The Toronto Maple Leafs have named a Stanley Cup champion their new bench boss.
The club announced Friday afternoon that Craig Berube is taking over as head coach. He replaces Sheldon Keefe, who was fired last week after the Leafs failed to advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The 58-year-old from Alberta was most recently with the St. Louis Blues. Berube won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019.
Berube was a 17-year veteran of the NHL, playing left wing for the Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders. He retired as a player in 2004.
He began his coaching career in the Flyers' system, first as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, then as an assistant coach for the NHL club. He became head coach soon after the start of the 2013-14 season.
Berube went to the St. Louis organization in 2016, first as the head coach at AHL Chicago, then as an assistant coach in St. Louis. When Mike Yeo was fired to start the 2018-19 season, Berube took over and guided the team to its first-ever Stanley Cup.
The Blues let Berube go in December.
Berube becomes the 32nd coach in Maple Leafs history, succeeding Keefe, who despite guiding Toronto to the playoffs in each of his five seasons, only advanced past the first round of the playoffs once.
