On Tuesday at the Prudential Center in Newark, Sheldon Keefe was introduced as the newest coach of the New Jersey Devils. Keefe signed a four-year contract with the Devils after five seasons with the Maple Leafs. skinner edmonton oilers
Keefe’s regular-season success was well-known. The 43-year-old went 212-97-40 in 349 regular-season games with Toronto. The Leafs were among the best teams in the Atlantic Division, finishing in the top three and making the Stanley Cup Playoffs in all five seasons.
But as impressive as his regular-season record was, his playoff numbers were that much more worrisome.
Toronto lost in the first round in four of the five seasons under Keefe. The only step forward they took in that time was snapping a 19-year playoff series victory drought with a 4-2 first-round win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2023discount code pro hockey life. Keefe finished 16-21 in the playoffs, a winning percentage of only .432.
So after the Maple Leafs were knocked out in the first round by the Boston Bruins this year, Keefe had a pretty good idea that his time in Toronto would be coming to an end.
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“I had a pretty good sense that that day I was going to wake up and be called into work for a meeting, and knew what the result was going to be,” Keefe said Tuesdaydid the vancouver canucks ever won the stanley cup. “Didn’t sleep much that night, was up around 3 a.m. and rolling around in bed.”
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He was right, as Toronto fired him the next day. But Keefe also used that time wisely. The coach decided to film a quick video, thanking Leafs’ fans and all that were involved in his time in Ontario. He believed this was a necessary and simple step to providing closure to both sides, something he felt he needed before moving on.
“I didn’t quite know what was going to be next and what was ahead,” he said. “But I did know that I wanted to bring some closure to the situation in Toronto, knowing that I learned and grew a lot through that opportunity.”
Keefe will now join a Devils team that missed the playoffs this season after advancing to the second round in 2023.
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