Sheldon Keefe met with the media on locker cleanout day, discussing a special season with the Marlies, his relationship with Kyle Dubas, potential NHL coaching opportunities, and much more.
On his relationship with Kyle Dubas, Dubas’ growth as a manager
There is a photo of you giving the Cup to Kyle that’s pretty famous on the internet now. Have you seen it, and what does it mean to share it with Kyle?
Keefe: I have seen it. Kyle actually showed it to me shortly after we left the ice. It’s a great moment. I think, in that photo, you could see the passion that Kyle has for the game and for what’s been happening here. I think, really, in many ways, it should’ve been him passing it to me. A little more symbolic. I’ve said it before – I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to coach this team. Kyle brought me here and believed in me. To be able to deliver feels good, and to be able to be a part of that. I guess in that sense, handing it off to him is a little bit poetic, but it’s nice.
What does it say about him, though, that he’s that excited? He’s been named the GM of the big club and he’s still this excited about winning that trophy for these guys.
Keefe: I think it just speaks to who he is and that he is true to himself. He made it really clear that nothing was going to change for this edition of the Marlies. He delivered on that. He’s been with us every single day, at home and on the road. He’s had a lot on his plate, obviously, but he’s been there for our guys.
What has worked so well between yourself and Kyle since the Soo?
Keefe: I don’t know what you can pin that on other than we both have good personalities and are great friends, probably, is the biggest thing. We really developed a great friendship over time. That makes it easy to work for him. The biggest thing is that he just pushes me all the time to get better. We learn off of each other and have been fortunate to have that relationship grow to that point. He believed in me to get here. To have a moment like this is pretty special for everyone.
How has he changed most since those early days in the Soo until now?
Keefe: I think the biggest thing is that he’s continued to evolve, continued to learn. The extra experience, obviously, is the biggest thing. The one thing that stands out, and I think you might have seen it the other night, is that he is true to himself and what he believes and who he is. We’re very fortunate to have him here be a part of our club.
There were some preconceived notions in this market when he got the job about his age, about his background. What are some of the things that people maybe don’t know about him that they’re going to learn quickly?
Keefe: I don’t know if there is any one thing. He’ll let the team run and let the people do their jobs, and he’ll do his work behind the scenes. I think, over time, his work will speak for itself. Everybody around here has been very fortunate to have him here and work with him every single day. I’m thrilled that he has got the opportunity that he does.
How much does this championship validate the process that you and Kyle and the organization has put together?
Keefe: I don’t know that it’s ever been about that. We don’t focus on that. We just try to do what we do and we’re fortunate to have good players and good resources. We’re just really happy that everything came together for us this season.
Do you remember the first time you sat and talked with Kyle about the working relationship in the Soo? At that moment, could you have ever imagined in your wildest dreams that in less than a decade, you’d be hoisting the Calder Cup and he’d be GM of the Leafs?
Keefe: No, I can’t say that. At the time, I was just fortunate to be able to get a chance to coach in the OHL. At the time, I was lucky enough that Kyle would reach out and give me an opportunity. To be here now is pretty special. In my case, certainly, you don’t get to this position without a lot of luck and a lot of things happening. I’m just incredibly fortunate and happy to be here and have this experience.
On potential NHL coaching opportunities
Are you aware of any NHL coaching vacancies and are you ready for that next step, do you think? Is there more to be done here?
Keefe: I don’t know that you can ever really say whether or not you’re ready. I think you’re ready when somebody decides you’re ready. That’s really all I can say about that. You focus every day on trying to be as good as you can and to continually improve so that if and when someone decides you are ready, you are as most prepared as you possibly can be.
As for the other stuff, I don’t pay much attention to any of it. I’ve been dialled into what is happening here. I’ll continue to be dialled in here. I love coaching here. I learn every day. We work with great people and great players. I love the city. As I say, I’m grateful for the opportunity I have. I’ll just continue to make myself as prepared as possible for any calls that may come or that I hope may come in the future.
