Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was confident that the re-signing of his coach, Craig Berube, was going to get done, so he wasn’t concerned about getting halfway through Berube’s final season without extending the contract of the only coach to win a Stanley Cup in St. Louis.
“We talked prior to Christmas, Craig and I,” Armstrong said Thursday. “There was really no feeling I think from either side that we were concerned that we weren’t gonna get something done. We talked at Christmas and said it's probably the right time to start the discussions and I started to talk to Craig’s representative and we just sort of talked on and off and then we thought at this Olympic break or All-Star break, I guess now, was the proper time to see if we could get it finished and we were able to do that.
“For me, it wasn't that big of a deal. I knew it was gonna get done. Craig won a championship here. We've had good seasons. And I think he felt the same way. I don't think either of us got too stressed out about these things. We understand that it's going to happen but it was great that it's done now. I don't think I was distracted by it and Craig could speak for himself but now it's just something we don't have to answer about what's going on. It's done now and we're looking forward to it.”
Berube said not having a contract wasn’t a distraction.
“No, not at all,” he said. “I got a job to do and that's what I focus on, coming to the rink and doing my job. If it's gonna get done it's gonna get done, but I got a job to do and that's what I focus on. Like Doug said, I wasn't stressed out over it. I think we were both in a good spot. We thought it was going to get done.”
Berube signed a three-year contract extension that will run through the 2024-25 season. If he got that far, he would have the second-longest run as a Blues coach, behind only Joel Quenneville. Of course, NHL coaches seldom leave of their own accord, and the Blues are no exception. The last Blues coach not to be fired was Bob Plager, who resigned on Oct. 29, 1992.
Such is the turnover in NHL coaches that Berube, who has been the Blues coach for three-plus seasons, is eighth in the NHL in tenure with his current team.
Berube, 56, took over as interim coach of the Blues after Mike Yeo was fired on Nov. 19, 2018. He became the head coach after the season and signed that three-year deal that expires at the end of the season. He has a 133-72-30 regular-season record, the fourth-most wins among Blues coaches behind Quenneville (307), Ken Hitchcock (248) and Brian Sutter (153). His winning percentage of .630 is second only to Hitchcock’s (.650).
The Blues and their style of play have been a good fit for Berube, and vice versa.
“I think you start with the players,” Armstrong said, “the respect that, first of all, Craig has for them and they have for Craig. I think that he's able to deliver a firm but strong message. They accept it. They understand the style of play that he wants to incorporate, it's a style of play I think we can win with. We build our team around trying to bring in players for that style, and I think you certainly don't want to have a vision as a manager and a coach not share that vision. And probably you don't want to be a coach that doesn't have the same vision as your manager.And I think that Craig and I view hockey the same way, we view the type of players that you need to have success and so I would say that's what I mean by that.”
“What I like about him a lot,” captain Ryan O’Reilly said, “is his pulse that he has on the game and seeing what our group needs at different times. I guess another way of saying it is just his timing, the way he delivers it. There's so many things, the way he steps back and just analyzes the game for us and seeing what our group needs. It's very impressive. For myself, it's been a really fun things to be able to see and be a part of as well.
“He's one of the best I've had (communicating), especially too as I get older, the older I get, the more relationship you have with a coach. I've been so impressed and fortunate to be able to play under him and have a good relationship with him. It's also too pretty amazing the way ... there's no ego with him. He truly wants to win. The way he listens, not only to me, but to other players and is so respectful and honest. It's an amazing thing and it's the reason why he's such a great coach.”
“That was a big reason to come here,” said defenseman Torey Krug. “It was very well documented how the guys responded and enjoyed playing for Chief. That was part of it, that was part of the decision, but you definitely do check in and make sure that what you're hearing and what you're reading is correct and guys had nothing but great things to say. I'm lucky to be here for sure.”
