The Toronto Maple Leafs fired head coach Sheldon Keefe on Thursday after his fifth playoff run with the team ended in a fourth first-round elimination.
The team said it will “immediately begin the search for a new head coach and decisions regarding the remainder of the coaching staff will follow.”
The Maple Leafs’ season ended Saturday with a 2-1 overtime loss in Game 7 against the Boston Bruins. Toronto had a 46-26-10 regular season, finishing third in the Atlantic Division.
“Today’s decision was difficult to make. Sheldon is a great coach and a great man; however, we determined that a new voice was needed to help the team move forward and achieve its ultimate goal. We thank Sheldon for his hard work and dedication to the organization over the past nine years, and we wish him and his family the best of success,” CEO Brad Treliving said in a statement. .
Keefe’s tenure in Toronto ends before his new contract even begins. The Maple Leafs offered him a new two-year contract on August 30, while his previous contract was due to expire after this season.
The Maple Leafs are tied for the longest active streak of playoff appearances with eight. Toronto, however, has only won one of these series, its first since 2004, last spring by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games before losing to the Florida Panthers in five games in the second round. This season marked the team’s seventh first-round elimination in eight years.
Keefe led the Maple Leafs to a 212-97-40 record in 349 regular season games.
