'I don't understand this deflated stuff': Craig Berube stops protecting his Maple Leafs team
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Craig Berube said he doesn't understand why his team is deflated. Well their captain got maimed, their goaltender just went to hospital and on top of it they're playing out a lost season. If Berube genuinely can't see that - the honeymoon is not just over, it never existed
If you're a team who is known for making the playoffs, then you're going to feel pretty bummed out when you miss. That's just human nature. Certainly the Maple Leafs are feeling low considering they were Atlantic Champions last season, and sit in the basement only a year later.
But with another loss in the column (a positive now), the Maple Leafs are trending towards a bottom of the NHL finish. Craig Berube's not too happy with that it seems, and questioned the team's effort against the Senators on Saturday.
Berube believes 'deflated' Maple Leafs is a 'cop-out' for their lack of fire
Though his comments seem to sound like a coach who doesn't exactly understand the nuances of the locker room lately:
I don't understand the thought process of not following up and not being ready to go in the second, knowing they're going to push. We didn't respond well enough.
I don't understand this 'deflated' stuff, to be honest with you. It is a cop-out.
I don't understand this 'deflated' stuff, to be honest with you. It is a cop-out.
Cop-out? Your captain and leader just got maimed and his teammates did nothing, then they felt the wrath of the media and fanbase for two straight weeks, then lost their goaltender to a 'freak accident' that isn't exactly accidental at this point.
Couple that with the fact they can't win a game handily, they are anemic to playing defence, can't score...what's there to actually be happy about? Of course they're deflated; the locker room is a disaster and Berube has a part to play.
He's already thrown several players under the bus; the latest being Joseph Woll after he put in a very solid performance against Carolina. Berube wanted more saves on a breakaway - well Craig, you put the X's and O's on the board so why did Carolina have two shorthanded breakaways?
Is Woll expected to now also defend the zone in addition to his crease? Like, just because Berube doesn't see a perfect effort every single time where they play to the letter of your game plan doesn't mean he can just call players out for minor issues.
If Woll was terrible, couldn't save a puck from 50 feet and looked genuinely lost all night, then sure; he was bad. But he saved your team from getting kicked in the teeth by four or five goals so what do you want?
Stolarz's hospital scare sheds new light on Berube's comments
Going back to Stolarz, he was shaken up and taken to hospital. That's not a stinger from an errant puck and he's a little sore; it's something that could have been life-altering depending on the situation.
These guys are supposed to be brothers. When your own teammate injures a player, you feel disjointed. Like, don't you think William Nylander is a little zoned out knowing he hurt Stolarz? He's going to have that on his mind regardless of the game at hand, and it's going to affect morale.
You're asking the team to push out an effort why? You're trying to lose games. If they knew Ottawa was coming out strong, and so did the team; there's a clear disconnect from what the coach expects and what the team does. That's not the sign of a coach in control, that's a lost group of players.
It's a weird vibe right now in Toronto and Craig Berube's not sure why everyone is so upset. They're hurt, they're miserable, they're being humiliated. If he can't see that, then he should see no future with the club going forward.
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
A disaster avoided: Anthony Stolarz avoids serious injury as Nylander's 'Sniper's Tax' history repeats itself
A disaster avoided: Anthony Stolarz avoids serious injury as Nylander's 'Sniper's Tax' history repeats itself
| POLL | ||
MARS 22|957 ANSWERS 'I don't understand this deflated stuff': Craig Berube stops protecting his Maple Leafs team Do you think Craig Berube needs to be fired? | ||
| Yes | 766 | 80 % |
| No | 191 | 20 % |
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