PRAGUE, Czechia – John Tavares plays for Canada at the World Championship, but when he woke up Saturday, he had a message from his other team’s coach.
In fact, it was Craig Berube, who was hired as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, replacing Sheldon Keefe, who was fired on May 9.
“I don’t know him at all, I just communicated with him via text early this morning. That’s what I woke up to,” Tavares said Saturday from Prague, where he is Canada’s captain. “It’s obviously very difficult to see ‘Keefer’ go, but sometimes it’s part of the game, and for us as players, it’s up to us to do a better job. With Craig coming in, he’ll help us with that.
“I’m excited to work with him. He has a tremendous pedigree. (General manager Brad Treliving) also sent me a quick note, about the excitement of bringing him in and how he can help our group. That process has already begun and we’re looking forward to having him.” .
It was two weeks ago, on Saturday, when the Maple Leafs lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round to the Boston Bruins, another season that ended too soon.
They have advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs once in the last 20 years and have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967.
Tavares believes Berube, who led the St. Louis Blues to the Stanley Cup in 2019, can help the Maple Leafs get over the hump.
“As time goes by and Craig arrives, the pages turn and we look forward to what he brings and how he can help us get to where we want to go and that’s obviously reaching the end goal,” Tavares said. “These are our expectations and what we want to offer.”
It will be Berube’s third head coaching position in the NHL.
The 58-year-old is 281-190-72 in 543 regular-season games with the Philadelphia Flyers and Blues. He has coached 58 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including the Cup run in 2019, which occurred after he replaced Mike Yeo as coach on November 20, 2018. He was fired as coach of the Blues on December 14 of 2023.
Berube also played in 1,054 regular season games over parts of 17 seasons in the NHL with the Flyers, Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals and New York Islanders from 1986 to 2003, recording 159 points (61 goals, 98 assists) and 3,149 . Penalty minutes.
“He’s a great presence and a great person,” said Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, a member of the 2019 Cup team. “He’s a guy who cares. They should be excited. We all love him and it was hard to see him go in that moment. Things work out in their own way. We wish each other all the best, for sure.”
Tavares, Toronto’s captain since 2018, said he will eventually lean on Binnington and his Canada teammate, defenseman Colton Parayko, for a scouting report on Berube.
“I’m trying to focus on this tournament right now, but I’m sure some weird discussion could come up,” Tavares said. “They obviously had tremendous success with him, and even before they hired him there was a lot of buzz and mentioning how much they enjoyed playing for him and the good things he does.
“I’m excited to be coached by him and learn and get better and grow and how he’s going to help our team get to where we want to go.”
Keefe, in his first NHL coaching job, guided the Maple Leafs to a regular-season record of 212-97-40 in five seasons after replacing Mike Babcock on Nov. 20, 2019. That includes a record of 46-26-10 for 102 points. and a third place finish in the Atlantic Division this season.
But under him, the Maple Leafs went 16-21 in the postseason and only won one series in six tries.
Tavares wasn’t able to talk to Keefe before leaving for the World Championships, but he did reach out before leaving for the Czech Republic.
“I think it’s still very difficult,” Tavares said. “I’d been with the team for about five years. Everything we’ve been through and certainly from a personal note, how it’s helped my game grow and how it’s challenged me, I think a lot of trust and respect develops back and forth.” .
“As a player, you put that on, you feel it. It’s a wound you get.”
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