Blues fire Berube, name Bannister interim head coach
The St. Louis Blues fired head coach Craig Berube after the team's 6-4 loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.
Berube had been the Blues' bench boss since November 2018. Taking over head coaching duties from Mike Yeo, Berube won the Stanley Cup with the team while still having the interim tag in his first season.
The Blues are sixth in the Central Division with a 13-14-1 record after missing the playoffs in 2022-23. St. Louis has lost four straight games and is 3-7-0 in its last 10.
Over parts of six seasons with St. Louis, Berube accumulated a 206-132-44 record. He ranks third in franchise history in games coached (382) and wins.
Berube had a season and a half remaining on a three-year contract extension signed in February 2022. After their Stanley Cup triumph in 2019, his Blues only won a single playoff series: a six-game first-round victory over the Minnesota Wild in 2022.
St. Louis named Drew Bannister as interim head coach. Bannister was head coach of the Blues' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.
The 49-year-old had been behind the bench of the Blues' AHL affiliate for six seasons over stints with the San Antonio Rampage, Utica Comets, and Thunderbirds.
Bannister coached the Thunderbirds to the Calder Cup Final in 2022. Springfield is 12-8-2 this season and ranks fourth in its division. He's yet to coach in the NHL.
Bannister's first game on an NHL bench will be Thursday in St. Louis, as the Blues host the Ottawa Senators.