St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced this evening that the team has relieved Craig Berube of his coaching duties and named Springfield Thunderbirds head coach Drew Bannister as interim coach.
Bannister will travel to St. Louis on Wednesday and play his first game behind the bench on Thursday when the Blues host the Ottawa Senators.
Bannister, 49, spent the past three seasons with the Blues' AHL affiliate in Springfield, leading the team to a 93-58-19 regular-season record. The Belleville, Ontario native has also led the Thunderbirds to consecutive playoff appearances, including in 2021-22 when they won the Eastern Conference and reached the Calder Cup Final.
Bannister began his coaching career in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), spending three seasons as an assistant with Owen Sound and three as head coach with the Soo Greyhounds. He was also head coach of the AHL's San Antonio Rampage and associate coach of the Utica Comets.
As a player, Bannister's career spanned 20 years and included 164 NHL regular season games between the Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and New York Rangers.