Brendan Shanahan, the President and Alternate Governor for the Toronto Maple Leaf’s announced that they had fired Mike Babcock as the head coach. This decision comes after Babcock underperformed this season and had a six-game losing streak. He is now replaced by Sheldon Keefe, which has shocked sports analysts and fans of the Maple Leaf’s alike.
Sheldon Keefe was the former head coach for the Toronto Marlies, the American Hockey League version of the Maple Leaf’s. He’s coached more than 300 games, with 200 of them being wins. He is considered to be the top coach in the AHL, even at 39-years-old. It’s expected that whatever strategies he implemented at the American Hockey League will be brought over to the National Hockey League. It should also be noted that Keefe won the Marlies their first championship Calder Cup title in 2018.
Before coaching in the American Hockey League, Sheldon Keefe was the Head Coach for the Sault Marie Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey League. This Brampton, Ontario-Born Hockey Player led this OHL Team to two playoff titles before being picked up by the Toronto Marlies. During his team with the Greyhounds, he coached them to 100 victories. Throughout his career, Sheldon Keefe has coached 300+ winning games. After more than a decade of experience in coaching, this upcoming figure in the NHL will bring his formidable talents to the Maple Leaf’s. Subsequently, we could see the Leaf’s win their first championship in decades.
Coaching Positions
Sheldon Keefe hasn’t just coached throughout his formidable career in professional hockey. He has also acted s the General Manager for the Pembroke Lumber Kings, leading them to five consecutive championship victories from 2007 to 2011. Keefe’s professional experience came when he was asked by Team Canada’s Men’s Summer U18 Team to be an assistant coach.
Sheldon Keefe played professional hockey between 1998 and 2000. He played more than 125+ National Hockey League games but ultimately found himself in a better position with coaching. However, he holds numerous titles to his record, like the Ontario Hockey Leagues Rookie of the Year. The Toronto Maple Leaf’s confirmed that there wouldn’t be any other changes to the coaching staff made in the 2020 Season. The Toronto Marlies will now be co-coached by Rob Davison and AJ MacLean.