Pelley made it clear that as a sports-focused CEO, making money for ownershup isn't his guideline for success.
Pelley made it clear that as a sports-focused CEO, making money for ownershup isn't his guideline for success.
Having only been officially on the job for about a month, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley made it a point to be present for the Toronto Maple Leafs' end-of-season media availability.
Pelley stressed he was not going to make it a habit of being present during team availabilities but given it was the first time he had spoken publicly since taking over the position since taking the position, he felt the need to address the priorities of the Leafs' parent ownership.
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"Good is simply not good enough. I can assure you that is the collective position of ownership, and when I asked during the interview stage what was the definition of success to the owners, one of them immediately said emphatically, 'Just win'", Pelley said.
Pelley said he's still assessing things given how recently he took the position and also reaffirmed GM Brad Treliving's decision to dismiss Sheldon Keefe as head coach.
"We need to win. Nothing else matters. And no doubt you've heard that before, but I am 1,000% committed to it," Pelley said.
The new MLSE CEO is the first person in the position to speak publicly regarding Maple Leafs matters since Tim Lieweke departed in 2015. Pelley comes from a background of sports and media, including acting as the president of Rogers Media when the company put forth the winning bid to broadcast national hockey games in Canada for 12 seasons from 2004-2026. He also helped run Canada's Olympics Broadcast Media Consortium, a company jointly held by Rogers and Bell to broadcast the Canadian Olympics in 2010 and 2012.
Before joining MLSE, Pelley was the CEO of the PGA European Tour, and there's no doubt he brings a more sports-focused angle to his role than his predecessors, Michael Friisdahl and interim CEO Cynthia Devine.
Pelley, a native of Etobicoke, said helping steward the Maple Leafs is what lured him back after living abroad. While the Leafs are a money maker, he insists he is driven to bring the team success.
"The fans here not only deserve but demand a championship. And there's no complacency. We're not here to sell jerseys. We're here to win. And we're going to do everything we possibly can to do that," Pelley said. "As much as I love this city and Toronto is my home, that was not the lure for me to come back. The lure for me to come back was the possibility and the commitment to be successful and to win with the Toronto Maple Leafs."
Sitting next to team president Brendan Shanahan and GM Brad Treliving. Shanahan has been at the helm of the club for 10 years and faces much scrutiny over the Maple Leafs' lack of playoff success during his time in Toronto. Treliving joined the team less than a year ago and this will be his first full offseason after jumping onto a moving truck at the end of May of last year.
But Pelley made it clear that he's happy with the current managerial structure and that's not going to change in the short term.
"When I talk about chemistry and unity, I talk about it throughout the entire organization, from ownership all the way to the equipment manager. Everybody has to pull on the exact same rope. Everybody has to understand what the objective or the goal is. There has to be unwavering support for each other. There's no defensiveness," Pelley said. "Brendan and Brad know what they have to do this summer, and they're the experts at it. And what I'm going to be is support for them to hopefully drive the importance of chemistry and unity through the entire organization."
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