TORONTO (Dec. 19) — The “Coach Killers” will strike again. Very soon. It says here that Peter DeBoer will replace Craig Berube behind the bench of the Toronto Maple Leafs, perhaps as early as next week. It will be far–less an indictment of Berube and much more a reflection of his nonchalant, couldn’t–give–a-damn hockey club that possesses not an ounce of grit or urgency. Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly will transition to Coach No. 4, having outlasted Mike Babcock, Sheldon Keefe and Berube. Nothing dramatic will change on the ice, other than, maybe, during the honeymoon period of a new bench boss; the jolt of energy that most teams encounter when a change is made. Matthews and Nylander are locked into big–money contracts that cannot be touched by management. Rielly has been “buyout” eligible since last year, but continues as the “No. 1” defenseman on the team. Most of the Leaf skaters have given up. This was unmistakable during grim, lopsided defeats against Edmonton (6–3) and Washington (4–0), sandwiched around a late, lightning strike against Chicago that silenced an ugly gathering at Scotiabank Arena. The players cannot be changed so the coach, cruelly, must go.
It’s been that way in Leafs Land for the past decade; playoff oblivion the essence of the team.
After the calamity in Washington, Thursday night, Berube confessed he’s out of answers regarding his miserable club. When a coach offers such a blank confession — even if not of his doing — he has to be replaced.
It will, undoubtedly, morph into absence from the Stanley Cup tournament… unless DeBoer, should he choose to vacate his position as assistant coach with the Canadian Olympic team, can somehow light a fire under the laziest “leadership” group in the National Hockey League. To think that even the world’s best psychiatrist could break into the murky mind of Matthews is more than a stretch. Same with the flighty Nylander. Rielly has been trapped in this messy circumstance for so long, he doesn’t know which way to turn on the ice. But, none of the three can be moved. Not without their express permission. So, if change is required — and it clearly is — look toward the usual place: that walkway behind the players each night. Yes, the Leafs are still very much alive in the tightly bunched Atlantic Division. Yet, as the Christmas break begins, only one point ahead of Columbus and Buffalo at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Matthews and Nylander were nowhere to be found during the embarrassing submissions to the Oilers and Capitals. When the captain converted a smart feed from Nylander in the third period at home to the Blackhawks, then taunted the jeering SBA crowd, he showed his true colors — those which were evident in the Edmonton and Washington debacles; the same ghastly hue as during Games 5 and 7 of the Florida playoff series last May (consecutive 6–1 thumpings on home ice). If Matthews cares about winning; if he has a smidgen of pride in his performance, it has gone missing. Not that it ever glowed beyond his big, regular seasons.
In the playoffs, particularly in decisive situations, he’s been invisible.
EXPECT THAT PETER DeBOER WILL REPLACE CRAIG BERUBE AS COACH OF THE LEAFS.
Sadly for for fans of the Leafs, the trophy that has eluded their team longer than any in league history, cannot be won between mid–October and mid–April. Nor will it ever be won with No. 34 setting the pace in a Toronto jersey.
DeBoer, once in position, will represent the 41st coach in franchise history (dating to 1917) and the 20th head man (excluding interim replacements) since the 1967 Stanley Cup triumph. In case you’ve forgotten, or aren’t aware, here is the roll call after May 2 of Canada’s Centennial year: George (Punch) Imlach, John McLellan, Leonard (Red) Kelly, Roger Neilson, Floyd Smith, Joe Crozier, Dan Maloney, John Brophy, Doug Carpenter, Tom Watt, Pat Burns, Mike Murphy, Pat Quinn, Paul Maurice, Ron Wilson, Randy Carlyle, Babcock, Keefe (now coaching New Jersey) and Berube. Combined Stanley Cup final appearances with the Leafs? Zero. That Matthews, beyond playing a largely subordinate roll, will triumph anywhere in the NHL is highly imaginative. Same for Nylander.
Rielly has shown the ability to elevate performance in the Stanley Cup hunt, but not often at an elite level.
Goaltending has been in flux since Curtis Joseph left as a free agent, 23 summers ago, for Detroit.
A Norris Trophy candidate hasn’t been part of the team since the late Borje Salming, in 1979–80.
There are few secrets, therefore, as to why the Leafs haven’t played for the NHL title in nearly 58 years.
