Confirmed with Link: Sheldon Keefe extended 2 years

[kb]

What a difference a month makes.

This we agree 100% on. It's bigger than night and day.

 

[Mitchy]

So the Leafs are at a 110 point pace ever since Keefe took over.

Only COL (113) and TB (112) have been better.


They're 2nd only to COL in xGF% under Keefe too.

Yes, but you see making hot takes when a team loaded with elite talent has a completely sustainable PDO below .960 is much more fun!

 

[Menzinger]

Keefe certainly looks like he knows what he's doing, hard to argue against these results.

This is the tightest defensively a Leafs team has played in well over 15 years

 

[napoleon in rags]

Love these threads, more thrills from the 180's here than I get in my sports car.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Keefe certainly looks like he knows what he's doing, hard to argue against these results.

This is the tightest defensively a Leafs team has played in well over 15 years

The personnel is a part of it IMO. A 3rd pairing of Sandin and Liljegren is better than anything we've had in over 50 years and the top three is pretty damn good as well. But yeah Keefe deserves a ton of credit too, I've always said that defence is a team game and boy does he ever have them playing that game now. This is the best team D I've seen the Leafs play since 93 and it's the kind of hockey that wins championships. It's only November but still, it's hard not be excited at the possibilities this spring.

 

[Gary Nylund]

What a difference a month makes.

Some of the posts ITT have not exactly ... ahem ... aged well, shall we say.

Sick bump!

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Babcock’s record after 6 games in the season he was fired: 3-2-1

Keefe 2-3-1

Can we get an update on their records? Keefe must be getting close to being fired

 

[TakeTheBody]

I think back to that challenge in the playoffs last season. He choked at the worst possible time. I'm still not over that.

 

[nuck]

Some of the posts ITT have not exactly ... ahem ... aged well, shall we say.

Sick bump!

Agreed but its a long season. I will not criticize anything KD or Sheldon do when they are fighting for 1st overall. This is the perfect time not to bash anyone and just to wait and enjoy the ride. Leaf fans haven't had enough of it to take things for granted. Just be fans and remember they are going to lose some games from time to time no matter what. I don't care right now who isn't producing, it just means they are overdue to break out.

No panic until the playoffs boys, because they might actually make it

 

[NinjaKick]

All I can hope is that he learned from last season and starts matching lines and switching up lines when things get played out or stale

fair to say that I like the job Keefe has done behind the bench thus far

 

[kb]

Can we get an update on their records? Keefe must be getting close to being fired

Weird how that one only shows up when he thinks he's got a point. He never does, and then he disappears for long stretches when things are great. Like now

 

[TheProspector]

Can we get an update on their records? Keefe must be getting close to being fired

He was fired already, and replaced by Travis Green, who was fired at the same time.

Wait, this is the universe that it's spelt "Bernstein Bears" and Nelson Mandela died in prison? Shit, I think I just multiverse shifted. I think I like this one better.

 

[meefer]

Whether it's a good player, or a good coach, one thing both bring to the table is the ability to grow: in confidence, in how they manage themselves, in how they respond.

After the Winnipeg game Keefe said,

"You make the decision there as a coach. I felt we needed to have a response. On the shift just prior to that, Matthews was getting manhandled. It was a four-on-four call, but to me, one of the best players in the world is in a situation like that… That should be a power play there, in my opinion. That is how that should work. It didn’t.
That’s fine; we go play four-on-four, and on the next shift, you get one of your guys carried off and there is no call there. It should be a four-on-three and a five-minute power-play in a two-goal game. It is not. I just felt, at that point, we needed to have some sort of response. Our team was emotionally engaged at that time. We needed to have a response of some nature. You are willing to just go with it at that time. We’d like to get a penalty kill there and give ourselves a chance to come out of it, but it didn’t work out that way.
I certainly did like the emotional response of our team given the circumstances."

After tonight's game v Columbus he offered these tasty nuggets.

On Spezza: "Everybody in this room and everybody in the game knows the character and integrity that Jason Spezza has and has played with his entire career. We do and always will support him. Obviously, he is going to weigh his options that he has in this process."

On Ritchie: "Love it (his goal). It has been a long time coming. I said to him on the bench that I can’t take a lot of credit because I have been calling it for quite a while now that tonight was going to be the night, but I did feel quite strongly today was going to be the day for him. He is very quietly playing well here. Coming into tonight, he had four points in his last five games. You could just see it coming. He has had some really good chances. I am thrilled for him, and the team is thrilled for him as well.

