Craig Berube Reveals Important Message to Maple Leafs Ahead of Training Camp
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski | Imagn Images
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has revealed the key message that he and the coaching staff are sending to the players in training camp.
A lop-sided Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers left a sour taste in the mouths of Leafs Nation, given how dominant the club was just two nights prior in a tightly played Game 6 shutout win.
In a summer full of change, Leafs head coach Craig Berube is looking forward to having more flexibility in his lineup with the additions of Matias Maccelli, Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy.
Maccelli will help replace some of the playmaking lost with the departure of Mitch Marner, while Joshua and Roy will bring even more size and physicality to the Leafs' lineup and should fit seamlessly into Berube's hard, grinding, heavy style of play.
In his first year behind the Leafs' bench, a more physical and grinding style of play was noticeable, but it was not enough come playoff time, and it ultimately led to their downfall against the Panthers -- something Berube noted on his recent appearance on the 100% Hockey podcast.
"Mentally," said the Leafs' bench boss when asked where the Leafs need to improve most. "We can be tougher than we were. It has nothing to do with the fighting aspect of the game. It is about being a hard, physical team, a mentally tough team, and not breaking. You can bend, but you can't break. To me, that is a big thing in camp that we have to push. We have to get our players to take another step."
Citing a terrific Game 6 to force Game 7 as an example of being mentally tough, Berube was adamant about pushing his players to have the same mentality at home as they do when they play on the road.
The Stanley Cup Champion coach plans to address his team's mentality throughout the season with more conversations about keeping things simple and playing hard when on home ice, instead of being too cute sometimes when they have more ability to play the right way with their identity.
With training camp slated to begin next week, Berube will get his first look at the new additions and have his first official chance to address the mentality of his club heading into the regular season.
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SEPTEMBRE 12 | 1722 ANSWERS Craig Berube Reveals Important Message to Maple Leafs Ahead of Training Camp Are the Matthews era Leafs historically a mentally weak team? | ||
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