Craig Berube's Fiery Timeout Speech to the Maple Leafs Bench Revealed
The Maple Leafs jumped out to a commanding lead against the Kings last night, but slowly let it slip away. Craig Berube's timeout speech may have been the turning point that saved the game.
The Leafs had dominated the first two periods of their game against the Los Angeles Kings, and as such, were sitting pretty at the end of the second frame with an impressive 5-0 lead. However, with crisp passing, aggressive forechecking, and lethal power-play execution in the third period, the Kings began to mount a comeback with just under three minutes in. Things started to turn around when Los Angeles scored again to cut the lead to three with roughly half a period remaining and started to make it seem like Toronto was going to blow its advantage, something that has happened too often in recent years.
After Kevin Fiala's second goal of the night cut Toronto's advantage to 5-2, Leafs coach Craig Berube used a vital timeout, and we know exactly what was said to the players. What happened next wasn't some light chit-chat pep talk but rather a fiery, profanity-filled tirade. The message from Berube was clear: get back to basics and tighten up defensively. His animated speech sent a jolt through the team, as players visibly refocused on their responsibilities. The Leafs knew they couldn't afford to let the Kings continue clawing their way back into the game, especially with their past reputation for late-game collapses.
What was particularly notable about that timeout was the contrast in how this team reacted versus how they would have in previous years. During his five-year tenure as head coach, Sheldon Keefe routinely called timeouts at critical moments when the Leafs were under pressure, and often the results were, well, underwhelming. Their inability to close out games with sizeable leads was an issue for a very long time.
Opposing teams routinely remained under pressure after Keefe's timeouts, many times resulting in a goal that sent fans into a very familiar state of anxiety. But Craig Berube's no-nonsense approach seemed to sink in with the players last night in a way that Keefe's often hadn't. It remains to be seen whether going forward, players will respond in the same positive way as they did last night, or whether they will revert back to their Keefe-era ways.
Though he wouldn't comment on specifics about his timeout following the game, Craig Berube didn't bite his tongue in regard to the Leafs' sloppy play in the third. He said the Leafs got way too comfortable, looking back at how the team tends to lose discipline when it takes a big lead. But the timeout appeared to do its job. From there, the Leafs clamped down for the rest of the game and added a sixth on the power play courtesy of John Tavares, putting a seal on the 6-2 win.
Craig Berube's impact on the team's mentality and game management might be a turning point that the Leafs need. If they can embrace a more straightforward, more finely tuned style of play, particularly during critical third-period moments, it might help them avoid the sort of white-knuckle, late-game implosions that have led to heartbreak for several years running. At least the Leafs' reaction to Berube's impassioned timeout would seem to indicate that the coach's hard-edged style might just be what the team requires to finally shed its reputation for folding under the heat of pressure.
