Confirmed with Link: Sheldon Keefe named Marlies coach

[Mikeyg]

Smith has a much more impressive coaching resume than Keefe, so it's not just simply "coach A's team beat coach B's team". Smith was an assistant with Windsor when they went on their Memorial Cup runs, and he's also won the coach of the year award with Oshawa, while leading Oshawa back to hockey dominance. As a Gens fan, I don't think he gets enough credit for what he's done. His ability to draw from other coaches and adapt that into his own system is most impressive. A lot of Boughner and DeBoer in his coaching style.

With that said, the Leafs are obviously looking at their AHL team and system as a means for development, which will then translate into winning. And given the history with Dubas, as well as Dubas running the AHL team, it's easy to see why he went with Keefe. Based on their playing wise and Babcock, I think Keefe is the better fit.

But as you said, if Smith can join on as an assistant it'd be huge. His coaching when it comes to suppressing shots and dominating the neutral zone would fit in well with what the Leafs would be trying to do.

I was saying that I didn't really care for the argument that DJ's offense beat sheldons D, because theres a lot more variables to consider there other then just strategy vs strategy.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Well Daisy, maybe I remember the story being much more significant than others. I thought that people here are pretty big hockey fans and that background was known by almost everyone here. Maybe the very young would have an excuse , but this has been a pretty extensively covered saga through Dantons trial conviction and return to college hockey. It's hardly been any kind of hushed dark secret. Anyway that's it for me, again I support the Keefe hiring and like I said at the outset I'm sure the Leafs have done due diligence on the subject. Everyone involved surely foresaw that there would be lots of questions in this market.

Imma baby fan though
(Like - I very vaguely remember the Danton thing).

but I guess i am like Menzinger. it's in the past for a while (according to Keefe) to the point it shouldn't be mentioned, because as people has mentioned - I didn't even know that Craig McTavish had a past - no one mentions Heatley's accident and i get they are not on par - but (shrug).

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Well Daisy, maybe I remember the story being much more significant than others. I thought that people here are pretty big hockey fans and that background was known by almost everyone here. Maybe the very young would have an excuse , but this has been a pretty extensively covered saga through Dantons trial conviction and return to college hockey. It's hardly been any kind of hushed dark secret. Anyway that's it for me, again I support the Keefe hiring and like I said at the outset I'm sure the Leafs have done due diligence on the subject. Everyone involved surely foresaw that there would be lots of questions in this market.

This is a good point. You made me realize the age differences here. Some of us remember the story as it came out. We lived through it, and it was a high profile story. I don't expect younger fans to have the depth of angst we all felt towards Frost. It is what is what It is.

 

[Reddaye]

This should come as a surprise to absolutely no one. The writing has been on the wall for a while.

As far as his history is concerned, well, I'm not a believer in holding something someone did as a teenager against them for the rest of their lives. People make stupid mistakes, and in this case have moved past them. Not to dismiss what happened, but if it's not an ongoing thing and people have moved on in a postive way.

Excited to see how he handles the Marlies.

 

[hockeywiz542]

Kyle Dubas spoke with members of the media Monday afternoon, following the announcement of Sheldon Keefe as the new head coach of the Toronto Marlies.

[NHL]828438[/NHL]

Sheldon Keefe spoke with the media of Toronto after being introduced as the new head coach of the Toronto Marlies.

[NHL]828442[/NHL]

 

[TMLeafer]

Not surprising at all. Hopefully there's some stability in that position with the Marlies and the big club and farm club are on the same page.

 

[timlap]

Kyle Dubas spoke with members of the media Monday afternoon, following the announcement of Sheldon Keefe as the new head coach of the Toronto Marlies.
...

I gotta say, Kyle Dubas impresses the heck out of me every time I hear him speak. Not only does he have the basic social skills to converse with the media (which a shocking number of hockey people totally lack ), but I love the way he answers questions. I can see how this guy has risen to such impressive heights at a young age. Glad we got him on our side.

 

[crump]

I gotta say, Kyle Dubas impresses the heck out of me every time I hear him speak. Not only does he have the basic social skills to converse with the media (which a shocking number of hockey people totally lack ), but I love the way he answers questions. I can see how this guy has risen to such impressive heights at a young age. Glad we got him on our side.

