headed for South Florida, remnants of their annual outdoor practice were still visible at Nathan Phillips Square on Friday.
It was a first for Sheldon Keefe, the rookie NHL coach who’s already made the Leafs’ record books as the first coach to win 15 of his first 20 games. And though the team was coming off of a frenetic shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets, some fun was well deserved given the dramatic turnaround — on and off the ice — Toronto has seen under its new coach.
“It was a great time, the players had a lot of fun with it, the fans seemed to enjoy it,” Keefe said in an appearance onThe Maple Leafs jumped from a 9-10-4 record under Mike Babcock this season to 24-15-6 since Keefe took over following his Calder Cup-winning season with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. In addition, their goals-for, goals-against and power-play percentage numbers all improved under their rookie head coach, who is currently leading the team to a projected 98-point season.
As a former player, turned AHL coach, turned Maple Leafs saviour, Keefe has experienced multiple facets of the game and its evolution — on and off the ice. A new generation of players, one that requires direct communication and transparency, has contributed to Keefe’s keenness on keeping open lines of communication with his players, and creating an environment where everyone feels safe and heard.
“So much attention, of course, goes onto the tactics and all the decisions you make as a coach every day,” he said. “But really the softer skills when it comes to communication and creating an environment for players to thrive, that’s what I’ve tried to on my own development and I like to think I’ve made some strides there. I’m not perfect, by any means, and it is a challenge … it’s probably the biggest area of growth for me, that I recognize.
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