TORONTO (AP) 鈥� Sheldon Keefe is out as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, fired Thursday after another early exit from the NHL playoffs.
The move had been expected after last weekend, the fourth time in five years under Keefe that the team has lost in the first round. The Maple Leafs won just one playoff series since Keefe took over in November 2019.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 decision was difficult,鈥� general manager Brad Treliving said in a statement. 鈥淪heldon 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.鈥�
posted on social media, Keefe said he was forever grateful for the opportunity to coach the Maple Leafs, which he called 鈥渁 dream come true for a boy from Brampton,鈥� his home outside Toronto. He also acknowledged how the results were not exactly what he dreamed up.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 get it done in the playoffs,鈥� Keefe said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 help push our team over the line and deliver. I accept responsibility for that. No excuses. That鈥檚 the job. I didn鈥檛 get it done. It鈥檚 the reality of the business, and I accept it.鈥�
After the league's 19th coaching change since the end of the 2022-23 season, the team said the search for Keefe's replacement will begin immediately. Treliving and other members of management are expected to address reporters Friday about the coaching change and other end-of-season topics.
Keefe, 43, joined the organization in 2015 as coach of the American Hockey League's Toronto Marlies thanks in large part to his junior hockey connection to then-assistant general manager Kyle Dubas, who was promoted and spent five season as GM before 小蓝视频 fired last year. Keefe replaced Mike Babcock when Dubas fired him weeks into the 2019-20 season.
What followed were some excellent regular seasons and trips to the playoffs without much else to show for it. Coached by Keefe and with a core led by Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly and John Tavares, the Leafs went 16-21 in the postseason.
Earlier this week, Keefe said that while he accepts responsibility for expectations not 小蓝视频 met, his confidence in the group鈥檚 鈥� and his own 鈥� ability to succeed was at an all-time high.
鈥淣ow more than ever, I believe in myself and our team,鈥� Keefe said. 鈥淭hat I will win and our team will win.鈥�
That winning in Toronto, if it happens, will be under a different coach. Among the experienced options available are 2019 Stanley Cup winner Craig Berube, veteran Bruce Boudreau, former Minnesota coach Dean Evason and former Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan.
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This story has been corrected to show that there have been 19 coaching changes, not 18, in the NHL since the end of the 2022-23 season.
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