Confirmed with Link: Craig Berube named the 32nd Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs

[647Hockey]

Berube has a tough job in front of him. Same core players for 7-8 years. Same playoff results. And the team went through two types of coaches already. Old school yelling Babs and chill players coach Keefe.

 

[ACC1224]

Biggest question I have before this team actually plays hockey again:

Does Berube coming aboard (help) push Marner out the door (concern about what life will be like with a "hard" coach) or give Mitch more incentive to stick around (Berube is a coach that's won the Cup)?

It’s pretty idiotic to think a player is scared of a coach. Marner chose to play for Dale Hunter, he’ll survive Berube.

 

[Maple Leaf]

who were the other candidates?

 

[Stephen]

I heard Carlo Colaiacovo say Berube had some similarities to Pat Quinn. That would be an interesting dynamic.

 

[socko]

Craig doesn’t think Mitch is a god.

 

[Evilhomer]

So we should have kept Keefe?

No, but I'm not sure the issue with this team is necessarily tactical or motivational. I have no doubt that Berube is a good coach. So is Todd McLelland, Brind'Amour, etc. But you have to work with what the GM gives you, right?

I think the single best thing Berube can do for this team is make them dominate the regular season so that they finish first in the division and/or conference. They need a first round against the Washingtons and Islanders of the world. That will set them up for the later rounds. I think they have a great chance to win the division next season, and that is the first thing I want to see from Berube.

 

[Menzinger]

This screams Nylander... Jarnkrok might be one of his favourites and people will hate that.

Funnily enough I think Nylander actually will respond the best out of any of the core to more direct call outs/benchings. There's a reason Keefe was more willing to do that with him

 

[PromisedLand]

Biz is turning into quite an oracle huh?

 

[Stephen]

Biggest question I have before this team actually plays hockey again:

Does Berube coming aboard (help) push Marner out the door (concern about what life will be like with a "hard" coach) or give Mitch more incentive to stick around (Berube is a coach that's won the Cup)?

It can go two ways. He comes in and has his little chat with the big guns and see if they’re on the level and can commit to what kind of program he envisions. Pat Burns famously met with Doug Gilmour at a strip club to iron things out ahead of the 1992-93 season…

Or he meets with Marner, it’s a thanks but no thanks situation, maybe mutually and they break up as planned.

 

[nuck]

Apologies if already posted but: 10 things Maple Leafs fans should know about Craig Berube based on his time with the Blues

I am good with the choice. Communicator and motivator not a goon coach or a dictator. Now for some roster moves

 

[leafs in five]

who were the other candidates?

is this a good process for hiring coaches and GMs?

 

[TMLife17]

Cool. Not gonna change much if the same group of 5 players is taking up over 60% of the cap. That’s just insane to me.

30M for 15 players (at minimum) including 5 D and the most important position in hockey.

Other teams are building chemistry and were mixing random shit in flasks hoping it doesn’t explode in our faces for once.

 

[647Hockey]

JT and Marner are in luck that they only have one more year left on their contracts. So they can say adios to tough as nails Berube soon, But AM, WN and MR better get ready for playing for intensity and getting yelled at.

 

[Leafsfan74]

Nobody is hiring Quenneville because Bettman will never let him back in the NHL.

If he isn't allowing him back than there is perhaps more to the story than the public knows.

 

[Stephen]

Funnily enough I think Nylander actually will respond the best out of any of the core to more direct call outs/benchings. There's a reason Keefe was more willing to do that with him

Nylander is a guy who seems to take constructive criticism, heavy emphasis on criticism and it’s water off his back.

Marner seems like a guy who is very sensitive to criticism and likes it fun and easy in a precocious child genius kind of way.

Matthews comes across like a complete black box. No idea how he processes hard coaching other than the anecdotal annual Babs trips down to Arizona to patch things up. I think he had Don Granato in the USNTD program and he’s a softie from his Buffalo reputation.

The others, who cares. They’ll have to buy in.

 

[BM14]

Stop….I can only get so…

 

[Leaf Fans]

He is a good coach, but is he a fit for the current "core 4"? Seems like too much of a hard ass.

Marner excelled playing for Hunter and Babcock even after Babcock swered him. Matthews was fine playing for Crawford. Don't know about the other two.

 

[Maple Leaf]

You don't win because you have good analytics. But sometimes when you win your analytics are good

I thought analytics was good until Dubas

 

[57 Years No Cup]

Change was needed. Change has been completed.

Will the results change?

The brand of hockey will chance, and players that don't buy in will change. Let's hope Willie and Auston are smart enough to figure it out. Tavares will stay for a reduced price, and Marner will be gone.

All of this is good.

 

[Evilhomer]

agreed regarding personnel

you need players who are going to hear Chief lost his shit and then go out and perform instead of sulk like a moron. need players who understand that coach is losing his shit because they are not executing not because he hates them

This "hard-ass" coach stuff is another fan-driven narrative. Do people really think that their are "nice" coaches in any professional sport? The amount of pressure on these guys is not insignificant. Hell, there are plenty of clips of Keefe losing his shit, as well. If anyone thinks screaming at Matthews, Nylander, Tavares or Bertuzzi is going to achieve anything, I have the proverbial bridge to sell you. Maybe that stuff works with young players because it puts some fear into them. I promise that no coach is scaring Nylander or Matthews.

Near as I can tell, the best coaches are the ones who can create systems that players buy into and execute on a consistent basis. Hopefully Berube can do that. But if he is successful, it won't be because the players shiver in his presence. Matthews and Nylander know very well that in a dispute between player and coach, those guys win every time.

 

[Trapper]

The brand of hockey will chance, and players that don't buy in will change. Let's hope Willie and Auston are smart enough to figure it out. Tavares will stay for a reduced price, and Marner will be gone.

All of this is good.

Our culture and identity has been PC for too long. Time to add some r, i, k to it.

 

[Evilhomer]

The brand of hockey will chance, and players that don't buy in will change.

Agreed. This is exactly what is going to happen. The GM will shape the roster to accommodate the coach. That always worries me a bit. but in this case it's probably not the worst idea. The roster has to change anyway, so have at it.

This hiring confirms for me that Marner is gone, but Tavares will stay. Berube will love Tavares, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised (and in fact I expect) to see Tavares thrive under Berube.

 

[PromisedLand]

Somebody please tell me this is true. Any other sources saying this?

 

[Mess]

Berube will now move to a Toronto club with much more starpower than the Blues. It seems changes are still incoming for the Leafs – with Mitch Marner a rumored trade candidate and Tyler Bertuzzi rumored to return – but there’s no doubting that the trio of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares has Berube excited. Berube should also be a good match for Toronto’s gritty young forwards like Matthew Knies, Connor Dewar, and Fraser Minten. Berube accrued 3,149 penalty minutes in 1,054 career games during his own playing career and carried over that hard-nosed mindset into his coaching style. At the least, his appreciation for physical, endurance-based hockey should be a welcome change in perspective as Toronto gears up for another strong playoff push next season.

 

[ZEBROA]

Now lets hire the best special team assistent coach.