The Toronto Maple Leafs have played three games since the NHL resumed after the Olympic break—and they have lost all three. After their latest defeat, head coach Craig Berube openly criticized his own players.
The Maple Leafs sit eight points out of a playoff spot and are in desperate need of wins, but they still haven’t secured a victory since the NHL restarted following the Olympic break.
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Craig Berube calls out his own players
On Saturday, they fell 5-2 to the Ottawa Senators. Goaltender Joseph Woll allowed five goals on 28 shots before being replaced by Anthony Stolarz.
After the game, Berube did not mince words regarding his team’s effort.
Pointing to both heart and focus, Berube was brutally honest.
“I can’t give guys this or this. They have to come with that. It’s gotta be on them. They’ve got to bring the heart and competitiveness that’s needed. It’s all the little things—they have to bring that. We can bring the X’s and O’s and I can go in there and yell and scream at them all I want. That doesn’t do anything either,” Berube said during the postgame press conference.
Fans all saying the same thing
Fans are now suggesting that Berube has lost the locker room and could be replaced soon.
“Sounds like he is at the end of his rope!” one fan wrote on X.
“How about coming up with a better game plan and not just defense-first? Two shots in the first period—why? Ten shots total after two periods—why?” another fan asked.
“A coach publicly saying he can’t give his players heart is basically writing his own resignation letter. The Leafs are cooked until they blow this whole thing up,” added a third.
Next up, the Maple Leafs will face the Philadelphia Flyers.
You can watch the press conference below.
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