Maple Leafs Coach Craig Berube Sends Blunt Warning to His Players: 'That's Me Pushing a Button'
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
In an exclusive interview with TSN, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube held nothing back in explaining why he coaches the way he does, with a warning to his team.
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube often gets the reputation as a hard-nosed, no-nonsense type of coach, probably given the fact he spent most of his career as a white-knuckled enforcer who let his fists do a lot of the talking.
But underneath that seemingly rock-hard demeanor is a very knowledgeable, caring and sometimes downright hilarious personality.
Craig Berube Opens Up About How He Coaches Maple Leafs
While he expects the most of his players, he also understands they're human beings and nobody is perfect no matter how hard they try.
It's something he touched on during his exclusive interview with NHL Insider Darren Dreger on TSN, and mentioned that he doesn't like to prod his players to motivate them, but isn't afraid to give them some noise if it's warranted:
You know, I'm not a button-pusher, per se. I'm just pretty open and honest with a player. Like, if you're not bringing it, that's me pushing a button.
I think you've got to have compassion in this game as a coach. That's important because players go through a lot, and they go through tough times.
It's hard. They feel pressure, they feel different things.
So you've got to have compassion. My job is to help them. And if helping them means kicking them in the ass, that's how I'll help them.
If it's putting an arm around them and saying, 'Hey buddy, everything's okay. Just keep working and keep playing,' then that's what I'll do.
I think you've got to have compassion in this game as a coach. That's important because players go through a lot, and they go through tough times.
It's hard. They feel pressure, they feel different things.
So you've got to have compassion. My job is to help them. And if helping them means kicking them in the ass, that's how I'll help them.
If it's putting an arm around them and saying, 'Hey buddy, everything's okay. Just keep working and keep playing,' then that's what I'll do.
It's quite the insight into the coach's style, and you can tell that he genuinely cares about the well-being of his players and gives them every opportunity to succeed even if they might not get one elsewhere.
Players Buy Into The Craig Berube Philosophy
For instance, his relationship with William Nylander isn't your typical one, as the head coach has made it known that he and the Swede tend to keep talks to a minimum and to just let him play his game.
But then you look at his relationship with players like Dakota Joshua and Easton Cowan. The former got his career started thanks to Berube, and the latter has gotten a ton of praise and nurturing from 'Chief' as well.
We saw it last year with guys like Steven Lorentz, Nick Robertson, and even Oliver Ekman-Larsson all find a new edge under Berube and the uber-physical game he likes to bring gave a new dynamic to players who needed it.
There's no 'I' in team for Berube, and he's made it crystal clear this is a team effort and not something that one player or four players can do.
It's about unity, teamwork and grinding together, and if they can buy into it even more this season, it could lead to some unparalleled success.
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