Once-fiery Keefe learning to stay calm
Marlies head coach finding new ways to win while developing NHLers
Sheldon Keefe is a very different coach today from when he first got behind the bench of the Junior A Pembroke LumberKings in the fall of 2006.
“I go back to the first game I ever coached as head coach of the LumberKings,” Keefe was saying one day through Toronto Marlies playoff run. “I got kicked off the bench in the very first exhibition game I ever coached. I remember walking off the bench thinking, ‘This is absolutely ridiculous.’ I’ve come a long way since then.”
Indeed, Keefe has. A controversial player in part because of his competitive spirit and in part because of his association with some questionable personalities, Keefe has remade himself as a coach and has accomplished just about everything he possibly could. With Pembroke, the LumberKings won a national championship. He moved on to the OHL, hired by then Greyhounds GM Kyle Dubas. Ultimately he followed Dubas to Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, helping to build the Marlies brand and fan base capped by the team’s first Calder Cup in 2018. And recently, he signed a two-year extension to remain as head coach of the Marlies as the Maple Leafs found a way to keep one of the rising young coaching stars under wraps, an heir apparent to Leafs coach Mike Babcock if he doesn’t make it to the end of his eight-year deal.
There are a lot of reasons the Toronto Marlies attract some of the best veteran AHLers and promising free agents. The team can pay better; the team treats its players in a first-class manner with everything, from nutrition to training; and the pipeline to the Maple Leafs and a shot at the NHL is now well established. But the presence of Keefe — who now has a proven record of developing NHLers — cannot be overstated.
“He wants to win, first and foremost, and he wants to look at every aspect in order to win,” forward Chris Mueller says. “He’s trying to improve himself and then improve his team. He’s willing to adapt, willing to look at what works, what doesn’t work and make adjustments. Whether that’s in game or in season, he’s willing to take advice of our leadership group or other voices or other people. But, just, he expects a lot of us players, but he gives a lot of respect. He’s the kind of coach you want to play for. Someone who demands excellence but also pushes you to be a better player.”
Keefe’s strength as a coach is that he’s a communicator.
“I would say he’s most like (New York Islanders head coach) Barry Trotz, from all the coaches I’ve had,” says veteran Rich Clune, a 32-year-old finishing his fourth season in the Maple Leafs organization after three seasons with Nashville. “The thing that stands out for me, he’s obviously found his voice. He’s very much the leader of the whole program.”
Managing a minor-league roster is very different from managing an NHL roster, with roster-size limits. AHL teams carry a lot of extra players to save wear and tear because teams will often play three games in three nights. Those players are always clamouring for extra playing time, because that’s the only way scouts will see them. For those that don’t play, it can be devastating. Keefe makes sure those players feel welcome and have practices just as intense as those of the regulars.
“He’s had a difficult task managing the players in the game,” Clune says, “plus an extended roster that doesn’t really exist (in the NHL). It’s not just like he has the extra guys kicking around playing 2-on-2. It’s a very structured program. He’s cognizant of everybody, not just the guys in the game. That’s something that stands out that’s probably unique about this organization.”
Veteran defenceman Steve Oleksy had a unique perch from which to watch Keefe grow. Oleksy was a Marlie in 2016-17, early in Keefe’s tenure, and returned to the team for the end of this season. He noticed a difference in how Keefe did things.
“He’s changed a little bit as far as dealing with players,” Oleksy says. “I feel he’s much more mature and handles things very well. His hockey sense has always been there. That’s part of the sport. You grow. Last year, winning a championship, you have a full understanding of what it takes to be successful.
“It’s a tough job being a coach. You make tough decisions every day. You deal with a lot of different personalities; you have to approach each player differently. To get the best out of them, to get the most out of them. I think he’s done a good job growing as a leader and understanding that every approach with every player is different. Some guys you can be hard on, some guys you can’t. I think those are the coaches that win.”
Communication is not Keefe’s only strength.
“In terms of Xs and Os, he does his research on every single team,” forward Colin Greening says. “He understands tendencies. His adaptability in the game is something that I noticed. In terms of how he addresses the team, in terms of motivation, I would say he is a very good speaker.’
Keefe jokes now that his one regret as a coach is that he never had that over-the-edge moment where he threw all his players’ sticks on the ice, an absurdly common event in junior hockey. He just knows he can’t go over that line, at least not when the game is on the line.
“When I talk about him maturing and growing as a coach, I think that’s one thing he’s done well,” Oleksy says. “Understand that if he goes over the top — a bad call or whatever — us as players, we tend to follow that. That’s the last thing you want as a coach, 16, 17, 18 players going crazy on the bench. Then we lose focus as well. I think he’s done a good job about changing that. Although he might be upset about something, he releases it at the right time he understands that us as players will follow his lead.”
But that fieriness remains in him, fuelling him.
“I am a competitor,” Keefe says. “I think that’s why you want to stay in the game and stay involved. As I am. As other coaches are. You’ve got to temper it. You’ve got to recognize a lot of the time the players are feeding off your energy, and you have to keep all those things in mind.
“But also you have a lot on your mind, too. You have to keep a clear head.”