Agree. He just seems like a winner. Confident, but not cocky.

 

[Duffman955]

I am pretty happy with the hire, hes a great coach. Honestly I don't give a flying **** about his misadventures with Frost and the Brampton Boys.

My question is, was he a better option than anyone else? Is he better than Smith?

 

[Anth93]

I gotta say, Kyle Dubas impresses the heck out of me every time I hear him speak. Not only does he have the basic social skills to converse with the media (which a shocking number of hockey people totally lack ), but I love the way he answers questions. I can see how this guy has risen to such impressive heights at a young age. Glad we got him on our side.

He'll be a GM somewhere else very shortly if he keeps this up.

 

[Knies iT]

Great pickup.

 

[Daisy Jane]

i'mma be sad if and when we lose Dubas

 

[ChrisCall]

One thing i really notice is i can't remember HF posters being so universally accepting of a Marlies coaching hire in recent memory.

Just a continuing trend of this feeling like the organisation is going in the right direction..

 

[Rufio65*]

He'll be a GM somewhere else very shortly if he keeps this up.

Keeps what up? I'm not sure what he has done so far to warrant being a GM very shortly.

 

[hamzarocks]

Keeps what up? I'm not sure what he has done so far to warrant being a GM very shortly.

why are you always so negative, in every thread your always criticizing the leafs when they are making changes and improving, they have changed their personnel, and have the best coach in the game, dubas has helped us get one of the top young hockey minds in the game, he is only 34, so in 8 years he will be only 42 he most likely will be our future coach if he sticks it out. We are heading in the right direction, and it finally seems that we are deciding to stop rushing results and develop properly, but i always see you getting mad at anything leafs related. Wheter it be Gardner, Reilly, or Kadri's future role on this team, or our personnel, you are always mad and never seem happy about the changes we make. Why are you always so negative?

 

[hockeywiz542]

 

[Lightsol]

Simmons wrote a damn book on the whole thing, we'll never hear the end of it with him so get used to it..

Doubly so if it means that Simmons gets to hate on the Leafs. One of his favorite pasttimes.

 

[The Man with a Plan]

Hell, landing Babcock at all is a huge testament to the power of Mark Hunter. Babcock admitted himself that his chat with Hunter was a big part of bringing him here.

We made moves this season that, while obvious, haven't been in management's wheelhouse for a long long time when we shipped out expiring contracts for picks and prospects.

Most importantly, and this actually says more about Shanahan than Dubas or Hunter themselves, is the huge shift in philosophy with this group. With Hunter, you're going to see the shift at a scouting level, with this upcoming draft as the first big test for the new group. But on a developmental level, we've already started to see a shift in the way the Marlies work. They got even younger this year, relying more on prospects as opposed to veterans, and managed to climb back from a terrible start to make the Playoffs off of the backs of those prospects.

They're smart men who understand the game, hiring other smart men who understand the game.

I'll admit, in one unsuccessful season it's hard to find much in the way of true evidence that all of this is working out or will work out. But I do believe in the philosophy they're bringing, and I do believe that they've started to implement that philosophy in the few moves they have made.

Its the way that Shanny,Hunter aand Dubas carry themselves and speak that has me trusting in them. No pie in the sky ********, no blustery PC's full of promises that could never be kept. They have spoken softy and tactfully while putting together a very solid group of amazing hockey minds. Most importantly they have identified problem areas and have moved fast on rectifying them. Rip that bandaid right the hell off and get down to brass tacks.

We truly are seeing a building from the foundation up. Players, Management and most importantly in the systems we will use.

I'm looking forward to this coming season more then any in recent memory...Even if it doesn't end up with a lot of wins(and it probably won't) we will be building thru trial and error and not denial and error. I just hope that all of us fans get to shed a thousand tears of joy for every tear shed and hair pulled from our heads over the past few decades. We all deserve it damnit.