But, coaching has always been the fall guy spot. The current group wouldn’t have responded to any of the greatest minds in NHL annals: Scotty Bowman, Al Arbour, Toe Blake; perhaps not even to Joel Quenneville, who is headed toward the Jack Adams Trophy in Anaheim this season. The 2025–26 Leafs have no drive or determination; nor can they match words with action. If not traded in the foreseeable future, Matthews will play out the string until leaving in 2028 as a free agent. Nylander is too layback to help the club in the playoffs. Mitch Marner failed, big time, as well before skipping town (wisely) for Vegas last summer. Management, in its collective myopia, kept engorging the aforementioned with lucrative, restrictive contracts. Having to know, after the 2021 COVID playoffs, that Matthews and Co. would never rise to the ultimate occasion. In that regard, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment is getting precisely what it deserved. The only alternative, moving forward, it to hire another coach and hope that Matthews requests a change of scenery. Otherwise, get used to the club mailing in games as it has this week. There is simply no endurance or fortitude with which to work. The writing has long been on the wall.
MORE EXPORT BARBERSHOP CALENDARS
Today, looking at the 1969–70 Maple Leaf Gardens issue.
AFTER A BOUNCE–BACK SEASON IN THE SECOND YEAR OF EXPANSION, THE LEAFS WERE HORRIBLE THROUGHOUT THE 1969–70 SCHEDULE, FINISHING LAST IN THE EAST DIVISION BY 21 POINTS. MEANWHILE, THE CANADIENS MARCHED FORWARD WITH THEIR SECOND NHL CHAMPIONSHIP SINCE BEING HUMBLED BY THE MAPLE LEAFS IN ’67.
TORONTO OPENED THE ’69–70 SEASON ON THE ROAD, OCT. 11, IN DETROIT (A 3–2 LOSS).
THE 1968–69 MAPLE LEAFS WERE TOUGHER THAN THE CREAMPUFF VERSION OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR, HAVING ADDED PHYSICAL DEFENSEMEN PAT QUINN, JIM DOREY AND RICK LEY. BUT, A DISASTROUS OPENING ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS RESULTED IN A FOUR–GAME SWEEP BY BOSTON, AFTER WHICH PUNCH IMLACH WAS FIRED AS GM AND COACH.
FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE SPRING, MONTREAL SWEPT ST. LOUIS IN THE STANLEY CUP FINAL; THE BLUES REPRESENTING THE EXPANSION (OR WEST) DIVISION. AL ARBOUR CAPTAINED ST. LOUIS.
ONLY VETERAN ST. LOUIS GOALIE GLENN HALL COULD BREAK INTO THE GROUP OF EAST DIVISION PLAYERS AMONG THE TWO ALL–STAR TEAMS IN 1968–69.
SUCH FUTURE NHLers AS GILBERT PERREAULT, MARC TARDIF, REJEAN HOULE, JOCELYN GUEVREMONT, ANDRE (MOOSE) DUPONT, JIM RUTHERFORD, RICHARD MARTIN AND GUY CHARRON PACED THE MONTREAL JUNIOR CANADIENS TO THE 1969 MEMORIAL CUP (PHOTO ROSTER, BELOW).
THE MAPLE LEAFS BEGAN THE 1970’s WITH A HOME GAME AGAINST CHICAGO. AND, HALL OF FAMERS MOSTLY ABOUNDED (BELOW) AMID THE NHL’s 1968–69 TROPHY WINNERS.
EMAIL: HOWARDLBERGER@GMAIL.COM
It was 2016 and there was all the excitement in Leafland with the lottery and the chance to win it and draft an elite player who would win the Leafs the Cup. And it happened – the Leafs won, they had their superstar and the Leaf fans knew the wait was over and we were finally guaranteed the Cup. The wait was over. We knew the Cup was ours and it would have been with competent management. Now all we can do is swear when we think about all the stupid moves from a totally incompetent management so bad it is impossible to fathom. Now in a much worse situation than even the dark days of Harold Ballard. No draft picks and no prospects in the system. No point in even researching players available in the draft. Put everything on hold for three years. What a joke with Shanahan, Dubas, Treliving demolishing and totally decimating the team’s future while they assured the fans they understood what it took to make a winner and knew what they were doing. But I have to admit it is entertaining watching the Leafs play and thinking of Brendan Shanahan last summer stating that he believes the foundation and vision he built for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Shanaplan, still held promise for a future Stanley Cup. He was confident the team he built can still get the job done.
Total agreement with your comment. Poor management. As bad as ever.
Now if they do take the easy route and tie the can to Berube, then my hope would be that, instead of hiring DeBoer, that they hire Tortorella. At least then we’d have some wildly entertaining press conferences from the head coach, which doubtless would be far more entertaining than watching the Leafs’ games themselves. And it would no doubt piss Matthews off, maybe even to the extent that he’d ask to be traded.
