Berube will quickly command the respect factor needed to lift Leafs

Paul Dennis already sees a lot of Pat Quinn in Craig Berube, before the latter even holds his first team meeting as new headmaster of the Maple Leafs.

Dennis, the former Toronto assistant coach and team psychologist in the early 2000s, was present when Quinn’s first strode into the dressing room at training camp, like Berube, a feared NHLer who’d carried that kind of aggressive aura behind the bench. In Berube’s case, that’s 3,000-plus penalty minutes as player, a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues as coach and the reputation of getting the most from some previous one-way performers.

Dennis, a retired professor of Sports Psychology at the University of Toronto and before that at York, does not pretend to know Berube personally. But in his long career studying motivational behaviour he can spot the same intagibles Quinn brought to a Leaf team seeking direction back in 1998. They went from two years out of the playoffs right to the conference championship and won seven rounds under Quinn in the next five seasons.

“Men like that, they just have the presence,” Dennis said. “They walk into the room, don’t say a word, but make eye contact with the players and vice-versa. When Pat began to talk, he commanded complete attention. To see that happen is a special moment.”

Berube will be setting up in Quinn’s old office, most recently that of Sheldon Keefe’s, as of this weekend, with an official media splash Tuesday morning.

Dennis came to admire the late Quinn’s modus operandi and points to others around the NHL who have made that breakthrough, such as Paul Maurice of the Florida Panthers. Maurice’s many National Hockey League stops included following Quinn in Toronto and now chasing this year’s Cup into round three with the Cats.

“Craig already comes in with that great reputation for making players accountable,” said Dennis. “He’ll make sure the players adhere to his philosophy.

“Their attention to detail will improve. Distractions are an athlete’s worst nightmare and I think he’ll eliminate all the unnecessary ones, make his players follow rules governing team cohesion. They’ll be required – and monitored – to stick together in pursuit of winning.

“Those in violation of team rules will be dealt with severely. That’s what creates a mindset among players that there are many aspects to being a Cup champion.”

Dennis cited winger Steve Thomas and defenceman Tomas Kaberle as two Leafs Quinn reshaped early in his Toronto tenure.

“Pat always knew Steve was a playoff standout. Maybe he didn’t score as much as we’d like to see during regular season, but Pat gave Steve the confidence and opportunity to be the difference maker in playoff games.

“Tomas was the extreme opposite of Pat as a defenceman. He was just 20, but Pat encouraged him to take advantage of his talent. When Tomas didn’t, Pat spoke to him and made sure Tomas followed, otherwise, he’d be on the next flight to St. John’s.”
It has already been noted how at crunch time in 2019, Berube advised Alex Steen he was taking his offensive talents and placing them on an unglamourous two-way line with Oskar Sundqvist and Ivan Barbashev. Tyler Bozak centred Robert Thomas and Pat Maroon on another unit that gave the Blues four balanced lines that playoff foes such as Boston, couldn’t overcome.

Dennis also took particular interest in how Berube utilized first-year Blues’ left winger David Perron in 2019.

“I’ve interviewed hundreds of potential draft picks for the Leafs and Perron stood out (a first rounder in 2007). Unfortunately, we didn’t get him (Toronto traded its first pick that year), but the feeling was early in his career he had a deficiency in defence. He still got points (50 one year in first stint as a Blue, 57 when traded to Edmonton), but his plus-minus was a concern.
“It was Craig who brought more out of him, more leadership, found more there was more to his inner core (eventually yielding 16 points in 26 playoff games).”

But this is Toronto in 2024. Despite eight mostly painful playoff years, first round picks Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly have enjoyed exalted status, set many personal records, been coddled by management (certainly in the Kyle Dubas years), only to stall in most post-season opportunities.

Matthews and Nylander are set with lengthy contracts, Marner and Tavares for another year at least should they wish to stay. But the much-decorated Matthews already sounds like a young Alex Ovechkin, willing to trade a Hart Trophy or one of his three Rocket Richard scoring awards for a taste of the third or fourth round.

The ‘Core Fore’ has already sampled life under a hard-ass coach in Mike Babcock, which proved to be bad chemistry long-term. Dennis figures the life span of a coach of that ilk is about three years before the ‘my way or the highway’ message gets too repetitive.

“The new guy still has to earn the respect of the players,” Dennis said. “If you have a coach who did something untoward to them (Babcock and Matthews clashed over ice time and the former got in hot water for a failed motivational ploy with Marner), they won’t play as hard for you. It all comes down to trust and the way Craig treats the players. If it’s conducive to winning, they’ll go through the boards for him.

“But if you have a pouter on the team, then maybe it’s time for him to move on. If things aren’t going well, I’m sure Craig won’t tolerate victimization, ‘woe is me, Toronto is such a hard place to play’.”
Some tough love might be long overdue for a few on Bay Street.

“I define tough love from a coach simply as making them accountable,” Dennis said. “If they didn’t understand the mistake they made, call them in the office and make sure they do. You don’t have to embarrass them or humiliate them on TV or in front of their teammates. That’s crossing a line. “It’s good for them that Craig’s a former player, he knows the grind and the lifestyle and that elite players are different. But he’ll sit down and say this is how I see your role, do you accept it? Hopefully, he’ll respond ‘l’ll work my ass off’, but if he says no, maybe it’s a situation where the coach and GM have to talk.

“A player’s attention span is finite. When they show up for a game or to practice, attention is dedicated in that window. A coach who can do that with everyone, that’s the type to bring a championship to Toronto.”

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