Sheldon Keefe was fired as head coach of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, five days after the club was eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Boston Bruins.
The Maple Leafs. who have not won the NHL crown since 1967, were ousted with a 2-1 overtime loss at Boston in game seven of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference first round series.
The Maple Leafs. who have not won the NHL crown since 1967, were ousted with a 2-1 overtime loss at Boston in game seven of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference first round series.
The Leafs have won only one playoff series since 2004, defeating Tampa Bay in last year’s first round.
Today’s decision was difficult,” Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said. “Sheldon is an excellent coach and a great man; however, we determined a new voice is needed to help the team push through to reach our ultimate goal.”
The organization has started the search for a new head coach.ú
The 43-year-old Canadian had spent five seasons as coach of the Leafs’ top development club before replacing the fired Mike Babcock in November 2019. Upon his arrival, Keefe’s Leafs went 15-4-1, the best 20-game start of any coach in the Leafs’ history, which dates to 1917.
