Head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs Craig Berube recently addressed the team’s struggles during its early season losing streak, specifically explaining why the team is making critical mistakes. In an honest conversation with reporters, Bérubé highlighted the challenges of the start of the season and the return of “old habits” that the team must clean up to achieve peak performance. His comments highlight the increasing challenges of learning a new system and the importance of discipline to avoid costly mistakes.

Early season adjustments and old habits that continue to resurface

According to Bérubé, some of the Maple Leafs’ mistakes can be attributed to two reasons. First, there are the challenges of the start of the season. Learning a new system, especially for a team with several young or newly signed players, comes with an inevitable adaptation period. Last night’s loss to the Boston Bruins is an example. In overtime, Auston Matthews thrown away a pass that was interceptedleading to the Bruins’ winning goal.

Bérubé acknowledges that players are still comfortable with the new strategies and approaches he introduced. As players become more familiar with these changes, he expects the issues to subside, allowing the team to develop a more consistent and fluid style of play.

Second, Bérubé observed the return of “old habits” during matches. Despite their training and team meetings, players sometimes fall back into previous playing styles or decision-making patterns that can disrupt the overall flow of the team. Bérubé knows that breaking these ingrained habits requires constant effort and attention to detail. He emphasized that the team is working to curb these habits because, in his words in the video above, “if we do that, we’ll be in good shape.” In other words, remaining focused on improvement and discipline is crucial to their future success.

Limiting mistakes as a key to success and overcoming growing pains

For Bérubé, tackling these old habits is more than just an exercise in discipline; it is a necessity for winning games. Costly mistakes have contributed to the team’s losing streak, making it even more critical for the Maple Leafs to limit these mistakes as they continue the season. With Bérubé emphasizing the importance of consistency and clean play, it’s clear that the team’s path is to control its play to avoid breakdowns that allow opponents to capitalize on their mistakes.