 

[Bullseye]

Its the way that Shanny,Hunter aand Dubas carry themselves and speak that has me trusting in them. No pie in the sky ********, no blustery PC's full of promises that could never be kept. They have spoken softy and tactfully while putting together a very solid group of amazing hockey minds. Most importantly they have identified problem areas and have moved fast on rectifying them. Rip that bandaid right the hell off and get down to brass tacks.

We truly are seeing a building from the foundation up. Players, Management and most importantly in the systems we will use.

I'm looking forward to this coming season more then any in recent memory...Even if it doesn't end up with a lot of wins(and it probably won't) we will be building thru trial and error and not denial and error. I just hope that all of us fans get to shed a thousand tears of joy for every tear shed and hair pulled from our heads over the past few decades. We all deserve it damnit.

Ya, There has been the most significant sea change in this organization. I fully expect us to find many diamonds in the rough now. The draft will be far more effect for finding early round talent than this club has seen before. I see more Froese, Rodewald, Bradford, Bailey, Soshnikov signings (live tryouts) going foreword. Exciting time to be a Leaf fan finally.

The old saying in industry is showing itself to be so true here - successes and failures are 100% attributable to good and bad management.

 

[deletethis]

I say there's an outside chance that he never coaches the Marlies after a firestorm of media stories about his past come to light.

 

[SprDaVE]

I like that Babcock was fairly involved in the process. I don't think this would have happened with Wilson or Carlyle.

If he's got Babcocks approval, I'm more then fine with it as well.

 

[Warden of the North]

i'mma be sad if and when we lose Dubas

Honestly I think Shanny is just gonna stall the GM search long enough that he can justify naming Dubas GM. Probably next summer.

If Dubas isnt GM, then i think we'll see him given one of those AGM contracts like Nonis had - Payed more then any other AGM with the understanding that he isnt leaving for another organization.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I am pretty happy with the hire, hes a great coach. Honestly I don't give a flying **** about his misadventures with Frost and the Brampton Boys.

My question is, was he a better option than anyone else? Is he better than Smith?

DJ Smith has a better resume, it would be hard to argue against this. Since he took over Oshawa from Assistant Coach in Windsor. That franchise has been on a steady rise year after year, that ended with a Memorial Cup weeks ago.

He's impressive, not sure if he was even interviewed. If not, he should have been. DJ Smith has been a winner everywhere he has coached.

 

[timlap]

Honestly I think Shanny is just gonna stall the GM search long enough that he can justify naming Dubas GM. Probably next summer.

If Dubas isnt GM, then i think we'll see him given one of those AGM contracts like Nonis had - Payed more then any other AGM with the understanding that he isnt leaving for another organization.

As long as we find some way to keep these guys around. Good teams like Detroit hung on to their AGMs (and other staff) for many seasons, and I think that's the way Shanahan is thinking. Put a team in place, give them lots of input, pay them well, make them excited to see this thing through all the way.

 

[Daisy Jane]

I think for what the Leafs are wanting to do with the Marlies (ie: develop first, and the wins will come, vs. Win and we'll worry about development), that Keefe is the best fit. This isn't anything on Smith or anything, but as people keep saying, that we should have interviewed him, or have him considered - as things are pretty much sealed up at Fort MLSE, we don't know.


We don't know if he was interviewed (or even contacted) and we don't know if he said no.
What we do know is, is that Dubas said that the consideration for the Marlies head coach was something they were looking at the entire year, and he basically stayed out of it (it being selling of keefe, even though it was hard sometimes) because he wanted the rest of the management to come to their own conclusions, and then discuss it.

everyone + babcock picked Keefe.

as i mentioned - if Smith was in the running, or it was between the two of them, I could see the whole "Maybe Smith" conversation, but as we don't know (any aspect), I think as Epictetus suggested, maybe this wasn't the right situation for Smith, or Smith wanted more of an NHL assistant Head Gig. (I mean, Babcock hasn't announced who his staff is, eh?).

And as Keefe pointed out himself - Babcock isn't going where anytime soon - and He (Keefe) is okay with it, because he is excited to do what he's tasked to do. Maybe Smith wasn't excited about joining up with a team where their coach basically signed a 8 year deal and basically said, "I'm here for 10 depending on how things go." so many options.