Is that part of your aspirations, personally, to one day get to an NHL bench?
Keefe: Of course. I can’t say when I started coaching many years ago at the junior-A level that there was ever a thought. But as you go through the process and you’re improving, you set new goals and continue to evolve. That, I think, is the natural evolution for me, to continue to pursue that. As I say, the process for me is just to continue to get better. I learned a tremendous amount from this team and these players that we had this year. Now, as we go through the summer, I’ll be able to process things deeper with our staff and take a lot of lessons from this that will help us going forward. That is one of the things I get most excited about, is the offseason, because there is so much time to reflect and grow and all of those types of things. It will help me better. If a call ever comes, and I’m fortunate enough for such an opportunity, I want to make sure I’m prepared as possible. I learn every single day here and I know that that learning will never stop because of the type of people we have around us.
What is the biggest thing you learned over the course of the season as a coach and as a person?
Keefe: I don’t know that you would put any one particular thing on it. I would just say that we are very fortunate to have all of the right pieces fall into place for us this season, starting with the veteran leadership that we have. The group has so much experience and is able to connect with all of our players despite their age or background or where they might be from – those types of things. And then the development of our young players have really been a nice thing. I guess if there is one thing that I had to give you an answer for, it would just be that everyone is important and everything is important. You have to be working every day to bring it all together.
Have you had a chance to reflect back, though, on the journey and how it’s been a long journey, but it really hasn’t?
Keefe: Yeah, not really, to be honest. Things have been happening here pretty quickly. It’s such a long run and then you’re partying and celebrating. Before you know it, you’re back in full Dad mode, back in the rink yesterday playing some hockey themselves. Now we’re here today. Not a whole lot of time to process that kind of stuff. Frankly, I don’t spend a whole lot of time looking back. We’re just excited to look ahead and the next thing for me now is to process all of what happened this season and make a plan for next.
On player growth, celebrating the championship
Obviously, you don’t want to single out any players, but were there any players specifically that you saw over the course of the year make the biggest leap from Day 1 to where we are here?
Keefe: I think, when you look at it, the trio of Mason Marchment, Adam Brooks and Trevor Moore. It just so happened that all three of them were put on the same line and thrived together. But the development of those three players, in particular, I felt just made us that much better of a team. You add in Carl Grundstrom and Pierre Engvall, who we knew were very good players but you don’t know how they are going to fit in. You look at those five forwards – I think Engvall and Grundstrom, in their case, were new to the team. The other three were better versions of themselves than what we saw for most of the season. When you have five upgrades like that on forward, and you add that to the defense and the goaltending… it was a good group.
Ben Smith was a little bit emotional talking about saying goodbye and moving onto Germany. What was your relationship like with him, particularly after you named him captain and had that working relationship?
Keefe: One of the nicest things about Ben and why I thought he was the natural fit for us as captain, as we took our time to make that decision, was just how even-keeled he is, how easy he is to talk to – not just from my perspective, but all around the locker room with all of the players and the way he interacts with them. I really value his perspective on things with the experience he has all throughout his career, and then just how he prepares every single day. I think we had a great relationship and I’m happy with the selection we made there. The way our team embraced him as captain was a sign of his character and leadership.
What did your boys think about the Calder Cup?
Keefe: They were pretty excited. They’re very excited. Both of my boys here now – my oldest boy is seven and he was not even one when we won the national championship at the junior-A level in Pembroke, so he can’t really remember that, although we have some great photos of him in the Cup and everything. My youngest boy has never been a part of a championship. He was pretty excited. I don’t think they knew exactly how to take it all in being on the ice with so many people in the stands and the noise and all of that kind of stuff, but it was exceptional. They were up far too late and they paid for it yesterday. No, it’s exciting. That’s the greatest part about this, that you get to share it with your family, and not just my family, but our players’ wives and girlfriends, brothers and sisters. It was a great turnout. You don’t get to this point – nobody does – as a team or as individuals without the support of family. It’s great to be able to share that.
