Toronto Maple Leafs fire coach Sheldon Keefe after another early playoff exit
Posted 5/9/24
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired coach Sheldon Keefe after another early playoff exit. General manager Brad Treliving announced the decision Thursday. The Maple Leafs losing to rival Boston made it …
You must be a member to read this story.
Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.
Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here
Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
To Our Valued Readers –
Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.
For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.
Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.
Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.
Need to set up your free e-Newspaper all-access account? click here.
Non-subscribers
Click here to see your options for becoming a subscriber.
Register to comment
Click here create a free account for posting comments.
Note that free accounts do not include access to premium content on this site.
I am anchor
Toronto Maple Leafs fire coach Sheldon Keefe after another early playoff exit
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe speaks to the media at an end of season press conference in Toronto Monday, May 6, 2024. The Maple Leafs lost to the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup NHL hockey playoffs. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Posted
TORONTO (AP) — Sheldon Keefe is out as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, fired Thursday after another early exit from the NHL playoffs.
The move had been expected after Toronto lost to rival Boston in Game 7 last weekend, the fourth time in five years under Keefe that the team has lost in the first round. The Maple Leafs won just one playoff series since Keefe took over in November 2019.
“Today’s decision was difficult,” general manager Brad Treliving said in a statement. “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.”
After the league's 18th coaching change since the end of the 2022-23 season, the team said the search for Keefe's replacement will begin immediately. Treliving and other members of management are expected to address reporters Friday about the coaching change and other end-of-season topics.
Keefe, 43, joined the organization in 2015 as coach of the American Hockey League's Toronto Marlies thanks in large part to his junior hockey connection to then-assistant general manager Kyle Dubas, who was promoted and spent five season as GM before being fired last year. Keefe replaced Mike Babcock when Dubas fired him weeks into the 2019-20 season.
What followed were some excellent regular seasons and trips to the playoffs without much else to show for it. Coached by Keefe and with a core led by Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly and John Tavares, the Leafs went 16-21 in the postseason.
Earlier this week, Keefe said that while he accepts responsibility for expectations not being met, his confidence in the group’s — and his own — ability to succeed was at an all-time high.
“Now more than ever, I believe in myself and our team,” Keefe said. “That I will win and our team will win.”
That winning in Toronto, if it happens, will be under a different coach. Among the experienced options available are 2019 Stanley Cup winner Craig Berube, former Minnesota coach Dean Evason and former Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan.
!role~Preview!mt~photo!fmt~JPEG%20Baseline)
