St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced that the team has relieved head coach Craig Berube of his coaching duties effective immediately.
Springfield Thunderbirds head coach Drew Bannister has been named the interim head coach.
The Blues currently sit sixth in the Central Division with a 13-14-1 record to go with 27 points. Berube was named coach of the Blues in 2018-19 and went on to lead the club to its first ever Stanley Cup championship. Over the span of six years, Berube compiled a record of 206-131-44.
Bannister led the Thunderbirds to a 93-58-19 regular-season record over the past three seasons. He guided the club to two consecutive playoff appearances and in 2021-22 helped the Thunderbirds reach the Calder Cup Final.
Bannister began his coaching career in the Ontario Hockey League. He spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Owen Sound Attack and three years as head coach with the Soo Greyhounds. In 2017-18, Bannister was named the CHL Coach of the Year and OHL Coach of the Year. That same year, he also served as an assitant coach for Team Canada’s Ivan Hlinka gold medal squad.
The Belleville, Ontario native also served as head coach of the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage and as an associate coach with the Utica Comets. His playing career spanned over 20 years, which included playing 164 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers. He also had stops in Finland, Russia, Germany and England throughout his professional playing career.
The 49-year-old’s first game behind the bench will occur on Thursday when the Blues host the Ottawa Senators.
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