Berube

[ScratchCatFever]

i think you sell chief short. he's an insightful observer and great communicator. this has allowed hm to be good teacher of younger players. But he's demanding and it can at times wear on some of them. i think he's a heckuva coach and would be great fit near everywhere. until in time, like basically all nhl coaches these days, he isn't.

His ability to make minor tweaks to line combinations when things aren't clicking for certain guys from an individual standpoint is another strong asset he brings to the table.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

During the Cup run, I felt like Berube filled some of the role that a really strong player leader often fills on those teams. He's the one who brought the mental toughness. He set the policy for how to respond after the hand pass fiasco.

There wasn't a Mark Messier type of presence on that team. Or even a Backes. It didn't matter because Berube was a guy that all the players respected for his toughness. I think this even bled over to opponents at times. No one really wanted to mess with him.

I don't know if this is a positive or negative, and it certainly worked well for that team. It was just something that stood out to me at the time, and may be significant for Toronto. Ironically, I don't think Toronto's player leadership is all that effective either. Its part of the reason I think Berube is a good hire there.

Looking back at that Blues team, part of the reason Binnington had such a big impact was that he brought some confidence and swagger that wasn't coming from another source on that bench. Players rallied around that.

 

[Xerloris]

During the Cup run, I felt like Berube filled some of the role that a really strong player leader often fills on those teams. He's the one who brought the mental toughness. He set the policy for how to respond after the hand pass fiasco.

There wasn't a Mark Messier type of presence on that team. Or even a Backes. It didn't matter because Berube was a guy that all the players respected for his toughness. I think this even bled over to opponents at times. No one really wanted to mess with him.

I don't know if this is a positive or negative, and it certainly worked well for that team. It was just something that stood out to me at the time, and may be significant for Toronto. Ironically, I don't think Toronto's player leadership is all that effective either. Its part of the reason I think Berube is a good hire there.

Looking back at that Blues team, part of the reason Binnington had such a big impact was that he brought some confidence and swagger that wasn't coming from another source on that bench. Players rallied around that.

good post

 

[Sgt Schultz]

During the Cup run, I felt like Berube filled some of the role that a really strong player leader often fills on those teams. He's the one who brought the mental toughness. He set the policy for how to respond after the hand pass fiasco.

There wasn't a Mark Messier type of presence on that team. Or even a Backes. It didn't matter because Berube was a guy that all the players respected for his toughness. I think this even bled over to opponents at times. No one really wanted to mess with him.

I don't know if this is a positive or negative, and it certainly worked well for that team. It was just something that stood out to me at the time, and may be significant for Toronto. Ironically, I don't think Toronto's player leadership is all that effective either. Its part of the reason I think Berube is a good hire there.

Looking back at that Blues team, part of the reason Binnington had such a big impact was that he brought some confidence and swagger that wasn't coming from another source on that bench. Players rallied around that.

I'm glad you said that, especially the first paragraph. I've been thinking about Berube's role and strengths here, especially after taking over a flailing team. I pretty much settled on him being some hybrid of a senior, respected team captain and coach. There is always a place for that in the NHL.

Toronto may be that place. They act like a collection of players and not a team. The question is whether the collection of players they have on the roster at the start of the season can become a team. I don't know the answer to that. I think that if anyone can transform their mentality, it is Berube........if the front office does not undermine him if/when some of the players start whining to them.

I've seen people on the main board say that task was beyond Babcock and Berube is basically more of the same. The differences are 1) Babcock could never fill the role of "senior, respected team captain," and 2) Berube is not the north end of a southbound horse.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I'm glad you said that, especially the first paragraph. I've been thinking about Berube's role and strengths here, especially after taking over a flailing team. I pretty much settled on him being some hybrid of a senior, respected team captain and coach. There is always a place for that in the NHL.

Toronto may be that place. They act like a collection of players and not a team. The question is whether the collection of players they have on the roster at the start of the season can become a team. I don't know the answer to that. I think that if anyone can transform their mentality, it is Berube........if the front office does not undermine him if/when some of the players start whining to them.

I've seen people on the main board say that task was beyond Babcock and Berube is basically more of the same. The differences are 1) Babcock could never fill the role of "senior, respected team captain," and 2) Berube is not the north end of a southbound horse.

Babcock was manipulative. I've never once heard of an anecdote where Berube acted that way. He is demanding, but players always know their roles and what he wants from them. He's the kind of guy that if you get benched, you know exactly why and what you need to do to get back.

I remember when Blais was still bouncing back and forth with the AHL team, it got to a point where it was just because he had a 2-way contract and the roster couldn't quite fit him for a while. Berube in interviews was asked what he needed to do. "He's an NHL player. He may be in the AHL right now, but he's an NHL player."

I imagine that's the same thing he told Sammy when he was getting sent down. "Don't worry, you're part of this team. I know you're doing what we're asking you to do." Fast forward a few months and Sammy Blais got his name engraved on the Cup and was a regular player on that Cup-winning roster.

I don't know how functional that Toronto front office is right now. Its hard to get a solid read on it from here. I would think they probably need to still shake up that roster in some ways.

I have nothing against Toronto fans. There are just so many of them that the media gets unbearable when Toronto gets a whiff of success. But I hope Berube is successful.

 

[PJJJP]

It'll be interesting to see how he coaches them. They have far more offensive talent than we ever had but our defense was a lot better than theirs during our cup run.

 

[Ranksu]