On Steeves and Rubins: I thought those guys gave us good shifts. I liked their game. I am going to have to watch some of the details back. In terms of the confidence they both showed with the puck, I liked that. For the first game for them especially, it is a strange situation. I guess you can look at it either way — maybe you have less time to think about it, or whatever — but there were no practices even with the team. In Steeves’ case, in particular, he wasn’t in our camp and didn’t know any of our guys. The guys don’t know him. He was just kind of dropped in here. I thought [Steeves] played with confidence and his game got better throughout. He has some good details to his game. He is a smart guy. He plays with a good conscience out on the ice. I thought it was a good game for both of those guys.

On Simmonds: Simmer has worked hard. He has played good hockey for us. It was a good chance tonight with how the game went to get him more consistent reps there and get more time. I thought he did a good job.

On Bunting: He has been great. He is gaining more and more confidence in himself and in his role playing with Auston. The line hasn’t had Mitch here now for a few games. For him to make a play as he did is going to help his confidence all the more. He himself — take the chemistry with Auston and playing on that line away — is just playing good hockey. He is playing with lots of urgency and lots of competitiveness. He keeps finding ways to generate offense and get points. We are feeling good about his game.

I'm not sure earlier in his NHL career Keefe would had the confidence to make the statement he did about the Winnipeg game. Maybe he would have, but I liked how he phrased his comments, the fact that 'he felt' showed his team he was in charge, and then following with how he appreciated how 'the team' carried through with the response, the emotional response! You're building trust and team spirit with these types of post game comments, you're building a sum greater than the individual parts.

Then tonight to follow up with consistent praise for the lesser lights on the team, to give them their moments of praise when they're often overlooked because of the emphasis on the stars, again, he's building something here. Those comments will bond guys together, help create an identity of 'team', that it's more than just 4, 5, or 6 guys, I don't think that should be overlooked.

IMHO, Keefe is as much trying to iron out details on the ice as he is trying to create a team mentality for this group of hockey players. I marvel at some of the skills our players have, while at the same time wondering about their commitment to each other. I think Keefe is trying to forge that 'all for one' mentality that better teams have, and I believe it's starting to show results. To me, it shows a coach who is growing into a better coach, and bringing the team along with him.

 

[Leaf Fans]

Can we get an update on their records? Keefe must be getting close to being fired

Excluding the games where the Leafs barley won or when they were lucky it is 2-7-1

 

[tmlms13]

2 years for a Head Coach in any sport is not a very long time.

This is closer to exercising a Team Option than an Extension.

 

[ACC1224]

Whether it's a good player, or a good coach, one thing both bring to the table is the ability to grow: in confidence, in how they manage themselves, in how they respond.

After the Winnipeg game Keefe said,

"You make the decision there as a coach. I felt we needed to have a response. On the shift just prior to that, Matthews was getting manhandled. It was a four-on-four call, but to me, one of the best players in the world is in a situation like that… That should be a power play there, in my opinion. That is how that should work. It didn’t.
That’s fine; we go play four-on-four, and on the next shift, you get one of your guys carried off and there is no call there. It should be a four-on-three and a five-minute power-play in a two-goal game. It is not. I just felt, at that point, we needed to have some sort of response. Our team was emotionally engaged at that time. We needed to have a response of some nature. You are willing to just go with it at that time. We’d like to get a penalty kill there and give ourselves a chance to come out of it, but it didn’t work out that way.
I certainly did like the emotional response of our team given the circumstances."

After tonight's game v Columbus he offered these tasty nuggets.

On Spezza: "Everybody in this room and everybody in the game knows the character and integrity that Jason Spezza has and has played with his entire career. We do and always will support him. Obviously, he is going to weigh his options that he has in this process."

On Ritchie: "Love it (his goal). It has been a long time coming. I said to him on the bench that I can’t take a lot of credit because I have been calling it for quite a while now that tonight was going to be the night, but I did feel quite strongly today was going to be the day for him. He is very quietly playing well here. Coming into tonight, he had four points in his last five games. You could just see it coming. He has had some really good chances. I am thrilled for him, and the team is thrilled for him as well.

