Craig Berube was fired as the coach of the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team a few years ago after subsequent years of kicking around as a minor league coach, NHL assistant coach and longtime tough guy who recorded far more fighting minutes than goals scored.

After the Flyers, Berube couldn’t find another hockey job so he became an analyst and eventually took a job once again as a minor league hockey coach in the St. Louis Blues organization.

Suddenly in January, he got called up to replace The Blues coach who was fired and Berube became the Interim coach. Translation: we’re not sure that you will be the coach next year but you can have the job for now.

In that time, Craig Berube found himself an excellent young goal tender, taught the Blues players to believe in themselves and play for each other putting personal ego aside (and yes, Berube inherited some talented players who had the reputation of playing for themselves).

In an unlikely chain of events, the Blues who were in last place when Berube took over as Interim Coach, started winning. They made the playoffs. Actually knocked off some teams that would have been unthinkable months earlier.

They made it to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Boston Bruins and took the series to the seventh and deciding game.

In a storybook ending, The St. Louis Blues and their “interim” coach won hockey’s biggest prize.

Craig Berube became the rare coach who actually won a Stanley Cup.

The difference between failure and success is often the unwillingness to stop trying. Not only did Berube have that in his blood but infused his players with the same no quit spirit.

Success often comes right after things couldn’t get any worse – if you refuse to give up.

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