ST. LOUIS – Craig Berube, the only head coach to ever lead the St. Louis Blues to a Stanley Cup title, is out of the fold after six seasons.

The Blues officially relieved Berube of his head coaching duties on Tuesday after a 13-14-1 start to the 2023-24 campaign, coming off a rare season without a playoff bid. Drew Bannister has stepped in as the interim head coach.

Berube, speaking to FOX 2 just days after his departure, says he wasn’t surprised by the decision.

“A little bit of the writing’s on the wall,” said Berube in a phone call with FOX 2 Sports Director Martin Kilcoyne. “I knew there could be a change for sure. When you’re getting hired, you could be fired when things don’t go well.”

Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong broke the tough news to Berube over a beer during a closed-door chat after Tuesday’s loss, which marked a season-worst four-game losing streak. Chief says he and Armstrong are still on good terms.

“It’s not easy for anybody,” said Berube. “It’s not easy for the general manager. Doug and I are friends. I respect him immensely. He’s done great things for me, and I’ll always remember that.”

Berube tells FOX 2 that the last two seasons have come with some growing pains.

“I think it’s hard for a coach to change his colors,” said Berube. “I felt like my message is getting a little bit old, to be honest. But I do things a certain way, and that’s why I do them. It didn’t work out. It was time to move on.”

Berube’s 206 wins are the third-most all-time among Blues coaches. He made playoffs in each of his first four seasons.

It’s unclear what’s next for Chief in his hockey career, but he says he’ll always remember St. Louis fondly.

“I’ll remember this place forever,” said Berube. “How I was treated and how people treated me here in the town and within the Blues organization.”