On Steeves and Rubins: I thought those guys gave us good shifts. I liked their game. I am going to have to watch some of the details back. In terms of the confidence they both showed with the puck, I liked that. For the first game for them especially, it is a strange situation. I guess you can look at it either way — maybe you have less time to think about it, or whatever — but there were no practices even with the team. In Steeves’ case, in particular, he wasn’t in our camp and didn’t know any of our guys. The guys don’t know him. He was just kind of dropped in here. I thought [Steeves] played with confidence and his game got better throughout. He has some good details to his game. He is a smart guy. He plays with a good conscience out on the ice. I thought it was a good game for both of those guys.

On Simmonds: Simmer has worked hard. He has played good hockey for us. It was a good chance tonight with how the game went to get him more consistent reps there and get more time. I thought he did a good job.

On Bunting: He has been great. He is gaining more and more confidence in himself and in his role playing with Auston. The line hasn’t had Mitch here now for a few games. For him to make a play as he did is going to help his confidence all the more. He himself — take the chemistry with Auston and playing on that line away — is just playing good hockey. He is playing with lots of urgency and lots of competitiveness. He keeps finding ways to generate offense and get points. We are feeling good about his game.

I'm not sure earlier in his NHL career Keefe would had the confidence to make the statement he did about the Winnipeg game. Maybe he would have, but I liked how he phrased his comments, the fact that 'he felt' showed his team he was in charge, and then following with how he appreciated how 'the team' carried through with the response, the emotional response! You're building trust and team spirit with these types of post game comments, you're building a sum greater than the individual parts.

Then tonight to follow up with consistent praise for the lesser lights on the team, to give them their moments of praise when they're often overlooked because of the emphasis on the stars, again, he's building something here. Those comments will bond guys together, help create an identity of 'team', that it's more than just 4, 5, or 6 guys, I don't think that should be overlooked.

IMHO, Keefe is as much trying to iron out details on the ice as he is trying to create a team mentality for this group of hockey players. I marvel at some of the skills our players have, while at the same time wondering about their commitment to each other. I think Keefe is trying to forge that 'all for one' mentality that better teams have, and I believe it's starting to show results. To me, it shows a coach who is growing into a better coach, and bringing the team along with him.

Good post and thanks for the quotes from Keefe.
It really seems that this year everything they are doing is in preparation for the playoffs. Instead of trying to flip the switch come playoff time they will already be playing with that urgency and have the compete level ramped up.
Look forward to it.

 

[meefer]

Good post and thanks for the quotes from Keefe.
It really seems that this year everything they are doing is in preparation for the playoffs. Instead of trying to flip the switch come playoff time they will already be playing with that urgency and have the compete level ramped up.
Look forward to it.

Many have said that the playoffs are the only measuring stick, and that winning a round is the way we can see the team moving forward. Talent wise, I see the Leafs as being a team that has all the talent it needs to win that round and more, it's their commitment to being a team that I've questioned. Keefe, in my opinion is trying to develop the mentality of team first, believing as I do, that a strong, committed approach to winning is done through a 'team' mentality more than simple talent. I think he's growing into the coach this team needs. I think we are beginning to see what this team can become. I'm excited.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Good post and thanks for the quotes from Keefe.
It really seems that this year everything they are doing is in preparation for the playoffs. Instead of trying to flip the switch come playoff time they will already be playing with that urgency and have the compete level ramped up.
Look forward to it.

As you know da game changes completely after XMAS when teams start to play closer to playoff hockey .. time and space shuts down and we will see if puck possession game they are playing now will work .. I am gonna wait til I see us play Bruins late in season with everything on line before I am onside .. although with Ritchie, Wayner and Cliffy there I don't think anyone in league is gonna intimidate us around ice either late season or in playoffs

 

[FrozenJagrt]

This is the tightest defensively a Leafs team has played in well over 15 years

I certainly can't recall the last time they looked this good. I can only remember teams that relied exclusively on the goalies for defense. That worked when they had Cujo and Belfour, but after the lockout it was just awful.

 

[ACC1224]

Many have said that the playoffs are the only measuring stick, and that winning a round is the way we can see the team moving forward. Talent wise, I see the Leafs as being a team that has all the talent it needs to win that round and more, it's their commitment to being a team that I've questioned. Keefe, in my opinion is trying to develop the mentality of team first, believing as I do, that a strong, committed approach to winning is done through a 'team' mentality more than simple talent. I think he's growing into the coach this team needs. I think we are beginning to see what this team can become. I'm excited.

