Hours after Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan's dismissal, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president and CEO Keith Pelley had dinner with head coach Craig Berube.
It's been five days since Toronto was boo'd off the ice inside Scotiabank Arena after their lopsided 6-1 loss the Florida Panthers in Game 7. In the days of the aftermath, everyone from the Maple Leafs staff, fans, and media dissected Toronto's playoff failure.
Ultimately, it was decided that MLSE would part ways with Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan.
In doing so, Pelley has opened the door to being more involved with the day-to-day decisions of the hockey club. The MLSE CEO stated on Friday that while he'll be more of a sounding board for those decisions, GM Brad Treliving and Berube will have more influence on the club's determinations.
Throughout his media availability, Pelley compared the Maple Leafs' fan support to that of a European football club. "I saw it this year more than I could remember," he said. "And that tribalism reminded me of my involvement in European football and what happens in the Premier League, where people are invested."
'I Was Saddened By That' MLSE CEO Keith Pelley Reflects on Fans' Anger During Maple Leafs Playoff Elimination Games
One day after Keith Pelley informed Brendan Shanahan he would not be renewed as Toronto Maple Leafs president and alternate governor, the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO described his emotions of having to sit through two consecutive embarrassing 6-1 losses to the Florida Panthers in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
What also occurs in European football is how much control a coach has over the roster of players they're using. With Shanahan exiting the picture, Treliving's decisions won't need to be approved by a team president.
It'll be a clean slate, with Berube having more of a voice in what his Maple Leafs team will look like entering next season.
"I'm a firm believer that the coach has to be involved more than just on the day of the game and in the dressing room. And we have a wonderful asset in Craig, and we have a wonderful asset in Brad," Pelley said Friday.
"And they'll surround themselves with the resources that they need. Like I said, you can have resources, but you have to use them in the right way. How we use them is something we will determine in the weeks ahead."
MLSE CEO Keith Pelley Explains Decision Not To Hire New Maple Leafs President After Brendan Shanahan’s Dismissal
Fans stood alongside Legends Row before Scotiabank Arena, taking photos with the Toronto Maple Leafs' icons. At the same time, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president and CEO <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzx3yMu-JNY">Keith Pelley sat less than 15 feet away</a>, inside the building, discussing another early playoff exit for his hockey club.
Although it was another difficult playoff exit, MLSE still believes the Maple Leafs made improvements. Entering next season, though, the company hopes to see more gains made under Treliving and Berube.
"Yes, we won the Atlantic Division, and we came one game to making the conference finals and beating the defending champions, and a pretty good Florida team that seems to be having their way with the Carolina Hurricanes right now," Pelley said.
"But as I said, winning is what matters. That's what I said again last year. That's what ownership is committed to. That's what we're committed to. I have my utmost confidence in Brad and my utmost confidence in Craig."
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