May 23, 2024 | 10:00am ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

DEVILS NAME KEEFE NEW HEAD COACH

Sheldon Keefe

The New Jersey Devils have officially hired Sheldon Keefe as its 22nd head coach in team history, agreeing to a four-year contract.

On May 12, TFP’s David Pagnotta reported Keefe was the frontrunner for the position and after hammering away at a new contract over the last few days, the to sides were able to come to terms on a deal.

“This was an invigorating process for me, having met with many qualified candidates and hearing how attractive this position was to them,” said Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald. “Sheldon jumped to the top of my list when he became available, and I was thrilled when he agreed to be a part of what we are building here. He is an excellent communicator, believes in collaboration, and will take what he has learned previously to make this team a Stanley Cup contender. The organization is incredibly excited to welcome Sheldon, his wife, Jackie, and his two boys, Landon and Wyatt to New Jersey.”

Keefe, 43, joins New Jersey after spending the last five seasons as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs since 2019-20, when he took over the head coaching job in Toronto on Nov. 20, 2019.

“This is an exciting time, and I’m honored to be a member of the Devils’ organization,” said Keefe. “To have the chance to lead this young, dynamic team and to see the potential that can still be unlocked is all very attractive for me. After meeting with David, Josh, Tom, and other members of the organization and in talking with my family, this was an opportunity that I couldn’t turn down. I know this organization has a great history of winning and I look forward to getting started to work on leading them back to that level.”

Keefe recorded a 212-97-40 career record (.665 pts%) during his tenure with the Maple Leafs and his regular-season win total ranks fifth all-time in Toronto’s franchise history. His points percentage places him first among all head coaches in Toronto’s franchise history.

He was the second fastest coach in NHL history (tie, B. Boudreau) to accumulate 200 wins in an NHL career, behind Dan Bylsma with Pittsburgh.