Agree with all of that. There is a lot to be excited for.

As you know da game changes completely after XMAS when teams start to play closer to playoff hockey .. time and space shuts down and we will see if puck possession game they are playing now will work .. I am gonna wait til I see us play Bruins late in season with everything on line before I am onside .. although with Ritchie, Wayner and Cliffy there I don't think anyone in league is gonna intimidate us around ice either late season or in playoffs

I agree, we will see once the games get tougher. I think they will pull together and get over the hump this year.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Whether it's a good player, or a good coach, one thing both bring to the table is the ability to grow: in confidence, in how they manage themselves, in how they respond.

After the Winnipeg game Keefe said,

"You make the decision there as a coach. I felt we needed to have a response. On the shift just prior to that, Matthews was getting manhandled. It was a four-on-four call, but to me, one of the best players in the world is in a situation like that… That should be a power play there, in my opinion. That is how that should work. It didn’t.
That’s fine; we go play four-on-four, and on the next shift, you get one of your guys carried off and there is no call there. It should be a four-on-three and a five-minute power-play in a two-goal game. It is not. I just felt, at that point, we needed to have some sort of response. Our team was emotionally engaged at that time. We needed to have a response of some nature. You are willing to just go with it at that time. We’d like to get a penalty kill there and give ourselves a chance to come out of it, but it didn’t work out that way.
I certainly did like the emotional response of our team given the circumstances."

After tonight's game v Columbus he offered these tasty nuggets.

On Spezza: "Everybody in this room and everybody in the game knows the character and integrity that Jason Spezza has and has played with his entire career. We do and always will support him. Obviously, he is going to weigh his options that he has in this process."

On Ritchie: "Love it (his goal). It has been a long time coming. I said to him on the bench that I can’t take a lot of credit because I have been calling it for quite a while now that tonight was going to be the night, but I did feel quite strongly today was going to be the day for him. He is very quietly playing well here. Coming into tonight, he had four points in his last five games. You could just see it coming. He has had some really good chances. I am thrilled for him, and the team is thrilled for him as well.

On Steeves and Rubins: I thought those guys gave us good shifts. I liked their game. I am going to have to watch some of the details back. In terms of the confidence they both showed with the puck, I liked that. For the first game for them especially, it is a strange situation. I guess you can look at it either way — maybe you have less time to think about it, or whatever — but there were no practices even with the team. In Steeves’ case, in particular, he wasn’t in our camp and didn’t know any of our guys. The guys don’t know him. He was just kind of dropped in here. I thought [Steeves] played with confidence and his game got better throughout. He has some good details to his game. He is a smart guy. He plays with a good conscience out on the ice. I thought it was a good game for both of those guys.

On Simmonds: Simmer has worked hard. He has played good hockey for us. It was a good chance tonight with how the game went to get him more consistent reps there and get more time. I thought he did a good job.

On Bunting: He has been great. He is gaining more and more confidence in himself and in his role playing with Auston. The line hasn’t had Mitch here now for a few games. For him to make a play as he did is going to help his confidence all the more. He himself — take the chemistry with Auston and playing on that line away — is just playing good hockey. He is playing with lots of urgency and lots of competitiveness. He keeps finding ways to generate offense and get points. We are feeling good about his game.

I'm not sure earlier in his NHL career Keefe would had the confidence to make the statement he did about the Winnipeg game. Maybe he would have, but I liked how he phrased his comments, the fact that 'he felt' showed his team he was in charge, and then following with how he appreciated how 'the team' carried through with the response, the emotional response! You're building trust and team spirit with these types of post game comments, you're building a sum greater than the individual parts.

Then tonight to follow up with consistent praise for the lesser lights on the team, to give them their moments of praise when they're often overlooked because of the emphasis on the stars, again, he's building something here. Those comments will bond guys together, help create an identity of 'team', that it's more than just 4, 5, or 6 guys, I don't think that should be overlooked.

IMHO, Keefe is as much trying to iron out details on the ice as he is trying to create a team mentality for this group of hockey players. I marvel at some of the skills our players have, while at the same time wondering about their commitment to each other. I think Keefe is trying to forge that 'all for one' mentality that better teams have, and I believe it's starting to show results. To me, it shows a coach who is growing into a better coach, and bringing the team along with him.

Great post! And thank you for this, I almost never can be bothered to wait around for the interviews but there is some interesting stuff here!

