Maple Leafs Name Craig Berube Head Coach

We've been hearing his name at the top of the Toronto Maple Leafs coaching candidates list for some time now. On Friday the team made it official, naming Craig Berube as their new head coach.

Introducing the 32nd head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Craig Berube 🔵⚪️
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 17, 2024

Berube had an in-person interview in Toronto last week, and it's now been confirmed that he will be named the 41st head coach in franchise history, the 32nd since they became officially known as the Maple Leafs in 1927. His new deal will run for four years.

Berube took over the St. Louis Blues in the 2018-19 season and led the team to the Stanley Cup championship, its first in its 52 years, and had been with the Blues since then until being let go midway through this past season. He put together a .597 points percentage record with the team, going 206-132-44, though missing the playoffs the past two years.

Toronto fans, don’t confuse Craig Berube’s role as a player for not having elite level hockey knowledge. He’s the guy you want behind the bench for a team ready to win now. He’s all about team, some players may see their individual numbers reduced if it means that’s what’s best…
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) May 17, 2024

He has a little bit of history with the Leafs, playing 40 games for them in the 1991-92 season, before heading out of town as part of one of the most famous trades in franchise history, a 10-player blockbuster that brought Doug Gilmour to Toronto.

Berube will be introduced as the new head coach at a news conference on Tuesday morning.