On Nov. 19, 2018, the St. Louis Blues made a franchise-alternating announcement, firing their head coach Mike Yeo and replacing him with assistant coach Craig Berube. At that point, things began to turn around for the Blues, as they went on one of the most historic runs in NHL history.
When Berube was promoted, the Blues were in last place in the league standings and stayed there until January, but things started to click. He got comfortable with the players and they started to buy into his system right in front of the city’s eyes. Then the wins started coming, and five months later, the Blues hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.
Although loved by fans, Berube was recently relieved of his duties after six seasons behind the bench. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Ranked in the bottom half of the league, general manager Doug Armstrong felt that a change had to be made. The team announced Berube’s firing on Dec. 14, 2023, and named Drew Bannister the interim head coach. Although he’s only five games into his tenure, the team is already heading in a positive direction.
Drew Bannister’s Coaching Background
Bannister’s coaching career isn’t extensive. His first stint as a coach came back in 2010 when he signed with the British Elite Hockey League (BEHL) as a player/assistant coach for the Hull Stingrays. His tenure with the organization, although short-lived, was considered impressive to one particular front office. Shortly after the 2010-11 season ended, the Clan announced that Bannister would be taking over as a player/head coach for their organization.
In his first season as a head coach, he finished with a 31-19-2 record, which caught the eye of the Owen Sound Attack in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). After getting the proposition to stay a player/coach, or hang up the skates and pursue a career in coaching, he decided to head to Owen Sound and become an assistant coach.
In his three seasons with the Attack, he had a record of 110-71-23 and earned himself a head coach position. On July 10, 2015, he signed on to be the head coach of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Although Bannister may not have “dominated” as an assistant coach, he did dominate as a head coach. In three seasons with the Greyhounds, he had a 136-50-18 record and made the playoffs in all three seasons including a trip to the Final in his final season. It was what he had accomplished with the Greyhounds that must’ve caught the eye of the Blues’ organization.
After three seasons in the OHL, he was named the head coach of the Blues’ American Hockey League (AHL) team, the San Antonio Rampage. He was the head coach of the Rampage, who were later relocated to Springfield and renamed the Springfield Thunderbirds, for five seasons. In those five seasons as the head coach, he made the playoffs in two seasons including a Calder Cup Final appearance last season.
After five seasons being the head coach for the Rampage/Thunderbirds, he then got his opportunity to become the interim head coach of the Blues.
What To Expect from Bannister
In Armstrong’s press conference announcing Bannister’s promotion to interim head coach, he made a few key points. First, he didn’t think there would be a change in the team’s performance if he kept things the same. Second, what is he looking for from Bannister? His answer was straightforward, “Accountability and compete.”
Bannister has coached in five games for the Blues, and to this point, there has been a lot to note. First, the Blues’ forecheck has been strong. To this point in the season, it has been weak, and because the forecheck was weak, the intensity has been much lower than in the past. However, with the addition of Bannister and the spark that was lit when Armstrong fired Berube, they have been finding their way back.
Secondly, they appear to be getting more production from their key players, and the line combinations have been playing well together. Since the game against the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 14, 2023, the Blues’ key players (Pavel Buchnevich, Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas), have all been playing on a line together. Since that point, those players combined have 10 goals and 15 assists with a plus/minus of plus-15.
The Blues have been inconsistent this season. Fans never knew what team they were going to get. Part of that had to do with the lines and not having a consistent showing every night. With Bannister getting the three top players on a line together, there appears to finally be some hope that Kyrou, Thomas, and Buchnevich can help turn this team around. Additionally, they have found ways to win against the best teams but lose to teams lower in the standings – and the difference between a good team and a great team is the ability to get two points from the teams they should beat.
It’s unlikely the Blues will repeat their historic run from 2019, but they are off to a good start. If they want to repeat history, they have to zero in on the key ingredients of a successful team: making sure the intensity is high, they buy into their coach’s system, and they must win winnable games. Assuming they follow the structure and believe in one another, this could be the start of something special for the Blues.
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