Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe ‘excited’ for return to Toronto

Sheldon Keefe is returning to the rink he previously called home when the New Jersey Devils travel to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs.

Keefe was let go from his head coaching duties with the Maple Leafs last May, and Thursday’s matchup with his new team will mark his first time back at Scotiabank Arena.

It’s a moment he’s been looking forward to.

“I’m excited for it,” Keefe said to media Wednesday. “I spent nine years there, the Leafs time, but the Marlies time too, was equally special to me and I was fortunate to essentially raise my family there, in fact, they’re still living there.”

Keefe, a Brampton native, spent parts of five seasons as the bench boss of the Maple Leafs from 2019-2024, but before that, he had served on the AHL’s Toronto Marlies staff from 2015-2019.

After so long with the organization, Keefe has a strong familiarity with the city, the building and its people and thinks it may feel a bit odd making the walk to and from the visitor’s dressing room.

“It’s great to get back there. I’ll be able to have lots of friends and family in the building, and then also, just to see the faces around the arena,” said Keefe.

“There’s a lot of people throughout the organization and in through the building that that you are used to seeing and are such a big part of your career, that the chance to reconnect with them and see them … it’s gonna be a funny walk into the visiting side of things. But I fully expect that once the puck drops, it’s gonna be, it’s gonna be hockey.”

Although Keefe was dismissed from the Maple Leafs before he reached his ultimate goal of a Stanley Cup win, he learned a lot from his experience in Toronto and the media market that comes with the team.

“I grew a lot through that,” Keefe said about his time with the Maple Leafs. “I believe I’ve got thicker skin as a result. I think I’ve been through a lot there that’s helped me grow probably quicker than normal. And I think I’ve come out the other side of it all right and feel like I was all the more prepared coming into this job, and I’m sort of ready for anything that comes up.”

This is Keefe’s first return to Toronto as a visitor, but his Devils played the Maple Leafs back in October and fell short in a 4-2 defeat.

Keefe’s Devils have had a tremendous first half of the 2024-25 season, sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division with a 26-15-5 record. The Maple Leafs (27-16-2) have kept pace with new coach Craig Berube as they hold the first-place spot in the Atlantic Division.