Ex-Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe praises team and jokes about Toronto media

Former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe headed into his old stomping grounds on Tuesday with perhaps a bit less fanfare than his first trip back this past January.

And with much of the attention in the city focused on the Toronto Blue Jays’ run to the World Series, Keefe himself found himself cheering along with his former city’s baseball team.

“It was great fun. It brought me back to being a kid a little bit,” Keefe said.

Though admittedly more of a bandwagon fan, Keefe was in the crowd during a memorable 2015 American League Division Series Game 5 when the Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers after Jose Bautista’s legendary seventh-inning home run.

But once the morning came around, it was business as usual for the second-year coach of the New Jersey Devils, who was let go after the 2023-24 season.

And though the local media contingent might’ve had a full focus on baseball on Monday night, Keefe was still met by a gaggle of reporters at Tuesday’s morning skate.

“Up until about 45 seconds ago, it felt like a road game… like any other road game,” Keefe joked about the size of the scrum.

Keefe’s Devils made the playoffs last season by just two points, securing the third spot in the Metropolitan Division. But off to a 4-1-0 start in his second year at the helm, he’s hoping they can take another step this year.

Part of the reason for Keefe’s confidence is his own comfort level in his new home.

“Certainly different [coming back to Toronto] this time around, the whole experience of just being in New Jersey. Second time around, having so many now established relationships that were so fresh and new, and all of that with players and staff last year, it’s feeling a lot more comfortable, I would say natural,” Keefe added.

Keefe wasn’t afraid to give his old team a few pieces of praise, either.

“They’ve got so many great threats, and [Auston Matthews] and [William Nylander], you’re just controlling so much [of the play] out there,” Keefe added. “I expect a motivated
opponent for lots of reasons.

The Leafs and Devils hit the ice at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday at 7 p.m.