The St. Louis Blues have fallen a long way since winning their first Stanley Cup in 2018-19. This week, they fired head coach Craig Berube; their GM, Doug Armstrong, expressed that he feels he’s left the franchise no better than he found it; and then came the bizarre interaction between start right winger Jordan Kyrou and Blues fans Thursday night.
After Thursday’s morning skate leading up to the Blues’ home game against the Ottawa Senators, Kyrou was asked about the Berube firing.
“I’ve got no comment. He’s not my coach anymore,” Kyrou told reporters.
Evidently, St. Louis’ fan base did not take kindly to the comments about their Stanley Cup winning coach from Kyrou. When Kyrou’s name was announced for the Blues’ starting lineup before the game, the fans at Enterprise Center booed. He also received a smattering of boos during some of his puck touches during the game, which St. Louis won 4-2.
Speaking to reporters afterward, Kyrou was extremely emotional about the experience, explaining that he “definitely heard” the boos and that “I love to play here so it’s tough to hear the fans booing me here.”
Kyrou on getting booed by fans throughout tonight's game: "I see where they're coming from with how my comment sounded."
And he gets emotional when saying: "It's just tough, right? I love playing here. So, it's just tough to hear the fans booing me there." #stlblues pic.twitter.com/FsRZPadaP7
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) December 15, 2023
“He’s really helped me round out my game and try to be a more complete player,” Kyrou added about Berube. “I respect him as a guy and have no ill will toward him at all.
Berube compiled a 206-132-44 record across his six seasons coaching the Blues, helping them climb from last overall to the Stanley Cup after taking over from Mike Yeo in November 2018. Kyrou had debuted with the team that season but wasn’t on the playoff roster. He stuck as a full-time NHLer beginning in 2020-21 and delivered consecutive seasons of 70-plus points in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He has struggled this season, tallying just five goals and 18 points in 29 games.
“Sorry if it sounded in a bad way at all,” he said of his previous Berube comments. “I’m just really trying to focus on the future here and focus on what I can do to help get the wins for the boys.”
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