Many have said that the playoffs are the only measuring stick, and that winning a round is the way we can see the team moving forward. Talent wise, I see the Leafs as being a team that has all the talent it needs to win that round and more, it's their commitment to being a team that I've questioned. Keefe, in my opinion is trying to develop the mentality of team first, believing as I do, that a strong, committed approach to winning is done through a 'team' mentality more than simple talent. I think he's growing into the coach this team needs. I think we are beginning to see what this team can become. I'm excited.

Yeah playoffs aren't the only measuring stick but pretty damn close IMO. Some people seem to be happy with a team that makes the playoffs every year but I definitely want more. I also feel good about where we're at and where we seem to be headed but at the same time, it's scary to think that we might have to face TB in the 1st round. It's also impossible for me to forget that we've been outscore 15-2 over the last 10 periods of playoff hockey where both teams are facing elimination. Not that I expect us to not show up again if that's what it comes down to but still, it keeps happening year after year so it's hard to be certain it won't happen again. I'm sure I'll take a lot of heat for saying it but what can I say, I'm not going to pretend these things didn't happen.

Anyhow, another great post and to end on a positive note, this looks to me to be the best Maple Leaf team I have ever seen and I've been watching for a little over 50 years now. Please, please win at least a couple of rounds this spring so we can put the miserable failures of the last few years behind us for good. GLG!!

 

[Ciao]

The personnel is a part of it IMO. A 3rd pairing of Sandin and Liljegren is better than anything we've had in over 50 years and the top three is pretty damn good as well. But yeah Keefe deserves a ton of credit too, I've always said that defence is a team game and boy does he ever have them playing that game now. This is the best team D I've seen the Leafs play since 93 and it's the kind of hockey that wins championships. It's only November but still, it's hard not be excited at the possibilities this spring.

I agree.

Those Pat Burns' teams really knew how to clear the puck from their own end. This team looks a bit like that, too.

I like that everyone seems to know their role, and no one has to do it all by himself.

 

[meefer]

From what I've seen, this team has a lot of talent. From what I've seen, that talent has not presented as a team. I think that is changing. I think the Leafs are becoming a team. I think that Keefe is the first coach we've had in a long time who recognizes that aspect as being an important part of success. Win or lose, the Leafs are becoming a better team because of Keefe, he's forging a team, a group of players who will fight for each other, though out the lineup.

 

[meefer]

Great post! And thank you for this, I almost never can be bothered to wait around for the interviews but there is some interesting stuff here!



Yeah playoffs aren't the only measuring stick but pretty damn close IMO. Some people seem to be happy with a team that makes the playoffs every year but I definitely want more. I also feel good about where we're at and where we seem to be headed but at the same time, it's scary to think that we might have to face TB in the 1st round. It's also impossible for me to forget that we've been outscore 15-2 over the last 10 periods of playoff hockey where both teams are facing elimination. Not that I expect us to not show up again if that's what it comes down to but still, it keeps happening year after year so it's hard to be certain it won't happen again. I'm sure I'll take a lot of heat for saying it but what can I say, I'm not going to pretend these things didn't happen.

Anyhow, another great post and to end on a positive note, this looks to me to be the best Maple Leaf team I have ever seen and I've been watching for a little over 50 years now. Please, please win at least a couple of rounds this spring so we can put the miserable failures of the last few years behind us for good. GLG!!

Thank you.

 

[Gary Nylund]

From what I've seen, this team has a lot of talent. From what I've seen, that talent has not presented as a team. I think that is changing. I think the Leafs are becoming a team. I think that Keefe is the first coach we've had in a long time who recognizes that aspect as being an important part of success. Win or lose, the Leafs are becoming a better team because of Keefe, he's forging a team, a group of players who will fight for each other, though out the lineup.

I hope you're right. It's interesting, I haven't thought much about Keefe lately, I probably am a typical fan in that sense - focus more on the obvious which is the players. I do know that our D has much improved since the minute he tool over so that's good but definitely interesting to hear your more detailed thoughts on him. Wouldn't it be something if after all these decades of failure, and all the hoards who have had their pitchforks out for years now and have been relentlessly mocking our rookie GM and rookie coach it turned out that they were both awesome and that they both stayed in their positions for another decade or two leading us to success after success!

Over the top optimistic? Sure but what the hell, the Christmas season is upon us so seems like an appropriate time to dream a little.