Struggling Blues Shoots Mike Yeo, Appoints Craig Berube as Temporary Alternate

After the culmination of their disappointing season, the St. Louis Blues fired head coach Mike Yeo late Monday night, replacing him with interim coach Craig Berube.

The shot was a few hours after the Blues were cleared by the Los Angeles Kings, who have the worst NHL record this season, and goalkeeper Cal Peterson, who has just started his third stint. the NHL. It was the second time in a row that the Blues fought scoreless and the third time in four games that they were excluded.

"Everything is bothering me right now," Yeo said after defeating the Kings at his last press conference. "The work ethic was there, the execution was lacking."

St. Louis had lost four of its five games for a 7-9-3 record (17 points) this season. Their percentage of points (.472) was tied for the fourth lowest in the NHL.

Yeo was in the third year of a four-year contract that began with him as Ken Hitchcock's associate coach in 2016. He took over from Hitchcock in the middle of the 2016-17 season, leading the Blues to the playoffs. They missed the playoffs of the next season. Yeo scored 73-48-11 with the Blues, after a 173-132-44 record with Minnesota Wild from 2011 to 2016.

The Blues bar had been dramatically raised during the off-season after a series of top-notch additions to the roster: Ryan O'Reilly, acquired from the Buffalo Sabers under a multiplayer deal, as well as additions of free agents in Tyler Bozak, Pat Maroon and David Perron. In total, the Blues posted the fourth highest salary cap in the NHL, with more than $ 79.9 million.

Berube, 52, joined the Blues as an associate coach in June 2017. He was previously head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers from 2013 to 2015, after several years as an assistant , recording an overall record of 75-58-28 and taking part in the playoffs. one of the two seasons. He then coached the AHL Wolves in Chicago. As a player, Bérubé played in 17 NHL seasons including Philadelphia, Toronto, Calgary, Washington and the New York Islanders. He collected 3,149 penalty minutes in 1,054 career games.

Interestingly, the team released this news just minutes after the completion of the Monday Night Football Classic between the Los Angeles Rams, formerly of St. Louis, and the Kansas City Chiefs, who are playing in a competitive market. very pr game that dominated the sports conversation.