Despite a win for his St. Louis Blues against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, forward Jordan Kyrou had a bad night at the office that he certainly won't forget.
The player, in his sixth season, provided an assist in the 4-2 win but will remember much more from this encounter than just the scoresheet. He had previously sowed doubt in the minds of many by refusing to comment in detail on the firing of head coach Craig Berube, who had been temporarily replaced by Drew Bannister the day before.
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However, the lack of subtlety was perceived very negatively by the public, who expressed their dissatisfaction to Kyrou. When his name was called by the Blues' house announcer, who introduced the club's starting lineup, boos could be heard in the Enterprise Center. During the confrontation there were further disapproving reactions towards the ice hockey player when he touched the puck.
The fans' dissatisfaction was noticed by the person most affected, who burst into tears in front of journalists in an interview after the game. Watch the video above.
“I really heard them,” he admitted with emotion. It is not easy. I see clearly how it started, with my words [précédents]. It's really hard, isn't it? I like playing here. That’s why it’s hard to accept that you’re being booed here.”
Before the game, Kyrou simply indicated to the media that he did not want to elaborate on Berube's departure, hinting that “he is no longer our head coach.” Unsurprisingly, the speech was somewhat larger when he was given another opportunity to speak on the subject, this time after the hostile reception.
“Of course I respect Chief [Berube] and everything he has achieved. He was my coach throughout my time here. He did a great job and won a Stanley Cup. [en 2018-2019], he said. I just wanted to remind myself that I'm trying to focus on my future and how I can help this team win.
Coast to go up
Luckily for Kyrou, he can take comfort in the idea that the Blues got general manager Doug Armstrong's message. After conceding 20 goals in their previous four games, they got back to the .500 mark. However, we must move on.
“It’s not me, the story. This will never be the case. It's more the players we have here. I'm proud of the way they performed. This group has been through a lot in the last 48 hours. “It wasn’t perfect, but they responded well,” said Bannister, as reported by NHL.com.
“I think we were solid, playing aggressively and quickly around the puck, together,” Kyrou added of his trio completed by Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas. We supported each other well, that’s how we want to play.”
It remains to be seen whether the striker's next home evening will be more pleasant. His team hosts the Dallas Stars on Saturday.