HC Craig Berube gets candid about his first season so far with Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube opened up about his first season in charge of the franchise. The X account of Sportsnet 590 THE FAN posted a clip from the show “Real Kyper & Bourne” on Thursday, featuring a phone interview with Berube.

Berube said he “loved every minute of it.”

“This team was a breath of fresh air for me,” Berube said. “To come in and see how hard they work and how hard they compete every day, and just their preparation was, in my opinion, first class. I know the practices have been excellent, and they've done a really nice job, so great to work with the players. And I really enjoyed this overall - Toronto itself, the fans and the media and everything.”

Berube was hired to replace Sheldon Keefe in May 2024 after the Maple Leafs were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. He had won a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019 as their interim head coach. He has also coached the Philadelphia Flyers. Berube also played 1,054 games in the NHL over 17 seasons from 1986 to 2003.

Under his watch this season, the Maple Leafs have 74 points from 58 games with a 36-20-2 record. They are third in the Eastern Conference behind the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers.

“The first class organization, as you guys know, they take care of everybody, and they really do a nice job there,” Berube added. “The whole staff that I get to work with; the coaching staff, the training staff, everybody that I work with on a daily basis is great. Really enjoyed them and the players.”

Craig Berube and Maple Leafs edge past Boston Bruins 5-4 in overtime

Berube oversaw an exciting comeback from the Toronto Maple Leafs in their game on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins. Toronto was trailing 4-3 in the closing stages of the contest when forward Pontus Holmberg scored the tying goal with 46 seconds left on the clock. Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner scored his second goal of the game at 4:04 in overtime to seal the win.

“Big goal there 6-on-5 by Holmberg, and we didn’t quit," Marner said via NHL.com. "That’s what we like to see out of our team."

The Leafs' next game is against the New York Rangers on Friday.