Kyle Dubas got personal about Leafs firing at Brock U. ceremony
On Wednesday, former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas was the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Brock University, his alma mater.
The Penguins president, who graduated in Sports Management back in 2007, addressed the class of 2023. In his speech, the 37-year-old spoke highly of his time at the Canadian institution.
“Attending Brock University changed my entire life. There’s just no other way to put it,” Dubas said. “It opened the door for me to the greatest personal and professional opportunities that I could ever have.”
He also addressed the elephant in the room, briefly discussing being let go from his high-profile job last month after spending nine years with the same organization.
“On May 19, I was fired from my job with the Toronto Maple Leafs (…) I’d never been fired before,” Dubas said, laughing. “That was my first time. Hopefully my last.”
In preaching the importance of embracing failure, Dubas also owned up to his shortcomings in his time as general manager of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, and eventually the Leafs.
“We’ve had a lot of failure in my time with the Leafs and Sault Ste. Marie. I’m happy to share that with you at all times,” he explained. “That’s the way it goes.”
While discussing his experience of being let go, the Sault Ste. Marie native circled back to Brock, claiming that his former classmates were instrumental in helping him through the difficult period.
“It’s not the greatest moment of your life,” said Dubas. “The people that helped me and pushed me just so happened to be the same people that were sitting here with me in 2007.”
Following the ceremony, Dubas told a CHCH TV reporter that he had “no regrets” about his time in Toronto.
“I’ll miss the people. I’ll miss the passion of the fans and the fanbase. I thought we built a great organization there and we fell short of what we wanted to accomplish,” he explained. “They made the decision to move on and our family has moved on as well. But I’ll always look back fondly on the opportunity I was given.”
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