Blues fans at the Enterprise Center on Saturday night gave former coach Craig Berube the ovation of their lives for two minutes. Berube, now the coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has been with St. Louis since his firing in December 2023. He returned for his first game in St. Louis.

“He’s an icon,” blues fan Jill Strole said at Enterprise Center. He took off his gray Blues hoodie to proudly display his blue Blues t-shirt that read “Gloria Met Stanley.”

He is one forever. Berube. He cracked the password. He did what others couldn’t, and it could be argued that several other coaches had better talent at their disposal. Berube coached the Blues to the Stanley Cup. Their only example. St. St. Louisans will always remember where they were the night the Blues beat Boston in Game 7 of the 2019 Finals.

And so Berube is loved.

St. Louis fans call him by his longtime nickname, “Chief,” as if they know him. He is a local legend. While some Cardinals managers like Red, Whitey and Tony are iconic for winning it all, Berube is the St. He’s in a unique, rare mood as he’s the first coach in St. Louis to do that. In fact, he was the first coach to lead the Blues to the Stanley Cup Final since 1970.

These were the words he said every day. It was seemingly simple; Just play this simplified style of hockey to win. Of course, it was much more sophisticated, demanding and burdensome than that. But Berube, one of the toughest players of his era, set the tone.

“There’s a lot of good things happening here,” said Berube, who is famous for not exaggerating or exaggerating. “The team, the organization, the players, the coaches; I’m close with all these guys. So there are a lot of good memories.”

St. When asked what it means to be loved in St. Louis, Berube said: “You know, it’s a special thing, like it really is. I don’t look for or expect such things. But this is something special. “This means a lot.”

OB Clark’s in Brentwood opened in 1978. Due to its proximity to the then-Blues training ground and the social structure enjoyed by the O’Brien family, the “OBs” moved to St. It has become the hockey bar of St. Louis — and especially St. Louis. The St. Louis Blues’ hockey bar. For generations, the Norms and Chasms of this “Cheers” were missing a few teeth.

And naturally the pub became a hotspot for Blues players and fans the day after the boys won the Cup.

Jimmy O’Brien first met Berube when he came to the bar with Kelly Chase. Berube, of course, became a coach in the Blues system and then, of course, a coach. Berube frequently visited the “OBs”, but was sure to leave if the players arrived (or whenever they arrived, really).

“I think the reason ‘Chief’ is loved is because he’s an ordinary guy,” bar owner O’Brien said. “You can just look at him, physically he is quite respected. He will sit there and talk to you and be honest with you. And if you said something like that (he didn’t agree), he’d say, ‘No, no, that’s wrong.’ He’s just a normal guy who doesn’t have a normal job. Everyone can relate to him because they think he is very honest. “It’s not fake.”

On Friday, Maple Leafs St. Reached Louis. Berube and his friends had dinner at Clayton’s Café Napoli and then headed to “OB’s.” O’Brien said that when Berube walked into the bar, many fans were clapping and cheering for the former coach. And throughout the night, several people stopped by Berube’s table to take photos or get autographs.

The next night at the Enterprise Center, Bruno Lacaria was sitting in the first row of Section 115, right above the glass. A lifelong Leafs fan, he was accompanied by his wife, mother-in-law and two sons, who both live in the Chicago area with the initials NHL Lacaria, so they went to see his favorite team. And from 1991-92 he wore a rare Toronto jersey with BERUBE 16 written on the back.

“I climbed mountains to get this Berube jersey,” he said. “I had to buy the jersey on eBay and ship it to a company in Vancouver called Hockey Authentic; this company had exactly the same font numbers as in the 90’s because Berube played there for a year. “I was determined to get a Berube jersey and I did it and I’m happy to be here for his return.”

The Blues’ first season was 1967-68. It took them until 2019 to win the cup.

The famed Maple Leafs, an original NHL franchise, haven’t won the Cup in years before The Blues were there in 1966-67.

Berube could be their Berube.

“It might be tough with (previous coach Sheldon) Keefe, but I feel like he got a little bit too spoiled and stuff like that,” Lacaria said. “So I think it’s time to bring a new voice; Someone who won’t let them get away with cute things.

“For example, (William) Nylander scored two goals in the last game, but then he didn’t backcheck and gave the puck away at center ice — and Berube let him stay on the bench. And he let (Auston) Matthews have it. I think this is good. It’s about the team. This has nothing to do with the name on the back of the jersey. “He will hold them accountable.”

Yes, it sounds like “Chief”.