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St. Louis Blues: Fans Granted Their Wish When Yeo Replaced By Berube

By Dave Stobbe |
CALGARY, AB - MARCH 19: Head coach Craig Berube of the Philadelphia Flyers watches the game against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on March 19, 2015 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images)
CALGARY, AB - MARCH 19: Head coach Craig Berube of the Philadelphia Flyers watches the game against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on March 19, 2015 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images)

The St. Louis Blues fans were granted an early Christmas wish when Doug Armstrong fired coach Mike Yeo and replaced him with Craig Berube.

St. Louis Blues fans are now in danger of getting what they wished for.  Change is not always for the better.

One of the first things the Blues must do quickly is to removing the interim title from in front of Craig Berube name as quickly as possible. If there is to be any remote hope for this season for the Blues, making a decision is a must.  If that is by deciding that he is the long-term solution or by quickly finding his replacement, they have to make a move.

One would hope that Armstrong and company could have seen this coming and should at least have a short list of candidates in mind.  They may not have talked to anyone prior, but they shouldn’t be starting from scratch. Then there’s the 500 pound Q in the locker room.

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I don’t think Berube will be the long-term answer. Nothing personal against him, and I would like to be wrong, but he has been a career assistant coach. Plus most importantly in our case, he has been on the bench for this disaster all season. Berube’s first night seemed to prove both points.

We saw all the same people making all the same mistakes that game.  The power play gave up two shorthanded goals.  The forwards couldn’t find the back of the net.

The defense let the opposition camp out in front of Jake Allen, who yet again proved unable to make that big game-changing save.  Like on the breakaway by Filip Forsberg.

If Berube had the answers to this team’s problems, coach Yeo didn’t take his advice or listen to him.  If this was the case, the problem with coach Yeo was far worse than suspected. If not, what makes everyone thinks Berube now has the answers or, as demonstrated Wednesday night, can motivate this team?

So let’s assume that the interim title is meant to be temporary, as it implies.  How long does it last? Doug Armstrong has said that he is scouring all levels of hockey, from the collegiate to the European, the US minor leagues, and of course the obvious available NHL coaches.

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If this is indeed the plan, then Blues fans are probably going to be seeing Berube behind the bench until the end of the season.  The above-described search does not sound like a quick process of contacting a short list of predetermined potential coaches. The extensive search could also just be a ruse.

The ruse could be part of the Blues plan to put up a bit of a smoke screen while entering into talks with Joel Quenneville.  It would be a disservice to the team and the fan’s to at least not gauge his interest and what it would take to get him here if he was.

He is the most experienced coach available out there and would be a good fit with this team.  A lot of things would have to fall into place to make it happen.  I have no unique insight or knowledge on the likelihood of it happening, but like many out there I like the idea.

I think firing your coach midseason and bringing in a virtually unknown college or European league coach would be a huge mistake. You are signaling to your fan base and players that this season’s playoff run is over. This situation will make selling tickets and, more importantly, next year’s season tickets more difficult, also putting an end to the season that started with so much fan goodwill and excitement.

While this season’s playoffs chances seem to be an ever fading glimmer on the horizon, a prolonged coach search isn’t making it any brighter.  So let’s hope that Doug Armstrong has a coach(s) in mind.  If not, a bad season could get a lot worse.

I had at least hoped for what the stock analysts call a “dead cat bounce” in Wednesday night’s game, but the Blues couldn’t even give Berube that.  The Predators showed the Blues what a complete NHL game in all aspects looks like that night.

The Blues bounced back well in Berube’s second game, but we still have not seen enough to make anyone think this is a long-term turnaround.

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