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 struggling St. Louis Blues fired coach Craig Berube on Tuesday night.

Drew Bannister, coach of the Springfield Thunderbirds, St. Louis' AHL affiliate, was named the team's interim coach by president of hockey operations Doug Armstrong. Bannister will travel to St. Louis on Wednesday and serve his first game behind the bench on Thursday when the Blues host the Ottawa Senators.

The New York Islanders acquired Robert Bortuzzo in a trade with the St. Louis Blues on Friday that gives the Eastern Conference playoff contenders some much-needed size and depth on the blue line amid injuries.

The Islanders sent a seventh-round pick in the 2024 draft to the Blues for the veteran defenseman, who has only gotten into four games this season while mostly sitting out as a healthy scratch.