Berube outline

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- When Craig Berube stepped onto the ice Thursday, the St. Louis Blues coach didn't know what to make of what he saw.

Berube, like many of the players, saw what appeared to look like a crime scene surrounded by cones and a drawing of a body and a hockey stick. Naturally, it piqued Berube's interest.
"I didn't know what it was," Berube said after practice Thursday. "I thought maybe it was some kids' hockey before and they were drawing on the ice or something. I was irritated because I saw it, but then I realized what it was, so I laughed."

Berube laughed because on Wednesday, the Blues were running a drill in which the coach and forward David Perron collided. So as not to injure the Blues right wing, Berube took the brunt of the collision and fell to the ice himself.
Known for his tough exterior from his playing days in the NHL, the players all reacted accordingly to seeing the coach on the ice with oohs and ahhs. Berube got up, dusted himself off and continued instructing the drill as if nothing happened.
On Thursday, the players congregated around Berube before practice started. Berube was addressing who the culprit of the drawings was. Nobody would confess, although Perron and Ryan O'Reilly were caught laughing about it.
"I'm not sure. I thought it was David Perron, but I'm not sure exactly," Berube said. "I thought it was him. I'll probably have to take him off the power play."
When the players were pressed to confess, they wouldn't.
"You know what, I don't know yet," defenseman Robert Bortuzzo said laughing. "I don't know if you're going to get an answer from that one to be honest. You can keep digging if you want, although it was very impressive. I don't know how big they thought 'Chief' was, but that body they drew was not exactly the scale. Someone was on their toes today and it was good stuff. It gave us a good chuckle.
"I don't know how many artistic guys we've got in that room. It was the best someone could do, I think."
Defenseman Justin Faulk would not divulge any details either.
"I have no idea," Faulk said with a grin. "I stepped on the ice. I think I was third to the last guy out there, so I was a little late to the party."