ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong said change was needed for the club to potentially spark a different result than what has happened recently and one of those changes included firing their Stanley Cup-winning head coach.
Armstrong talked to the media Tuesday to discuss the team firing head coach Craig Berube Tuesday night, after loss to the Detroit Red Wings, their fifth loss in six games. The loss puts them only a point away from the last Wild Card spot, but seven away from the Winnipeg Jets, who hold third place in the Central Division.
Armstrong said he and Berube had a beer together after the loss to the Red Wings Tuesday night and Berube understood the decision.
"We've built a friendship over the years and it's difficult to have that talk with him last night." said Armstrong. "He's a true professional... He will regroup and land on his feet. He's too good of a coach not to be in this League."
Armstrong felt the decision to fire Berube needed to be made because he believed things weren't going to change.
"It's not something you want to hear as a manager (when the coach says) 'We didn't prepare to play tonight' or 'We just didn't have it tonight' said Armstrong. "There's thing in your life and job you can control, and preparing to work is one of them and working hard is the other."
"When you say 'We didn't prepare to play tonight' time and time again, it's gets people's attention. It certainly got my attention."
Armstrong didn't push all the blame on Berube, admitting responsibility for the decisions and moves that led to the firing.
"If I get fired in the next hour or I get hit by a bus, I don't feel today I left this roster any better than I found (when I got here in 2008)," said Armstrong. "You come in to a organization to make it better and you want to leave it in a better spot."
"I feel personally responsible for the situation that we're in this and I also hope that the people that I just talked to personally feel responsible too. If they don't, that's their decision."
Firing Berube wasn't the only change the Blues made. Alongside naming Springfield Thunderbirds head coach Drew Bannister as the interim, the team also brought in two-time Stanley Cup champion Brad Richards as a consultant to help fix a hideous power-play that is the second-worst in the league(8.4%).
Armstrong discussed Bannister being chosen as the interim, saying he was chosen because nobody else on the staff has head coaching experience and said Bannister was willing to take the challenge.
"I felt (Bannister) has done this in the OHL and AHL, he's put in the foundational groundwork to be given this opportunity," said Armstrong. "He was willing to bet on himself and show what he can do."
While Bannister is now the interim head coach for the Blues, there's no guarantee he will be in that role the rest of the season, according to Armstrong.
Armstrong gave insight on the what the coaching search could look like, highlighting it's a wide open race with no timeline. But he emphasized the next head coach he wants is someone who could keep the club competitive but also develop the younger players.
"What we want to stress as we're going through whatever we're going through is a level of compete and a level of accountability." said Armstrong. "Starting with Drew (Bannister) tomorrow night, that's his mandate: accountability and compete."
During the press conference, Armstrong issued a warning to the team, not ruling out changes such as the potential of buying out players or demoting them to the AHL if the play doesn't improve.
"No one in our group should feel safe right now, player wise, management wise, obviously the coach has been changed," said Armstrong. "If we could move chairs on the Titanic, it be harder to do."
Armstrong highlighted forward Jordan Kyrou as one player who needs to significantly improve his play.
"Kyrou isn’t scoring at the level he’s getting paid to score at, and he knows it," said Armstrong.
Armstrong, however, believes he can fix this team and isn't worried of potentially being fired.
"My name is on every contract," said Armstrong. "Craig's contract, the coaches contract, scouts, trainers, players. This is my problem."