Maple Leafs head coach didn't take long to get the team fired up as they begin their preseason versus Ottawa.
The Maple Leafs hired Craig Berube to replace Sheldon Keefe this summer in order to get a different look behind the bench and instill more of the grit and grind attitude that Berube was known for with his time in Philadelphia and St. Louis; where he won a Stanley Cup in 2019. He's been tasked with taking the Core Four and maximizing their potential, but it may take him a bit longer to reign in his dynamic talent.
It didn't take long for Berube to be upset at the play of his team, already animated and trying to fire the team up as they play their first preseason game against Ottawa, and with them being down 1-0 to the weaker Senators; he needed to get the boys going:
It's clear Toronto hasn't played their best in the first ten minutes of the game and Berube needs to make sure they hear about it. He can't risk being complacent at a time when all focus needs to be on gathering the most complete and deep team possible. Berube has been a head coach for three teams including the Maple Leafs, getting started with the Philadelphia Flyers, his former team in 2013-2014 where he coached for two seasons before being relieved due to his team unable to win the Cup and Ron Hextall's impatience. He then was picked up by the St. Louis Blues in 2018-2019 after a brief hiatus and led the team to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. He stayed with St. Louis for six seasons before being fired last season about a quarter of the way into the 2023-24 season.
He holds a career 281-190-72 record while also leading the Blues to a 109 point season in 2021-22. As previously mentioned he's a Stanley Cup winner, and also brought over his main powerplay associate in Marc Savard to help him in Toronto.
Berube is the type of coach Toronto needed and the fact that he is already so fired up 10 minutes into a preseason game should tell you all you need to know about the Maple Leafs new gameplan: there is no room for screw ups and if you aren't hearing the coach, he's gonna make you listen.
