In meeting with reporters Wednesday morning, hours after firing Craig Berube, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said, "There just wasn't a feeling that there was something there was going to change today if we just came in and went back to work that would make tomorrow different."
"I feel personally responsible for the situation that we're in," Armstrong said. "I also hope that the people I just talked to feel personally responsible, too. If they don't, that's their decision. It's not a great day, but it's a new day. Now, we move forward."
The Blues fired Berube after a 6-4 loss to the Red Wings on Tuesday night, a defeat that extended a season-worst losing streak to four games and dropped St. Louis under .500 for the first time since Nov. 1.
Drew Bannister will take over as the Blues interim head coach, ascending from his position as the head coach of AHL affiliate Springfield. Bannister was traveling to St. Louis on Wednesday and was not at Blues practice. He is expected to coach his first NHL game Thursday when the Blues play host to the Ottawa Senators.
People are also reading…
Armstrong said Bannister is not guaranteed to be the interim coach through the rest of the season.
Berube was the Blues coach for parts of six seasons, which included winning the 2019 Stanley Cup as the interim coach after he took over for the fired Mike Yeo. He coached 382 games in St. Louis, finishing his tenure with a 206-132-44 record. The Blues won five playoff series under Berube.
This season, the Blues are 13-14-1 and entered Wednesday with the 10th-best record in the Western Conference.
"I haven't really slept much since the Columbus game, then the Chicago game was a sleepless night," Armstrong said. "Then you hope that the Detroit game will be different. Your mind is starting to work when you're everybody's homecoming game. It's not a good feeling."
In the current four-game losing streak, the Blues have lost to Vegas, Columbus, Chicago and Detroit. The Golden Knights had 49 shots on goal in their win. The rebuilding Blue Jackets were playing the second night of a back-to-back, and so were the Red Wings. The bottom-feeding Blackhawks opened up a three-goal lead on the Blues.
"We built a friendship over the years, and it's difficult to have that talk with him last night," Armstrong said. "He's a true professional. We talked a little bit, we had a beer, we reminisced for a second. Now, my job is to move forward. Craig will now regroup and he'll land on his feet. He's too good of a coach not to be in this league."
Note: Check later today for more coverage of the Blues firing Craig Berube.
After a loss to the Red Wings, the Blues fired Berube as St. Louis lost its fourth straight game. Drew Bannister will take over as the interim head coach.
Jake Walman scored the Red Wings' first goal, Robby Fabbri scored the winner, and goalie Ville Husso won his first start against his former club.
The unpredictable and lately uninspiring squad is stuck at 13-13-1.