Craig Berube, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach
Forward of Saturday’s recreation vs. Washington, head coach Craig Berube mentioned Auston Matthews’ progress towards a return and the problem in opposition to Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals.
Was it encouraging to see #34 on the market skating right now?
Berube: Yeah, it was good to see him on the ice. Effectively, he has been on the ice for the final couple of days, so he’s making actual good progress, which is nice. He’s feeling rather a lot higher.
Auston Matthews, who will miss tonight’s recreation in opposition to the Capitals, skated for about half-hour this morning. pic.twitter.com/0kA87eeRnM
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 28, 2024
Is there a goal date for a return?
Berube: No, it’s too early but.
Is there a goal date for Jani Hakanpaa in any respect?
Berube: No. He has been skating, however he’s a methods away but.
How did you want doing the coach’s clinic right now?
Berube: It was nice as a result of Auston was on the market, so that they weren’t paying consideration. I used to be simply speaking to myself the entire time, which was excellent. I don’t blame them. I might be watching Matthews, too.
No, it was good. It was nice that there have been lots of coaches there. I get pleasure from that stuff — speaking to coaches and younger coaches — and taking questions. I get pleasure from that.
Everyone has to start out someplace, whether or not you’re a youth coach or a junior coach. You might be at all times trying to get new concepts. It’s the similar as me. I’m at all times speaking to coaches and studying about coaches, getting new concepts, and attempting to be taught and get higher.
What stands out in regards to the Capitals’ success this 12 months?
Berube: They’re an excellent workforce. In case you look down the middle ice, it’s a deep heart group. It’s massive, and their workforce has nice measurement. I assumed they added some defensemen who actually drove their workforce up. Their goalies have been good.
They play a very good model of hockey. It is rather direct. I at all times say, “How do you want your team to look?” The Capitals get on a nightly foundation how they need their workforce to look.
Once you take a look at the Capitals’ bodily buy-in, what do you concentrate on your individual personal workforce’s degree of buy-in?
Berube: They’re shopping for in. It’s a fixed message and a continuing educating — being bodily, having good sticks, blocking photographs. It’s the ugly a part of the sport, however it will be important. It’s the way you win. We now have to maintain engaged on it and preserve educating it.
Alex Ovechkin is anticipated to come back again tonight. What involves thoughts while you take a look at the totality of his profession?
Berube: It’s sensational; it’s simply his measurement and energy and his mindset recreation in and recreation out.
It looks as if he’s at all times in a very good temper on the market and is having fun with the sport. Watching him from afar, whether or not I’m teaching or simply watching, he actually loves the sport. He loves to attain objectives, and he scores them in lots of other ways. You could be proper on him, and if he will get his stick on the puck, it will probably go in.
He’s clearly top-of-the-line goal-scorers of all time. Everyone knows that. If he performs tonight, we’ve got to be on him and we’ve got to be tight to him. You could be solely this far manner, and he can shoot it within the internet.
The workforce laid out for some massive shot blocks within the win over Detroit on Friday.
Berube: I assumed our workforce was dedicated coming off of the break. We performed a tough recreation. Detroit performed a tough recreation. I assumed they had been a handful. I assumed they got here out and labored, actually driving the tempo of the sport. However we managed it, and we did a very good job.
