Craig Berube explains the "simple things" that made him "pissed off" during a rough first period, an outburst his players say they welcomed in their comeback victory against Chicago.
The situation turned ugly in the second half of the first period.
While the Toronto Maple Leafs struggled early, they found a way to erase a 2-0 deficit in the third period, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in regulation on Tuesday.
But before the comeback, tensions flared. During a successful challenge that negated what would have been Chicago’s second goal, disallowed due to Jason Dickinson interfering with Joseph Woll, Head Coach Craig Berube tore into his players on the bench, fuming that they had generated only one shot on goal.
After the game, Berube was asked exactly what set him off.
“Oh, it could have been a number of things, I'm not exactly sure which one,” he said.
When asked about his reaction specifically during the challenge on the Dickinson goal, he elaborated: “Well, just giving up a shorthanded goal and then giving up a face-off goal. These shouldn't happen. And then we get all muscled around our net. It's just simple things. That's why I was pissed off."
To the Leafs' credit, they responded in the third period.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson opened the scoring midway through the frame before Auston Matthews and Dakota Joshua scored eight seconds apart to take the lead for good.
The players didn’t seem to mind the outburst from their coach.
“I would be scared if he wasn't yelling and not caring,” Ekman-Larsson said. “I think it's great, and he brings a lot of passion. I think we all know that. So it's great to see. But obviously, we know that we have to play better, and sometimes it's good to hear it from behind the bench, too.”
Berube wasn’t the only one upset. After falling behind 2-0 in the first, fans rained boos down on the Leafs as they left the ice for the first intermission.
“If I was a fan, I wouldn't have been too happy with the performance either,” Ekman-Larsson admitted. “So, you know, no surprise there, but at the end of the day, nice to pull that one out for them.”