'We Determined A New Voice Is Needed' Why Sheldon Keefe Was Fired as Head Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Keefe departs after five seasons with the best points percentage of any head coach, but a lack of success in the playoffs made change a necessity.
Sheldon Keefe is out as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The club made it official on Thursday morning, ending five days of speculation over whether or not he'd return for the upcoming season.
A successor to Keefe was not named. The club says the process to find a replacement head coach will begin immediately.
“Today’s decision was difficult. Sheldon is an excellent coach and a great man; however, we determined a new voice is needed to help the team push through to reach our ultimate goal. We thank Sheldon for his hard work and dedication to the organization over the last nine years, and wish him and his family all the very best," Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said in a statement."
The Maple Leafs were eliminated in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs after losing to the Boston Bruins in seven games. Keefe spoke twice in the aftermath of the feat. Once after the game and then again on Monday during the club's end-of-season locker clean-out.
"We're in the results business here and we didn't get results and we haven't met expectations and as a head coach I take responsibility for that," he said. "You have a team that has expectations and has goals in mind and you don't reach them, it's not a good feeling. My job as a head coach is to find solutions and chart a path ahead for the group to come through and to succeed at the most important time of year and we haven't done that."
There was speculation on whether or not Keefe would stick in the position for any amount of time following Saturday's loss. Thursday's announcement put an end to that.
Keefe is the Maple Leafs all-time leader in points percentage for a head coach, having gone 212-97-540 (.665) in his five seasons coaching the club. He's ranked fifth on the club's all-time wins list. But his performance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is what he is currently being evaluated on, having one just one round in five seasons at the helm.
Keefe's tenure ends after he had to essentially re-apply for the job last summer when Treliving was brought in as GM to replace Kyle Dubas, the person who hired Keefe as coach back in November of 2019. Treliving elected to keep Keefe on and signed him to a new two-year extension, which kicks in this summer.
The Leafs are believed to be looking for an experienced head coach, with names like 2019 Stanley Cup-winning coach Craig Berube and Todd McLellan as potential candidates, The team's management is scheduled to hold a news conference on Friday where Treliving, team president Brendan Shanahan and newly-installed Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley will address many topics, including Keefe's dismissal.
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