After his own fans booed him Thursday night in St. Louis, Blues star Jordan Kyrou apologized during an emotional postgame interview for comments he made about former coach Craig Berube.
Kyrou, 25, was booed when his name was announced in the starting lineup for the Blues' game against the Ottawa Senators. There were occasional boos when he touched the puck during the game as well.
"I definitely heard those," Kyrou said. "That's not easy, obviously, but I see where they're coming from. It's definitely tough. I love playing here. I love playing for these fans."
The Blues' 4-2 win over the Senators was their first game since Berube was fired on Tuesday night after six seasons, having led the franchise to its first Stanley Cup championship in 2019. St. Louis was 13-14-1 under Berube this season.
When Kyrou was asked about his relationship with Berube on Thursday, he responded: "I've got no comment. He's not my coach anymore." Meanwhile, Kyrou praised interim coach Drew Bannister, calling it a "fresh start" for the team and a chance to "get our culture back a little bit."
Kyrou said he realized his comments had gone viral hours before the Blues' game against the Senators.
"Sorry if it sounded in a bad way at all," he said. "I'm just really trying to focus on the future here and focus on what I can do to help get the wins for the boys."
Kyrou acknowledged that Berube helped round out his game and make him a more complete NHL player.
"I obviously respect Chief," he said. "He's been my coach the whole time I've been here. I respect everything he's done. He won a Cup, you know? 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."
When the postgame questions turned to Blues fans booing the star forward, Kyrou's eyes welled up and he was overcome with emotion, pausing to collect himself during his answers.
"It's the toughest game I've played, to be honest," he said. "I love playing here. It's tough to hear the fans booing me here."
Kyrou had an assist and was a plus-3 in the win over Ottawa. He has been a disappointment for the Blues this season, with just 5 goals in 29 games after scoring a career-high 37 goals in 79 games last season.
Bannister, who earned his first NHL coaching victory, voiced support for Kyrou after the game.
"He's an outstanding kid," Bannister said. "He cares a lot about his teammates. He cares a lot about this organization and he cares a lot about the fan base. He's disappointed in himself right now for his play. He is trying to find his way through what he's doing.
"Jordan's got to work through it. We can't hold Jordan's hand. Jordan's got to dig in himself, and he's got to find a way through this."