Blues fire Craig Berube, name Drew Bannister interim coach

The St. Louis Blues have fired coach Craig Berube following a 6-4 loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.

Berube, who signed a three-year extension on Feb. 9, 2022, had one more year remaining on his contract.

"I came in here four years ago and we've had great success here," Berube said then. "We have a chance to win again. I think that Doug [Armstrong] does everything he can to put a winning team on the ice, and as a coach, I think that's a great thing.

"I really enjoy St. Louis. I enjoy the fan base, and it's a great organization."

Drew Bannister, who was the coach of the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League, has been named the interim coach.

The Blues are mired in a four-game losing streak (13-14-1) that followed a subpar season last year in which they went 37-38-7, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18.

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 in the second of a three-game homestand.

Berube will go down in Blues coaching lore as the only coach to bring a Stanley Cup to St. Louis in his first season, when he was hired on Nov. 18, 2018 when he replaced Mike Yeo.

The Blues went from worst to first, claiming their first title when they defeated the Boston Bruins in seven games.

Berube went 206-131-44 in parts of six seasons, only trailing Joel Quenneville (307) and Ken Hitchcock (248) in franchise victories; he was 24-27 in four trips to the playoffs.

Bannister, 49, has spent the past three seasons with 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.

Armstrong, the Blues' GM, will address the media at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday at Centene Community Ice Center.