Blues try to come together following coach's harsh words amid skid
GM addresses team day after Berube questions effort of key players
© Scott Rovak/Getty Images
By
Lou Korac
NHL.com Independent Correspondent
The Blues coach was critical of his team's play, including saying that a number of their best players, "don't play with any passion, no emotion and no inspiration at all."
St. Louis lost Thursday despite having a 2-0 lead midway through the third period, including allowing the tying goal with 29 seconds remaining.
"I don't regret things," Berube said after practice Friday. "Like I said, we need to be better as a team. Individuals need to be better, and that's the bottom line. We need to be better. I need to be better. Coaching staff needs to be better. So, we've got to work on getting better. Sometimes you say things and hopefully you get a response."
Blues general manager Doug Armstrong addressed the team prior to practice regarding some of the comments from Berube and forward Alexey Toropchenko after a fourth straight loss (0-3-1) since trading captain Ryan O'Reilly and forward Noel Acciari to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 17, a week after trading forward Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola to the New York Rangers on Feb. 9.
"I think the raw emotion after a game like that was evident from everyone involved," Armstrong said. "From a managerial perspective, it's understandable. We've made some radical changes to this group over the last couple of weeks. Emotions are raw right now. What we need to do is come to grips with what we have on our team right now and start to build.
"I've talked to the players, we talked about our last decade and it was a good decade, some ups and downs, but that decade is now behind us, and today is the first day of the next decade. I was honest with them that likely maybe one or two of the 40 people in the room, or 35 people, won't be anywhere near us when that decade ends, but it has to start today. The reality is, if you break it down into management, coaches and players, we're all at 33.3 percent responsible, so I have my job to do, the coaches have their job to do, and the players have their job to do, and doing it not in unison collectively, we'll never get there. We won't get there at all."
The Blues are 26-28-4, 13 points behind the Colorado Avalanche for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference, having played three more games. St. Louis had 109 points and advanced to the Western Conference Second Round last season.
"I've missed the playoffs before, but (not) when you're out of it and have to find a way for the last 25 games or whatever," forward Brayden Schenn said. "I think here in St. Louis, the culture and the attitude and the mentality has been winning, playoffs, and holding each other accountable and demanding a lot of out each other. Obviously that slipped through the cracks this year, and we have to find a way to buy in and show pride for the last (24) games or so. That's where we're at right now, and we've got to play for one another, play for yourself, play hard, and show that you care."
Forward Robert Thomas, on his weekly radio spot Friday morning on ESPN 101.1-FM, responded to Berube saying, "I guess they don't care about the team," and that Berube's comments were "frustrating to hear. ... What he said couldn't be further from the truth."
But after the players, coaches and Armstrong met prior to practice, the message was singular in meaning.
"It's a team effort," Thomas said. "Yeah, it's frustrating, we all do care in this room and that's never changed. I think that's our message going forward. We're all in this together. There's no individuals. We're all battling through this together. It's going to take hard work to get out of it, and we've got to do that as a team."
Schenn, who also played for Berube when the two were with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2013-15, said, "I think he just demands a lot out of us. I think he knows deep down that we do care about the team, and if you ask him again, he does know that guys care.
"I think the way it came off, he demands a lot of us. He was a character when he played, he's a character guy when he coaches, and when it came across like that, I think deep down he knows that we care. Just the way he came across -- the anger and frustration of losing a lot of games lately, came across like that. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think 'Chief' knows a lot of guys care in this locker room and just obviously the message came across last night different."
Toropchenko, who played his 73rd NHL game Thursday, said after the loss, "You need to show heart, character and to be strong everywhere. Just play from your heart."
Goalie Jordan Binnington said, "I want a guy who feels that passion and emotion on my team any day of the week. It's on us to come together and respond and just accept this challenge and just build, be excited for what we can do.
"Yeah, 'Torps' is great. Really nice guy, easy to talk to. He's passionate and we like that."
