The Minnesota Wild and Chris O'Hearn have mutually agreed to part ways, leaving the Wild's front office in disarray. O'Hearn was Bill Guerin's right-hand man and AGM since 2019. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Blues have fired coach Craig Berube, with players expressing guilt and responsibility. Doug Armstrong, the Blues' general manager, has faced criticism for the team's performance, leading to speculation about his future. The Blues' roster and performance have been under scrutiny, with the team facing challenges in various areas, including power play and penalty kill. The departure of O'Hearn and the firing of Berube have added to the turmoil faced by the Wild and the Blues, respectively.
The #mnwild season already had enough turmoil, with their head coach getting fired. But there’s also been multiple investigations into executives, handled by an outside firm. On that and impact of Chris O’Hearn’s departure, from @RussoHockey and me https://t.co/PyAH6r5K1w
Russo and Smith: Chris O’Hearn’s departure leaves already short-staffed Wild front office in disarray ⤵️ https://t.co/muAhA8AHa9
Russo and Smith: Chris O’Hearn’s departure leaves already short-staffed #mnwild front office in disarray From @JoeSmithNHL and me https://t.co/2LAQNifhg0
This is the Blues page at @stltoday right now. Lots of coverage today on Craig Berube's firing, from Doug Armstrong's comments, video of the presser, @gordoszone's column, player reaction, a podcast delving into the news. You can check it all out here: https://t.co/Te7nGQiuRu https://t.co/34bwxrXpSW
COLUMN: After making the roster a mess, Doug Armstrong made Craig Berube the scapegoat; his next coaching hire/roster moves better be the right ones because if they aren't, the next fall guy could be -- and should be -- him: https://t.co/yLGWErFqcY
Captain Brayden Schenn, goalie Jordan Binnington react to dismissal of Craig Berube “You feel guilty, and you feel responsible for a lot of it.” https://t.co/KOHCaHJpiQ
Just finished an abbreviated chat right now: Covering different angles of the Craig Berube firing by the Blues https://t.co/u6yGkqxE8P
"If you're not here to be great or to do what it takes to win, to sacrifice for your team, then get out of here." -- Binnington's message to teammates after firing of #stlblues coach Craig Berube: https://t.co/mExDtrPE02
From the #mnwild “Chris O’Hearn and the Minnesota Wild have mutually agreed to part ways. The Wild will not comment further on this matter.” This is obviously huge, out of the blue news. O’Hearn was Bill Guerin’s right-hand man and AGM since 2019 and chief contract negotiator
Binnington: "We've got to be proud to wear that Bluenote jersey & proud to be part of this organization & play for this city. If you're not, just get out of here, because we're not wasting time. These are special years; being able to play in the NHL, it's a privilege." #stlblues
Binnington on Doug Armstrong saying it's on the players now: "I think it is. It always has been. I think the message was if you're not here to be great or to do what it takes to win, to sacrifice for your team, then get out of here." #stlblues
Jordan Binnington: "He's been my coach for the whole time I've been in the NHL and a little bit of the minors. I've got to know him over the years and had some success. It's always to see someone go, whether it's a teammate or a coach like that, so it's difficult." #stlblues
I love Doug Armstrong's logic: The Blues don't have a roster anywhere near as good as the Avalanche, but can beat them in the playoffs, but he can't believe the Blues could lose any of their last three games when you compare those rosters to that of St. Louis.
Doug Armstrong on the Blues the last two seasons: “Our power play is at or near the bottom. Our penalty kill is at our near the bottom. Our point total is at our near the bottom. At some point, you have to make changes. It’s not something I wanted to do. It’s not something ...
Doug Armstrong on his tenure with the Blues: “If I get fired in the next hour, or I get hit by a bus in the next hour, I don’t feel today I’ve left it any better than where I found it. That’s an awful feeling.” #stlblues
Rutherford: Doug Armstrong's roster, not Craig Berube's coaching, is root of Blues' issues. https://t.co/wYXClXs5EH
Here's @jprutherford on the firing of Craig Berube in St. Louis: https://t.co/AlLxl8OWGJ
The Blues aren't rebuilding, and they aren't really trying to win now, so sure, fire the coach. Makes perfect sense.