Sheldon Keefe Is the Perfect Coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs

After Mike Babcock was fired back in November, Sheldon Keefe stepped in and has been an incredible coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It all started in Keefe’s first NHL game, as the Toronto Maple Leafs were in Arizona to take on the Coyotes.

Tyson Barrie contributed late in the first period, walking in from the point and scoring his first goal as a Toronto Maple Leaf. As the replay camera focused on Keefe, you could see how happy he was for Barrie to score.

That wasn’t it, though.

In the second period, while the Toronto Maple Leafs were shorthanded, Pierre Engvall intercepted a pass, went down on a breakaway and scored his first NHL goal.

After almost falling down during his celebration, the camera once again focused on Keefe, who had a bigger grin on his face.

He’s coached Engvall for part of two seasons in the AHL and was happy that all of Engvall’s work has finally payed off.

The interesting part about all of this is how much of a genuine human being he is. He’s worried about wins (like every coach is), but he cares about his players much more.

And that’s why he’ll help bring a Stanley Cup to the City of Toronto in the future.

Keefe is the best head coach for this group of Toronto Maple Leafs players.

Being a 22-year-old myself, I could agree that if I was in the NHL, I would not like to be manipulated to try and play better — it honestly wouldn’t work for me.

I’m also not an NHL player, but I am a human being.

With all of the ways that Babcock tried to get the best out of his players, these were the wrong ones to do it with. It did work for a while, but it then got stale, very quickly.

I believe that in this day and age of hockey, these players want to be cared about. Even though it’s still more of a business, all players want to have fun and enjoy each others company.

And part of that comes from the head coach.

If Keefe wants to get the most out of this Toronto Maple Leafs team, I think he has to show that he cares, which I think he has done already.

From his first game, where he smirked when Barrie and Engvall scored their first goals, to every other game, he’s shown that he cares.

Heck, he even said that the only TV he’s watching right now during quarantine is Leafs games from earlier this season, so when hockey does return he’ll be ready.

This guy cares so much, and it shows. Of course, players aren’t going to talk bad about him while being asked, but when they are asked — their faces light up with joy.

This team will bring a Stanley Cup home to Toronto, and it will be under Keefe. By the way he coaches and how the players react, I believe he’s the right person for the job, and in time, it will happen.