ST. LOUIS – A time of transition for the St. Louis Blues has proven especially tough for 25-year-old forward Jordan Kyrou, who was brought to tears Thursday after a barrage of boos in the first game after a major coaching change.
Earlier on Thursday, Kyrou spoke one-on-one with The Athletic’s Blues beat writer Jeremy Rutherford and delivered a comment that caught attention on social media. Rutherford asked Kyrou about former head coach Craig Berube, who was fired Tuesday after six seasons and coaching the Blues to their first and only Stanley Cup title in 2019.
According to Rutherford, Kyrou offered the following remarks Thursday afternoon on his relationship with Berube: “I’ve got no comment. He’s not my coach anymore.”
Hours later, Kyrou dressed for his first game under interim head coach Drew Bannister. And it appeared fans caught on to Kyrou’s comment from earlier in the day. He was met with loud boos just moments before the game during the Blues’ pregame introductions.
Kyrou ended the game with one assist on a tic-tac-toe goal and skated roughly 17 minutes. At certain points of the game, boos continued to ring out as Kyrou lost a puck battle or fell victim to a turnover.
It’s a lot to unpack, but Kyrou took accountability after the game. Speaking with reporters for several minutes, he quickly addressed his remarks on Berube and explained the impact he had on his hockey career.
“I obviously respect Chief,” said Kyrou. “He’s been my coach the whole time I’ve been here [at the NHL level], right? I respect everything he’s done here. He’s done great job, he won a [Stanley] Cup, right? All I really meant [in his previous chat with Rutherford] was I’m just trying to focus on my future and focus on what I can do to help my team win. That’s all I really meant.”
In a series of follow-up questions, Kyrou was asked about Thursday’s boos and a message he hoped to get across to fans. The exchange brought an emotional Kyrou to tears about his time with Blues.
Two responses from Kyrou particularly stood out among his postgame comments.
On the boos: “I definitely heard those. It’s not easy, obviously, but I see where [fans] are coming from. That’s definitely tough. I love playing here, and I love playing in front of the fans. … “It’s just tough, right? I love playing here. So, it’s just tough to hear the fans booing me there.”
On his message to fans: “I’m sorry if [the pregame comments] sounded in a bad way at all. Like I said, I’m really trying to focus on the future here and focus on what I can do to help our team win and get wins for the boys.”
It’s been a tough start to the 2023-24 campaign for Kyrou, now in the second year of an eight-year contract he signed that matches him with teammate Robert Thomas as the Blues’ highest-paid player.
After a career-high 37 goals last season, Kyrou has just five through nearly one-third of the season. His current pace of 15 goals and 51 points is a far cry from his production of the last two seasons.
Berube had been adamant on his vision for Kyrou and Thomas to become stronger two-dimensional players. The defensive side of things hasn’t quite materialized for Kyrou, whose -37 plus-minus rating last season was the league’s second worst and production of hits and blocks has been relatively low.
Kyrou also addressed his lack of production in his postgame comments.
“I’m trying to focus on my future and trying to focus on being a more complete player, and what I can do to help the team win,” said Kyrou moments after the tears. “That’s just my goal right now.”
Bannister, who previously worked with Kyrou at the AHL level offered support amid his whirlwind of emotions.
“He’s an outstanding kid, and he cares a lot about his teammates. He cares a lot about this organization, and he cares a lot about this fan base. He’s disappointed in himself right now for his play. He is trying to find his way through what he’s doing right now. … He’s searching for answers, and Jordan’s got to work his way through it. Myself, the rest of the team, they’re here to support him.”
The Blues improve to 14-14-1 on the season with a victory in Bannister’s head coaching debut and currently rest in a Western Conference Wild Card slot. St. Louis concludes a three-game homestand on Saturday with a division matchup against the Dallas Stars.
