Craig Berube's latest interview shows the frustration finally leaking through
Photo credit: Toronto Maple Leafs - YouTube
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube's latest comments show his patience is wearing thin and that the stress of the team's struggles are getting to him.
There's a lot to say positively about head coach Craig Berube. He's a Stanley Cup winner and a stubbornly perseverant bench boss who prefers hard, structured hockey over the flashiness of today's modern game.
He had a ton of success last season however this season has seen anything but, and with a team that is consistently putting in poor effort after poor effort, there isn't much he can do with what he's got.
Why Berube's frustrated tone is the clearest signal yet about the state of this team
Sure, injuries play a factor, but Berube still needs the healthy players he does have to get on a roll. His latest comments make it clear he's getting fed up with the situation.
Speaking to reporters after Monday's workout, Berube was blunt about his motivational approach and how he's trying to spark his team:
My tone goes up and down, you know.
It's like everybody's frustrated and all this.
But, you know, my job as a coach is to put them in the right direction, lead them. And that's what I do.
And sometimes my tone is not fun, but that's part of it all.
And you've got to keep teaching, keep working, just keep, you know, finding [how do I put it], little adjustments we can make to help our team.
It's like everybody's frustrated and all this.
But, you know, my job as a coach is to put them in the right direction, lead them. And that's what I do.
And sometimes my tone is not fun, but that's part of it all.
And you've got to keep teaching, keep working, just keep, you know, finding [how do I put it], little adjustments we can make to help our team.
We all know that Berube has used more than his fair share of colorful language on and off the bench, and his tone over the last few weeks has been anything but cordial.
It's also a worrying sign that he might be slowly losing the room, as his message often seems to go in one ear and out the other.
The Maple Leafs briefly looked like they were turning a corner, only to completely reverse course against Montreal -- a troubling sign.
Berube can't be happy about that, and his duty to guide them can only be as successful as the players choose to let it be.
Right now, team morale feels as low as it's been all season. With multiple closed‑door meetings and constant injury issues, it's a bleak stretch for the Maple Leafs locker room.
However with their injured players slowly getting back to health and finding their way back into the lineup in due time, the atmosphere will start to improve the more players start coming back.
Which would be great for Berube and the rest of the team and maybe allow his tone to shift from frustration back to confidence for the first time in a long time.
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