Craig Berube, Blues Agree to 3-Year Contract as HC After 2019 Stanley Cup Title

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It didn't take the St. Louis Blues long to commit to head coach Craig Berube.

The team announced Tuesday that Berube—who took over as the interim coach on Nov. 19 and promptly led the team to a Stanley Cup title—had been signed to a three-year contract.

"This is a proud day for me and my family," Berube said, per Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for this team and this organization and the city has embraced me as one of their own. This past season was the experience of a lifetime and I'm anxious to get started on our title defense."

Berube led the Blues to a 38-19-6 record upon taking over as head coach and led the team to playoff series wins over the Winnipeg Jets (six games), Dallas Stars (seven games), San Jose Sharks (six games) and Boston Bruins (seven games). 

He was named a finalist for the 2019 Jack Adams Award, given to the NHL's top head coach. New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz won the award.

Regardless, Berube became a St. Louis legend after leading the team to its first Stanley Cup triumph.

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His appointment as interim head coach was a major turning point for the Blues. The other was the emergence of rookie goalie Jordan Binnington, who took over as the starter in January and went 24-5-1 with a 1.89 goals-against average and 92.7 save percentage. 

That made him a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy, given to the league's best rookie, though Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson took home the award.

Behind Berube and Binnington, the Blues shocked the NHL world and became champions. That made it all but a foregone conclusion that the Blues would do whatever it took to keep Berube with the team going into the future.