Us. G. A. P. Them
Roy. 3. 8. 11. Minten. 6. 7. 13
Maccelli. 4. 6 10. Grebenkin. 1. 3. 4
Joshua. 6. 4. 10. Holmberg. 3. 6. 9
Laughton. 4. 1. 5. Steeves. 7. 2. 9
Carlo. 0. 2. 2. Marner. 7. 29. 36
2 Firsts, a third and a fourth round draft choice.
Brad Treliving’s performance record since March 2025.
Howard, I read all of your essays with utmost interest. Tell us honestly, what were your thoughts when Treliving turfed (wasted) two first round picks for Laughton and Carlo? Those decisions look utterly ridiculous now, hindsight being 20/20 obviously. This team is in a death spiral and unless they really tank and finish bottom 5, their 2026 first round pick is gone, correct?
If Tre doesn’t fire Bérubé by Christmas then they both should be canned.
The entire league is soulless. There is no charm or individuality left. No more Saturday evenings listening to Danny Gallivan or games coming in from the west coast with their distinctive vibe and feel. Today’s NHL is at a skill level that seems almost inhuman with players and a corporate DNA that makes it feel like something abstract and lifeless. I am 58 and used to care to the point of obnoxiousnous. Then I woke up. Soon the NHL will expand again as if it makes any god-damned sense at all that the 4th most popular league in North America should have the most franchises yet, the last time I counted, there is still just one Stanley Cup handed out every year. Do the math people!!!!
Very very very very well said. The ‘old fan’ regardless of who you go for (for me the Bruins) have been pushed aside and told the game is now better. No way is the game today better than 40-50 years ago. I don’t care what some of the media darlings say…….its becoming unwatchable
That is the way I feel as well. I cant watch 5 minutes of this,and I cant stand to listen to the PANEL on HNIC yelling at you the viewer as if what they say is set in gold. The game is NOT BETTER. Look at the action in front of the net,around the crease players are just standing there,and the opposition aint moving them out,giving them a free pass.
Mike Nykoluk.
Good one.
It becomes more evident by the game that Mathews is an empty shirt. No guts, no drive, no determination, and no pride just arrogance. And what’s worse, he just doesn’t care. He’s the 2nd highest paid player in the league. In his world that’s showing him real respect so mission accomplished. In spite of all the “noise” (as these coddled prima donnas prefer to call it) that he’s flailing, he just keeps rolling along never taking any personal responsibility for his ho-hum performances and the sleepy performance of HIS team. Firing Berube won’t matter, though they might get a little bump for a while. Frankly, I hardly care anymore as I intensely dislike this group of players. I liked Marner early in his career. I still think he was the best of the bunch and could have been a great leaf long-term if surrounded by true leadership. Sadly, that ship never sailed, it just sunk.
So go ahead Brad, fire the coach. The with the little bump in points realized and they’re in or near a wildcard spot at the deadline, blow (the rest of) your guts out trading every single first round pick until 2050 plus Cowan, Danford and their as yet unconceived children for an assortment big has-beens who know how to spell “snot”. The sit back and watch captain underpants slo-mo his way through another playoff no show leading to the highpoint of the season for leaf management – the yearly, season ending “We’re so disappointed but we believe in these guys!” press conference featuring a new buzzword or phrase for the upcoming season. I suggest some honesty for a change in 2026. how about, “We could’ve, but we didn’t. Now we won’t because can’t (be bothered), because the passion that unites us pays well enough anyways.”
It’s not too late for the Leafs to turn things around if GM Brad Treliving wants to make a good smart move a change rather than a string of stupid foolish trades and decisions. Anytime now Brad. Laughton Carlo Holmberg Steeves Maccelli Kampf. All bad. Cowan ought to play with the marlies. He needn’t be up in the show yet. He doesn’t do much. Kampf had a good game last night with Vancouver. Fourth line centre, killed penalties, won faceoffs and scored a short handed goal. Meantime Berube had a good presser on Friday, to make up for his “Ask them” quote from the night before.
It’s not too late to turn around . They have a bottom six that shouldn’t even be in the nhl . A defence core that is even worse . The next guy that suggests drafting or trading for an American player should be ran out of town.
A turn around maybe grab Biebs a jersey and a number perhaps 34.5 a joke was from the day they brought in Lou and the pair of idiots after that . Even worse is the next pair of idiots . I’ve been a fan since 65 know how many games I watched this year 0 know how many I intend to watch 0 . Leave Scotia Bank Arena empty a few months and watch some asshole from Roger’s decide something now has to change . Let Matthews walk who is pizza dough head going to get for him anyhow Kampf of course he’d have to send Cowan with him and maybe one of those over paid useless goal fuck it hurts to say tenders
This is a management issue more than a coaching problem, Changing the coach is a short term solution of managements refusal to admit that their very talented core players do not possess the drive to dominate when it counts, time to come to terms with it and press the trade and retool/rebuild button, if Treliving goes with a coaching change he is just setting the table for his own downfall.
