Craig Berube recently suffered a nasty but non-serious cut to his head and a black eye in what he called a “stupid” accident at the gym, not from a game incident or a fight.

What actually happened

  • Berube told reporters he had an accident in the gym the day before a Maple Leafs game in late January 2026.
  • When he took off his hat, he revealed a long gash on the top of his head that needed around a dozen stitches, plus a swollen black eye.
  • He repeatedly downplayed it, calling it “stupid,” “a bad accident,” and saying it was his fault but that he was fine and able to coach.

Did he explain the details?

  • Berube has not given specific details about exactly what he was doing when he got hurt. He joked that “the other guy looks way worse” and that there were “three of them,” but then refused to elaborate.
  • When pressed, he said he’d rather not talk about it and that “nobody needs to know,” confirming only that it happened while working out.

Because of that, any precise story you see (for example, about a treadmill, a weight, or a particular exercise) is speculation, not confirmed fact.

Is he okay and still coaching?

  • Despite the dramatic look of the wound, Berube said he is okay, and the injury is considered an upper-body, cosmetic-type issue rather than something that affects his ability to coach.
  • He was expected to be behind the bench for the Maple Leafs’ game against the Vegas Golden Knights shortly after the incident.
  • His players reportedly laughed about it once they heard what happened, which he seemed to take in stride.

Bottom line: What happened to Craig Berube’s head is that he suffered a large cut and a black eye in an off-ice gym accident, the exact details of which he has chosen not to share publicly.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.