What’s been a rough couple of days for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and is only going to be more eventful on Friday night, has been even more so for head coach Craig Berube.
And, surprisingly, it has little to do with the much-anticipated and emotion-fuelled return of former Leaf Mitch Marner to what will likely be a smattering of boos and jeers at Scotiabank Arena (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT).
For Berube, times have been tough(er?) off the ice. More specifically, in the weight room.
“Just had an accident in the gym yesterday,” the second-year Maple Leafs bench boss explained to reporters on Friday morning, sporting a bruised eye and battered forehead.
While Berube offered few details on the incident, other than it occurring on Thursday, he did joke that “the other guy looks way worse. There were three of them.”
The 60-year-old did clarify there was no altercation and that it was “stupid, it was a bad accident. It’s on me, my fault. I’m fine.”
And if there was any doubt whether the injury would keep Berube from coaching in Friday night’s tilt against friend-turned-foe Marner and his Golden Knights, Berube squashed it swiftly with a “yes” when asked to confirm his availability.
The battle-scarred head coach and his club now ready themselves for what’ll be a tense matchup against Vegas, underscored by the fact that Toronto is aiming to bounce back from a two-game skid and four losses out of its last five.
It’s safe to say Berube will be hoping the Maple Leafs fare better against the Golden Knights than he did against his last workout.
