In his farewell comments, former Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe shared his reflections on his tenure and what lies ahead in his career.
Keefe expressed his gratitude: “It was [a] tremendous honor to coach the Maple Leafs. There’s a lot that goes into that. I’ve had several well-established coaches in the league reach out to say that I should be happy now that I get to coach in the real NHL. Toronto is unique … it’s not like the rest of the league.”
Making Sense of the Toronto Experience
As other NHL coaches seemed to note, coaching the Maple Leafs is an experience unlike any other in the NHL. The experience brings intense scrutiny, leveled by a passionate fanbase, and constant media attention. All these things work together to create a pressure cooker environment that few other teams can match.
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Every game, every decision, and every performance is analyzed in minute detail by fans and hockey pundits alike. This level of attention can be both a blessing and a curse for a head coach. People care, and that can bring a sense of both elation and pressure.
Coaching the Maple Leafs carries with it some unique challenges. First is the intense media scrutiny. Toronto’s media landscape can be relentless. The city has a dedicated sports media presence that covers every aspect of the team. This constant spotlight can be overwhelming for both players and coaches, making it difficult to operate without external pressure.
The second issue is the fans’ expectations: The Maple Leafs have one of the most passionate and loyal fanbases in the NHL. They recall the team’s long history and legacy. As a result, the expectations are high. Fans can be unforgiving when the team falls short, which is a regular situation it seems.
Finally, the Maple Leafs’ leadership carries the burden of the team’s history. The desire to win a Stanley Cup is prevalent. The team wants to return to championship glory, as all NHL teams do. However, in Toronto, this comes with a measure of pressure not experienced elsewhere in the NHL. It translates to a high level of accountability and often short leashes for coaching staff and players alike.
What Does Keefe Mean by the “Real? NHL?
When Keefe mentions coaching in the “real’ NHL, he’s likely referring to the environments of other teams that, while competitive and demanding, don’t carry the same level of constant scrutiny. In many other cities, coaches have more breathing room to develop strategies, build team cohesion, and experiment with less fear of immediate backlash.
Now, as the new head coach of the New Jersey Devils, Keefe steps into a different kind of challenge. The Devils have a dedicated fanbase, but the team does not face the same level of intense media scrutiny and historical pressure that attended his job with the Maple Leafs. This could allow Keefe to implement his vision with greater freedom and less interference, focusing more on the development and performance of his team rather than managing external expectations.
The Bottom Line for Sheldon Keefe with the Devils
The one thing that Keefe will have with the Devils that he didn’t have in his tenure with the Maple Leafs is a chance to learn from his mistakes. It had to be tough being a first-time NHL coach in a market like Toronto. All jobs come with a learning curve, and Keefe lived his learning curve publicly.
He has to be better prepared in his second go-round than he was in his first. He’s likely far more ready to face the challenges ahead. Toronto gave him an intense, high-pressure environment to test his metal. He enters the job in New Jersey with more experience and insight.
Look for Keefe to have a better season in New Jersey than he likely had in Toronto. He’s a more experienced and capable coach. He’s been through it all before. With the Devils, Keefe will finally embrace coaching in the “real” NHL. Only the 2024-25 regular season will show how he’ll employ expertise and lessons learned from Toronto to a new chapter in his coaching career.
