- Craig Berube spoke for the first time since the Maple Leafs fired him in May
- He told TSN’s OverDrive he “loved” his time in Toronto despite the last-place finish
- Read below for what Berube said about players wanting out of Canadian markets
Craig Berube finally broke his silence on getting fired in Toronto.
The former Maple Leafs coach joined TSN’s OverDrive on Tuesday for his first public comments since the team let him go on May 13. He didn’t come off bitter about any of it.
Berube was asked how he looks back on his run behind the Toronto bench:
“I really enjoyed my time in Toronto. I know things didn’t go well last year, but that’s the way it goes sometimes, and you get let go,” Berube said.
His first season went about as well as anyone in Toronto could have hoped. Berube coached the Leafs to an Atlantic Division title and a second-round playoff run.
Year two went the other way. Toronto finished 32-36-14, missed the playoffs entirely, and new general manager John Chayka decided to make a change.
He also got into the reality of coaching in a Canadian market, where stars keep asking their way out. Berube didn’t sugarcoat it:
“But to me, there’s nothing better than being in that environment every day, hockey, hockey, hockey,” Berube said. “And yeah, it’s unfortunate that some of these players want to leave these markets and move on to play elsewhere, but that’s the business.”
Berube went 84-62-18 over his two seasons in Toronto after taking over for Sheldon Keefe. The Leafs have since leaned hard into youth, with Chayka’s group reportedly wanting Gavin McKenna on Auston Matthews’ line right away.
Now 60 and a Cup winner from his 2019 run in St. Louis, Berube won’t have trouble landing another bench if he wants one. He made it clear the daily grind is still what he loves most.
