Breaking: Blues fire head coach Craig Berube

This just in, the St. Louis Blues have fired head coach Craig Berube.

Drew Bannister, formerly coach of the Blues' AHL affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds will take over as interim head coach, announced Blues GM Doug Armstrong in a statement on the team's official website.

Check it out:

The 57 year old Berube had been on the Blues' bench since 2017 and has been the team's head coach since 2019. He, of course, led the Blues to their first and only Stanley Cup championship in franchise history in 2018-19. Berube famously delivered a championship to St. Louis after being named head coach mid-season and with the Blues at the bottom of the NHL's standings. Under Berube and with the help of a rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington, the Blues went on a historic run to not only get into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but win the entire post-season.

Since then, the Blues have had mixed success. After missing the playoffs last season, the Blues have started this current campaign under .500. It's clear that longtime GM Doug Armstrong had seen enough and felt compelled to make a move.

It remains to be seen whether Bannister is a permanent solution or not.

Read below for the official statement on the firing from the Blues' website:

St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced tonight the team has relieved Craig Berube of his coaching duties and named Springfield Thunderbirds head coach Drew Bannister as interim head coach.

Bannister will travel to St. Louis on Wednesday and serve his first game behind the bench on Thursday when the Blues host the Ottawa Senators.

Bannister, 49, has spent the past three seasons with the Blues’ AHL affiliate in Springfield, leading the team to a 93-58-19 regular-season record. The Belleville, Ontario, native has also guided the Thunderbirds to consecutive playoff appearances, including 2021-22, when they won the Eastern Conference and reached the Calder Cup Final. 

Bannister began his coaching career in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), where he spent three seasons as an assistant with Owen Sound and three as head coach with the Soo Greyhounds. He also served as head coach of the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage and as an associate coach with the Utica Comets. 

As a player, Bannister’s career spanned over 20 years and included 164 NHL regular-season games between the Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, and New York Rangers.