Kyrou emotional after Blues fans boo: 'Toughest game I've probably played'

Jordan Kyrou was emotional after being booed by his home fans in the St. Louis Blues' 4-2 win against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

"It's definitely the toughest game I've probably played, to be honest," Kyrou told reporters postgame, per Bally Sports Midwest.

"It's just tough, right? Like, I love playing here, so it's just tough to hear the fans booing me there," he added, fighting back tears.

The crowd's reaction stemmed from Kyrou's lack of comment earlier in the day when asked about head coach Craig Berube's firing, saying, "he's not my coach anymore."

"It's not easy, obviously, but I see where they're coming from with how my comments sounded," Kyrou said. "That's definitely tough, you know, I love playing here; I love playing in front of the fans."

The 25-year-old clarified he meant no disrespect toward Berube with what he said earlier on Thursday.

"Obviously, I respect (Berube)," he said. "He's been my coach for the whole time I've been here, right? So I respect everything he's done here. He's done a great job; he won a Cup. All I really meant was, I'm just trying to focus on my future, focus on what I can do to help my team win."

Kyrou added: "Sorry if it sounded in a bad way at all. Just like I said, I'm just really trying to focus on the future here and focus on what I can do to help our team win."

Interim head coach Drew Bannister commended Kyrou for how he handled the boos during the game.

"I've known Jordan for some time," Bannister said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Matthew DeFranks. "I've coached him. He's an outstanding kid, and he cares a lot about his teammates. He cares a lot about this organization, and he cares a lot about this fan base."

He continued: "He's disappointed in himself right now for his play. He is trying to find his way through what he's doing right now. ... He's searching for answers. And Jordan's got to work his way through it. Myself, the rest of the team, they're here to support him."

Kyrou notched an assist in the victory, giving him 18 points in 29 games for the campaign. He scored a career-high 37 goals and eclipsed the 70-point mark for the second time in 2022-23.

The Blues will stay at home, hosting the Dallas Stars on Saturday.