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Candidates to replace Craig Berube as Philadelphia Flyers coach

By Patrick Schmidt

Mar 28, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers head coach Craig Berube on the bench behind center Vincent Lecavalier (40) and center Brayden Schenn (10) during a game against the San Jose Sharks at Wells Fargo Center. The Sharks won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers head coach Craig Berube on the bench behind center Vincent Lecavalier (40) and center Brayden Schenn (10) during a game against the San Jose Sharks at Wells Fargo Center. The Sharks won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia Flyers fired head coach Craig Berube after two years on the job after they failed to make the playoffs this year.

Craig Berube is out as the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers after going 33-31-18 in his first full season on the bench.

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He took over for the fired Peter Laviolette three games into the season last year and led them to the postseason, but this year’s team failed to make it back and were 18 points out of a playoff spot. The Flyers led the league in overtime losses with 18 and shootout losses with 11.

Berube began his playing career with the Flyers as an undrafted free agent in 1986 and quickly developed a reputation as an enforcer and ranks among the all-time leaders in franchise history in penalty minutes. His entire coaching career has been with the Flyers organization where his first job came with the AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms.

He was promoted to the Flyers shortly afterwards when general manager Bobby Clarke resigned and coach Ken Hitchcock was let go. Berube joined the staff as an assistant to John Stevens, but he was back in the AHL for the 2007-2008 season where he stayed until he was named the Flyers head coach three games into the 2013-2014 season.

Berube had some internal strife and there was tension among he and some of the players, notably Vincent Lecavalier who didn’t think he could be successful in Philadelphia if Berube was still the team’s coach and the loss of goaltending coach Jeff Reese, reportedly caused some tension between he and Steve Mason. But it just wasn’t limited to these two apparently.

General manager Ron Hextall said Berube didn’t get enough out of the roster he gave him, which was imperfect, especially on defense and the penalty kill where they ranked 27th, but also included two of the best forwards in the league in Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek.

With Berube out the focus turns to the candidates who could be in the running to replace him in Philadelphia and the home run hire would be Mike Babcock who is a free agent at the end of the year and arguably the best coach in the NHL.

Other potential candidates in the running include Todd McClellin, Claude Julien, Todd Stephens, Kevin Dineen, Dan Bylsma and John Tortorella.

Berube has a career record of 75-58-28 and lost to the New York Rangers in a seven-game series in the first round of the playoffs last year.

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