The Toronto Maple Leafs hired Craig Berube to change the culture and make them tougher to play against. It was a bit of a stretch to believe that one person could change the mindset of the Maple Leafs' roster, and so far, Berube hasn't been able to do it. Given the current situation and their performance in the last two games against the Boston Bruins, the head coach may never be able to do it.
A quick observation: for someone meant to change the Leafs' culture and make them tougher to play against, Craig Berube complains alot when teams play them physically https://t.co/FL39fWMfiI
— Nate Duffett (@NateDuffett) November 12, 2025
Imagine my surprise when Berube decided to take his concerns to the media on Saturday night when Nikita Zadorov knocked Scott Laughton out of the game with a clean, shoulder-to-chest hit. Berube, of all people, should know that it's part of the game, given the way he played during his NHL career. Complaining about an open-ice hit in the media sends a poor message to his players, who didn't do anything to answer the bell in the game.
Fast forward to Tuesday night's game, and Zadorov knocked another one of the Leafs' players out of the game, this time, Auston Matthews. The captain's teammates again failed to come to his defense, all while laying an egg in a game that felt like one they needed to win. Then, Berube went to the media again to complain about a hit that looked clean.
Craig Berube on Nikita Zadorov's hit on Auston Matthews: "I think it’s a penalty personally. But I’m not the referee. I don’t like it. I don’t like the hit. He was in a vulnerable position."
— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) November 12, 2025
Berube has to say something to appease the masses after losing a third consecutive game, but it's a tough look for someone trying to change the losing culture in the organization. The hope is that the Maple Leafs' captain won't miss much time with the injury, but blaming it on Zadorov and the referees is a bit soft. It's hard to expect your players to change their mindset when that's the type of thing Berube is doing with his post-game availability.
Craig Berube has a history of taking it to the media
A lot has happened since the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, but it's hard to forget that Berube has done this type of thing before against the Bruins. Who can forget when Berube complained about the refereeing in the media during those finals when he was coaching the St. Louis Blues, leading to the officials putting their whistles away for the rest of the series?
"“We were the least penalized team in the league in the first three rounds, now all of a sudden we’ve taken [17] penalties in one series. So I don’t know. I don’t buy into all of that, to be honest with you.”"Craig Berube
The Bruins had just two power plays in Game 4 and three in Game 5, which included a delay of game they had to call, and Game 5 finished with a blatant non-call on a dangerous slew foot that led to the Blues' game-winning goal.
You can't really blame Berube for not changing his ways. Berube has been using the media as a way to whine for six years now, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.