The St. Louis Blues announced on Tuesday that they have signed interim head coach Craig Berube to a three-year contract. Berube took over the Blues after Mike Yeo’s firing in late November. He was seen as the catalyst of a great turnaround in St. Louis, leading the team to their first Stanley Cup title.
Blues have signed Berube to 3-year extension.
— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) June 25, 2019
St. Louis Blues Ink Craig Berube to a Three-Year Extension
On the signing, Blues general manager, Doug Armstrong, said, “Craig made an enormous impact on our team when he took over. He restored our identity and provided our players with a clear sense of direction and purpose.”
To say Armstrong was right would be an understatement. Berube’s impact was very noticeable. After taking about a month to get settled in, the Blues finally saw the effects of Berube’s guidance. Led by rookie goalie Jordan Binnington, the Blues mounted a dominant mid-season campaign. In the months of January and February, they set a record of 19-5-2. They climbed their way up the leaderboards, from last in the league in January, to among the top by the time March rolled around. After finishing off the year with an equally impressive 11-5-3 record in March and April, the Blues had defiantly claimed a playoff spot, and third in the Central Division.
The team was still seen as underdogs for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They faced off against an impressive Winnipeg Jets team in the first round. That was the start of their post-season adversity, though. After toppling a dominant Jets offense, they were able to surpass the incredible Ben Bishop in the second round and the fundamentally-sound San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Final. It was a tough battle, capped off by an exhilarating seven-game series against the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final. The Blues were able to prevail through it all, though, and win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. It’s clear that, above all else, Armstrong credits Berube for this win. As a result, Berube will get the chance to lead the Blues for the next three years.
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