If he didn’t know already, Sheldon Keefe is learning just what kind of hot seat coaches have in today’s NHL.
As the new mentor of the Maple Leafs tries to put his stamp on the team, the fallout from revelations Mike Babcock tried to intimidate Mitch Marner in his rookie year continued, exacerbated by what’s happened with the Calgary Flames .
Coach Bill Peters was facing possible dismissal Tuesday after former NHLer Akim Aliu followed up a hot tweet by telling Frank Seravalli of TSN that Peters allegedly fired racial slurs his way 10 years ago in the minors about his choice of dressing room music. Aliu said the charge “ruined my career before it started”. Two players with the AHL Rockford Icehogs backed Aliu’s version to the network.
On Monday, the Sun’s Terry Koshan reported on how Babcock asked a young Marner to list the Leafs’ hardest workers, top to bottom, only to have Babcock show the list to players at the low end of Marner’s scale.
That put Marner in an unexpected position of getting recognized for casting light on hard-core coaching tactics when he really didn’t seek it.
“If people want to share their stories, do it,” Marner said. “If they don’t want to hold it in, it’s your story to tell. In my case, I don’t know how it got out, but (Babcock) did apologize (at the time).”
Marner’s comments came after Keefe’s second full home practice prior to Wednesday’s game. Utilizing the Marlie and Leaf rinks at the Ford Performance Centre, Keefe had some up-beat theme music playing in the background while the top Leaf skill players worked out before the main body. After the end of the main practice, Keefe circled back to Zach Hyman for a quick chat and then longer sessions with healthy scratch Dmytro Timashov, followed by William Nylander and Auston Matthews, two stars he’s trying to get more out of.
Not that Mike Babcock didn’t do 1-on-1’s, but they seemed fewer and far between, at least on the ice.
“There has been a lot of change in that (motivational) regard,” Keefe said. “For myself, I try to deal more directly, in a more positive nature as much as possible. I think players respond well to that. You try to be constructive, but every situation is different.
“I don’t know if there is really one style. Any time you can adapt to that player or what that situation calls for is what I’m looking to do.”
For Keefe, half the roster came through the Marlies, so he already has a good idea of what buttons to push with each player.
“I’m fortunate to have time spent with a good number here, but just to rely on that would not be good for me. I have to re-establish those relationships. A lot has changed, those players are older and matured.”
For the Detroit game, Keefe has to get by without centre Alex Kerfoot, who is serving a two-game NHL suspension.
The bottom six forwards at practice featured Jason Spezza between Nic Petan and Kasperi Kapanen, with Pierre Engvall and Timashov flanking Frederik Gauthier. Goalie Frederik Andersen has a career record of 7-0-0-1 and .918 save percentage against Detroit, but it’s not yet clear if Keefe intends to use call-up Michael Hutchinson for the first game of the Buffalo home-and-home on the weekend. That would be a change from Babcock’s rotation, which had limited chances of the winless Hutchinson getting his first victory of the season.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
