You can add Jay Rosehill’s name to the growing list of former players who are in favour of the Craig Berube hire in Toronto.
The Leafs Morning Take co-host, who played for Berube in Philadelphia, took to the TheLeafsNation YouTube page (@theleafsnation401) on Saturday to share his thoughts on the move.
“Overall opinion: Strong. It was a move that needed to be done,” said Rosehill.
In classic Leafs form, the organization made the announcement on social media early Friday evening —on the eve of Victoria Day weekend. News dump or not, this is a big-time move. Most importantly, it signifies a change of philosophy from the previous administration. The press conference to officially unveil Berube will happened on Tuesday at 11 AM ET.
“He’s not a guy that’s going to need to demand respect —which drives me nuts. Respect isn’t something that should be demanded, it’s given when it’s deserved. And Craig Berube deserves respect, and he gets it automatically.”
Putting it mildly, Berube’s coaching style is a bit different from his predecessor Sheldon Keefe. Suffice it is to say, there will be no more accountability issues with this squad.
“He’s fair, he’s honest, he’s down to earth, but he has expectations,” added Rosehill. “And that’s the biggest thing with this change in my mind is that the expectations are going to change.”
Back in mid-December, St. Louis fired the 58-year-old after an inconsistent start to the year. He was in his sixth season behind the Blues bench. Of course, the pinnacle of Berube’s tenure with St. Louis came in 2019 when they went on a magical run after he was hired and ended up winning the Stanley Cup.
While more clarity could come over the next few days, it’s believed that the Leafs have been doing tons of leg work with Berube behind the scenes to mould out his coaching staff.
Now that they’ve figured who’s going to lead them, the focus will now shift to the players on the ice. The winds of change have been gusting in Toronto for a while, and the Berube hire figures to be just the beginning of it all. Any way you slice it, it should be a very fascinating summer for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Buckle up.
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