211 penalty minutes in 89 playoff games. Berube was involved in a significant moment in Leafs’ history when he was traded in a deal that brought Doug Gilmour to Toronto, leading to memorable playoff runs in 1993 and 1994.

Before his latest appointment, Berube worked with TNT in the United States. His coaching career began as a player/coach with the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms in 2003-04, before becoming a full-time assistant.

He later joined the Flyers’ bench and was promoted to head coach in the 2013-14 season. After a stint in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves, he joined the Blues and eventually took over as head coach.

Berube steps into a challenging role with the Maple Leafs, who lost to the Boston Bruins in this year’s playoffs after trailing 3-1 in the first-round series. Despite a talented roster led by Auston Matthews, the team has struggled in the postseason, losing five of six series under Keefe.

With a title drought dating back to 1967, the Maple Leafs hope Berube can lead them to success in the playoffs and end their championship dry spell.