If he is not fired, I will leave the St. Louis Blues head coach…
Drew Bannister took over as the St. Louis Blues’ interim coach following Craig Berube’s dismissal on Tuesday.
There is no set timeline for when a permanent coach will be hired, according to Blues general manager Doug Armstrong.
It’s reasonable enough. Regarding his temporary position, Bannister stated on Thursday, “Doug has a duty to do. “My goal is to steer this team in the correct direction at this moment. What follows is what transpires. That is beyond my control. My goal is to come in here and get this team to win hockey; that’s my ultimate goal. It’s part of the game if things go well and I have to return to Springfield, where I play in the American Hockey League.
It’s out of my power, and Doug has work to do, but personally, if I come in here and do my job and the team begins winning hockey games, then we’ll see.
On Thursday night (8 p.m. ET; BSMW, TSN5, RDS), Bannister made his NHL coaching debut against the Ottawa Senators at Enterprise Center. After three seasons as the Springfield coach, he takes over in St. Louis.
“We went through this about five or six years ago,” Armstrong stated on the Wednesday. Good play will make a lot of decisions for you. At the player level and throughout an organization, poor performance will determine a lot of things.
Of course, I want to thank Craig. He and I began together in 2016 and helped correct a ship and enter it in a competition. Over the years, our friendship grew, so it was tough to have that conversation with him last night. He is an absolute pro. We had a little conversation, enjoyed a beer, and briefly reminisced. Now that I’m moving forward, it’s my responsibility to let Craig recoup and get back on his feet. His coaching abilities are too great for this level.
“I hope the folks I just spoke with also feel personally accountable for the state we’re in. I personally take responsibility for it. It’s their choice if they don’t. Even though today isn’t going well, it’s a new day, so we must go on.”
season and was the Blues’ coach on Tuesday when they suffered their fourth straight defeat, 6-4, at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings. St. Louis (13-14-1) ranks 26th in terms of goals scored per game (2.82) and sixth in the Central Division.
Goalie Jordan Binnington of the Blues stated, “It’s difficult,” following practice on Wednesday. “He has been my coach for the entirety of my NHL career and a small portion of it in the minor leagues. Over the years, I’ve had to get to know him and have had some success. It is never easy to watch someone depart, whether they are a coach or a teammate.
The lesson, in my opinion, was to leave if you weren’t willing to put in the effort necessary to succeed or sacrifice for your team.
this. It is our duty to be honored to play for this city, be a member of this organization, and wear the Blue Note shirt. If not, please leave immediately; there’s no need to waste time. Being able to play in the NHL these years is something remarkable. It’s an honor. It won’t last forever, and I believe that most of us are aware of it. Our goal is to maximize our time.
On November 20, 2018, Berube, at fifty-seven, took over as coach in lieu of Mike Yeo. In 2019, he led the Blues to their lone Stanley Cup victory. In the regular season, he finished 206-131-44, and with St. Louis in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he finished 24-27. In eight seasons, Berube is 281-190-72 with the Philadelphia Flyers and Blues, as well as 27-31 in the postseason.
This season, there have been three coach firings: on November 27, the Minnesota Wild hired John Hynes in place of Dean Evason, and on November 12, the Edmonton Oilers replaced Jay Woodcroft with Kris Knoblauch.
Armstrong remarked, “I don’t know if tomorrow’s going to be different.” “I simply know that the head coach has been taken out of the equation so that we can concentrate on other things, and once you make that adjustment, we’re now at the hour glass’s center. That’s the players and me together.
“We want to emphasize that there is a level of competition and accountability while we navigate whatever it is that we are experiencing. Firstly, Drew His instructions for tomorrow night are to be accountable and to compete.
Bannister, 49, had a Springfield score of 93-58-19. He led it to three straight Calder Cup Playoff appearances, which included a trip to the Calder Cup Final in 2022. In addition, he participated in 164 NHL regular-season games for the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Oilers, and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim between 1995 and 2001. In the 1992 NHL Draft, the Lightning selected him as a defenceman with the 26th pick overall in the second round.
Brayden Schenn, the captain of the Blues, stated, “Players in this locker room are going forward knowing that the accountability is going to be there.” It is just not possible to dismiss a coach and expect the players to simply move on and behave as if nothing had happened. I need to improve; we to improve in this changing area.
“After 28 games, we’re underperforming and underachieving. It’s been a wild ride, and even when we do win, I don’t think we’re usually winning in the appropriate way. It’s time, in my opinion, to pull the rope in the correct way, dig in, and accept responsibility as a team. “Chief” is a guy who bears the most of the blame, but these players in this locker room need to improve.”
