The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Craig Berube to be their next Head Coach.
Craig Berube will replace the recently fired Sheldon Keefe and become the 41st head coach in Toronto Maple Leafs history.
That's a lot of coaches, most of them not Cup Winners.
Berube, however, does have a Stanley Cup.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Hire Craig Berube to Be their New Head Coach
Berube won the Stanley Cup in 2019 with the St. Louis Blues, although he missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. That shouldn't be held against him - a coach is only as good as his players, they aren't magicians.
The #leafs have officially hired Craig Berube as their next head coach.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 17, 2024
Sometimes I think we get way too invested in what is essentially the guy who makes the lineups and serves up the occasional motivational speech. Berube is known to be such a strong motivator that he may as well live in a van down by the river!
There are those out there that believe the Leafs need a hardass coach to motivate the current group of players, but I don't think that's the case here. I think Berube is a legitimately good coach and tactician. Reducing him down to an old-school caricature is ridiculous.
Sheldon Keefe held his team accountable and was a great coach. But people throw that word around so much it's meaningless. There is no such thing as a pro athlete who needs more motivation or to have more accountability. You could not make it to that level if you did. Those are simply easy-answer narratives to fill the airwaves with.
In reality, a hockey team needs a new voice every few years. Berube is highly respected and I'm sure he has the ability to be well liked and to coach for offense. It's not like he's some kind of screamer who demands his players act like its 1954 and who will turn Marner and Matthews into Selke Candidates (*you see what I just did there*)
The Leafs hired a good and in-demand coach. I would have liked Bruce Boudreau, but mostly just beacuse he's fun and likable. I'm sure Berube will be a decent coach for a couple of years until he's suddenly not.
If the Leafs get him a #1 defenseman and an elite goalie to pair with Auston Matthews, he's going to look like a genius. This is a good hire, and one that is pretty much beyond criticism. The Leafs couldn't afford to go with a rookie right now, and so they hired someone who is likely the best available coach right now. Good work.