Craig Berube facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Craig Berube |
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Berube with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2011
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| Born | December 17, 1965 Calahoo, Alberta, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Philadelphia Flyers Toronto Maple Leafs Calgary Flames Washington Capitals New York Islanders |
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| Current NHL coach | Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Coached for | Philadelphia Flyers St. Louis Blues |
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| NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 1986–2004 | ||
| Coaching career | 2004–present | ||
Craig Berube (born December 17, 1965) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach. He is currently the head coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League (NHL). People often call him "Chief."
Berube played for 17 seasons in the NHL. He played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders. He was known for his tough style of play. After he stopped playing, Berube became a coach. He coached the Flyers for two seasons and the St. Louis Blues for parts of six seasons. He famously led the Blues to win the Stanley Cup in 2019 as their interim head coach.
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Playing Career: A Tough Player
Craig Berube played in 1,054 NHL regular season games from 1986 to 2003. He was known as an "enforcer" in the NHL. An enforcer is a player who protects their teammates and tries to make the game tougher for the other team, often by getting into fights. Berube spent a lot of time in the penalty box, with 3,149 penalty minutes in his career. This is one of the highest totals ever!
Starting with the Flyers
Berube joined the Philadelphia Flyers on March 19, 1986, even though no team had drafted him. He played his first NHL game on March 22, 1987. In that game, he got 16 penalty minutes, including two fights! He stayed with the Flyers for the rest of that season and played in five playoff games. The Flyers made it to the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals that year. By the 1988–89 season, Berube was a regular player for the Flyers.
Moving Between Teams
After the 1990–91 season, Berube was traded several times. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and then the Calgary Flames. He joined the Washington Capitals in 1993 and stayed with them for six seasons. During his time with the Capitals, he played in every playoff game when they reached the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals.
In November 1997, during a game, Berube made a comment to an opposing player. He later apologized for his words, saying they were not meant to be racist. The NHL suspended him for one game because of the incident.
Back to Philadelphia
Berube returned to the Flyers in 1999. He played in his last Stanley Cup playoff games in 2000. In one important game, he scored the winning goal against the New Jersey Devils. This put the Flyers ahead 3–1 in the series. However, the Flyers lost the next three games and the series.
Berube then played for the Capitals again, the New York Islanders, and the Flames. He finished his playing career in 2004 as a player and assistant coach for the Philadelphia Phantoms. This team was a minor league affiliate of the Flyers.
Coaching Career: From Assistant to Stanley Cup Champion
Coaching the Philadelphia Flyers
Berube started his coaching career with the Philadelphia Phantoms in 2006. Soon after, he was promoted to the Flyers' NHL coaching staff. In 2007, he went back to coach the Phantoms. On October 7, 2013, Berube became the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. The team had a tough start that season, but they improved a lot under his leadership. They even made it to the 2014 NHL playoffs! However, on April 17, 2015, the Flyers decided to make a change, and Berube left his coaching role.
Leading the St. Louis Blues to Glory
On June 29, 2016, Berube became the head coach of the Chicago Wolves. This team is the minor league affiliate for the St. Louis Blues. A year later, on June 15, 2017, he became an assistant coach for the Blues.
On November 19, 2018, the Blues fired their head coach, and Berube was named the interim coach for the rest of the season. At the start of 2019, the Blues were in last place in the league. But under Berube's coaching, they made an amazing comeback! They went on a franchise-record 11-game winning streak. They finished the season strong and made it to the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals. This was the first time the Blues had reached the finals since 1970!
The Blues won the series 4–3 against the Boston Bruins, winning Game 7 with a 4–1 score. This was the first Stanley Cup title in the history of the St. Louis Blues! Berube became only the second interim head coach in NHL history to lead his team to a Stanley Cup championship.
Because of his amazing work, the Blues officially named him their head coach on June 24, 2019, and gave him a three-year contract. He also signed another contract extension in 2022. However, on December 12, 2023, after a tough losing streak, the Blues decided to fire Berube.
New Role with the Toronto Maple Leafs
After the 2023–24 NHL season, Craig Berube was hired as the new head coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 17, 2024.
Personal Life
Craig Berube has First Nations heritage. During his time coaching the Flyers, he and Buffalo Sabres head coach Ted Nolan were the only head coaches in the NHL with First Nations ancestry. On November 21, 2013, Berube (who is part Cree) and Nolan (who is Ojibwe) made history. They were the first head coaches of First Nations descent to coach against each other in an NHL game.
See also
- List of NHL players with 1,000 games played
- List of NHL players with 2,000 career penalty minutes
