NEWARK, N.J. -- Sheldon Keefe isn't quite sure what to expect when the New Jersey Devils coach goes against his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, at Prudential Center on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; MSG, TSN4).
The 44-year-old was fired by the Maple Leafs on May 9 after leading them to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of his five seasons but advancing beyond the opening round of the playoffs just once (2023).
He was 212-97-40 in the regular season and 16-21 in the playoffs with the Maple Leafs, his first coaching job in the NHL after he replaced Mike Babcock on Nov. 20, 2019. Prior to being named coach of the Maple Leafs, Keefe coached their American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, for five seasons, and guided them to their first Calder Cup championship in 2018.
"I don't know if it will be an emotional night because I've never coached against a team that I've been associated with in the past," Keefe said. "I like to believe that I'm focused and content enough with where I'm at that I'm not too concerned about anything else outside of the task of competing against one of the league's top teams."
Keefe was hired to coach the Devils on May 23.
"It was a tremendous honor to coach in Toronto," Keefe said. "Just to coach the minor league team was a big deal because I grew up in the area, in Brampton, Ontario. I had a chance to coach professional hockey in, essentially, my hometown, raise my kids. We spent nine years there and it was an incredible opportunity for me and my parents.
"I never really considered myself a legitimate candidate to ever coach the Maple Leafs and was more focused on how I was going to grow my career outside of Toronto. But when that opportunity came, I was super excited. Of course you feel like you're prepared, but you need the experience in the League, and I benefited greatly from my time spent in an environment like Toronto. I'm real disappointed that I was unable to help that group get over the hump, but I learned a lot through that process and it has made me a better coach coming to New Jersey."
Nico Hischier knows the game will mean a lot not only to Devils fans in their home opener, but to Keefe against his former team.
"He's been giving us everything he's got and we want to do that too," the Devils captain told NHL.com. "Even if he's probably treating it as just a game, it's probably a game that means something to him. We know he was coach there, and the players in this locker room want to get this win for him, get this win for us, and start the season with three straight wins."
New Jersey opened the regular season with two victories against the Buffalo Sabres in the 2024 NHL Global Series Czechia presented by Fastenal at O2 Arena in Prague on Friday and Saturday.
"We want to win no matter what, but obviously we gain some extra emotions because Sheldon is our coach now," Devils forward Jesper Bratt said. "He's been great to us, been teaching us a lot, and even in this short amount of time we know how much he wants to win and we want him to get that win.
"It's also a little bit of an emotional booster for us coming back for the first home game and also playing against Toronto for Sheldon to get a win and for us to get a win."
Defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic, who the Devils acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens on June 30, has an idea what Keefe might be going through.
"He'll probably downplay it a little, as he should, but I know it's going to be an emotional night because I've been in that situation," Kovacevic said. "In the preseason I played against Montreal and it was weird because you were just on that side and know so much about them. The best part about hockey is making those personal relationships. But when the game starts it's about winning, and you only have 25 friends when the puck is dropped."
Brenden Dillon signed with the Devils as an unrestricted free agent July 1. The veteran defenseman is in his 14th NHL season and with his fifth team.
"There's a little bit of nerves or anxiety because there's guys you were going to battle with every day, for however many years," Dillon said. "I'm sure a lot of those guys on Toronto have had their careers impacted significantly by Sheldon, whether that's playing in their first NHL game under him or just learning. We're super happy and fortunate to have him as our coach now but it's probably one he's had circled on the calendar.
"I'm sure it being Toronto there's going to be a million storylines, but we just want to play our best for our coach. We want to have a good start now that we're back in North America. Toronto also made a lot of changes this summer. It's a team that has high expectations and we're going to have to be at our best."
