The MLSE CEO spoke on Tuesday at the PrimeTime Sports Management Conference in Toronto.
When Keith Pelley took over as CEO of MLSE in January, he quickly saw the potential within the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan and GM Brad Treliving are the heads at the NHL table, but when Toronto failed to get out of the first round against the Boston Bruins in May, new changes needed to be made.
The organization cut ties with then-head coach Sheldon Keefe and hired Craig Berube not even one month later. And already, through the first 16 games of the NHL season, Pelley is witnessing first-hand the chemistry between all three of Shanahan, Treliving, and Berube.
"People ask me how the Leafs are different this year, and I say culture and chemistry is the right ‘Double C,'" Pelley said at the PrimeTime Sports Management Conference in downtown Toronto Tuesday, via Sportsnet's Ryan Dixon.
"We, right now, have what I call the perfect triangle (with) the Toronto Maple Leafs. I have no idea what happened over the last 10 years, (but) I know that culture, I know that chemistry is there (now). That (became clear) when I really observed (Leafs president) Brendan Shanahan and (GM) Brad Treliving, and I looked at the chemistry they had, and it was phenomenal. The chemistry wasn’t quite there with the previous head coach (Sheldon Keefe), so after the season we brought in Craig Berube to that triangle of chemistry."
Toronto is currently second in the Atlantic Division with 20 points, only behind the Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers, who have 23 points. The Maple Leafs had some bumps out of the gate, struggling with their offense and power play, but as of late have found their footing.
Pelley understands that it might take time for the team to learn Berube's systems, but even then, he can already see the bond that the Maple Leafs are developing.
"The team is obviously playing a different style of hockey this year, it takes a while to learn (that). With the style of hockey we’re playing, it’s not about beating teams 6-4. So, they’re learning that style," he said.
"When you go into the dressing room after the game, you see the chemistry, you see the culture and you can’t win in business, you can’t win in sport, without the right chemistry and culture."
Since 2004, the Maple Leafs have only won one playoff round, against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022. It's a place the team wants to surpass under new leadership with Berube.
But when it comes to a championship culture, it needs to start from the top down. Pelley already expressed his desire to win with every team under the MLSE bubble, but he shared a stronger message on Tuesday.
"MLSE, we want to be an entertainment powerhouse, we want to be a community titan — we’re not right now, there’s so much more that we can do in charity with the community — and we want a relentless pursuit of championships," the MLSE CEO said.