Ten years and absolute pathetic efforts in the playoffs and what does management say “change the dna”; do, let one star player leave. Ten years of paying the core all the money, forcing ahl players into the bottom six and this year it continues.
The core should have changed after the loss to Montreal in 20. Trades should have been made before no movement clauses kicked in. Now what? I guess force the hands of 44, 34 and 88. When the playoffs are no longer a possibility sit them. Play the multitudes of ahl players Treveling ding dong has accumulated. Hope for a top five pick but then the draft picks in 27 and 28 are gone. Carlo and Laughton as co captains. Yikes.
100% agreed! Almost always, the top players are the leaders of a team. Matthews and Nylander are NOT leaders. Unless and until these two are gone, the Leafs cannot afford to get real leaders.
Well…if the Cup won’t be won with number 34 setting the pace, then why not just rip off the band-aid now? That cupping of the ear to the fans after the goal against Chicago was disgraceful. It’s a shame that Berube may become the fall guy for the absence of leadership, immaturity and apathy the so called Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs is showing. I’d have already placed a call to Judd Moldaver requesting the list. It’s obvious both the Leafs and Matthews would be better off making a move now, not later. Failure to so could end up being another huge asset management whiff.
We don’t have first round picks the next two drafts. We cannot tank. Need to finish as high as possible. Treliving built this team. Fire him now.
I agree Treliving is part of the problem, best to make a change there. That said, firing him wouldn’t change a damn thing with the players, especially Auston. This is not about tanking, that’s already happening right in front of our eyes. What is the need to finish “as high as possible” when this team won’t even make the playoffs as constructed today? Even if they squeak in, c’mon, do you really think they can go 2-3 rounds or make it to the final? Keeping Matthews will only perpetuate this implosion, and as I mentioned above, in doing so until his contract expires would be another huge asset management whiff. We don’t have first rounders in the next two seasons? We would if we move on from 34 and the other players that have quietly quit. Like it or not, it’s time to address the uncomfortable reality that it’s time to move on now, not later, and reconstruct. Regardless of what happens, there won’t be a Stanley Cup parade in Toronto anytime soon.
I hope it’s not Berube that is dismissed. But it’s the easy thing to do so it could happen. Keith Pelley can’t be trusted to do anything right. Neither can Treliving, neither can Pridham. Marc Savard is the coach that needs to be fired because he’s not helping the powerplay. Roster construction. That’s where the problem is.
MLSE creates its own negative, public churn because the coaches and management are perpetually frozen with fear. I guess it makes sense after so many poor, misguided decisions. Part of the churn it creates manifests in social media angst against individual players. So this give me no pleasure. Morgan Rielly has been given more ice time than anyone else over the last 13 years. Look up the numbers. And it continues this season. He’s a career minus-40,
is minus-7 this season and leads the team in minutes played per game. As usual, there is no logic here but I’m sure someone at MLSE would read this and smugly say to themselves I’m an idiot fan who doesn’t understand real hockey. Time for Pelley to grow a set and back up his silly words “it’s go time” with a dose of literal. It is “go time” – literally – for Treliving, Berube, Savard, Matthews, Rielly and even Nylander, if only because you’ll get something back for him. You’ve all had your chance and failed. Just like Shanahan. Of course, in the world of buddy-bud MLSE, nothing will change, and this time next year we’ll all be staring down 59 years without even an appearance in the Stanley Cup final, MLSE is a joke to the core.
Howard,
I’m really glad you’re back to writing. It genuinely makes me happy.
I never viewed Berube as the guy who should have led Toronto. In my opinion, he slid into the manager’s chair, but the same inept style of play that leads to playoff failures has continued.
Relying on Marner to advance the puck never allowed the team to gel as a unit. Toronto rarely moves the puck back to the blueliners to let them play bombs away, and that’s a missed opportunity. On top of that, they’re mismanaging the youth—Nick and Easton should be puck hounds around the net, creating chaos.
In one of your previous articles, you perfectly labeled Nick as an “ornery prick”—funny, accurate, and honestly the highest compliment you can give someone with a real desire to win.
Toronto needs young kids chomping at the bit to move up from the AHL to the NHL. They should be slotted in every now and then to keep the internal pressure high. When Pat Quinn was GM/coach, Toronto always found serviceable AHLers who could step in—and that was back when the Baby Leafs were in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
I’ve got a feeling the next few games are going to be bonkers.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.