Keith Pelley empowers Treliving, Berube in Maple Leafs’ summer of change
In wake of the dismissal of Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan, MLSE CEO Keith Pelley expressed confidence in GM Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube. This is their team now, writes Sportsnet’s Luke Fox.
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TORONTO — This is Brad Treliving’s hockey team now.
And, for that matter, Craig Berube’s.
In the wake of Thursday afternoon’s dismissal of Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan and the official end of the 11-year Shanaplan, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley is doing away with the hockey club’s presidency altogether and empowering the general manager and head coach to call the shots.
To blaze a trail to the Stanley Cup, which has eluded this city for 58 years.
“I’m confident in Brad. I’m confident in Craig. I am confident in the resources that we have,” Pelley said Friday during a press conference at Scotiabank Arena, the site of the Leafs’ disastrous 6-1 losses in Games 5 and 7 of the second round.
“But I do believe that we as the custodians of the biggest hockey brand in the world have a responsibility to our fans — and that responsibility is winning championships. And we will do everything we possibly can and will not stop until we reach that goal.”
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Hours after handing Shanahan his pink slip, which the Hall of Fame player accepted professionally, Pelley went for dinner with Berube. Pelley wants the coach work in concert with Treliving to improve the team’s culture and on-ice product.
Pelley likes the current regime’s improvements on the blue line and between the pipes.
“I’m a firm believer that the coach has to be involved more than just on the day of the game and in the dressing room. And we have a wonderful asset in Craig,” Pelley said.
“Culture and chemistry is critical. I do believe that if you have the right culture and the right chemistry, it can make the difference between a goal, a touchdown.”
Treliving — who has two seasons remaining on his contract and whose title will not immediately change — now reports directly to Pelley, who has already eliminated the president’s chair for Toronto FC and the Toronto Argonauts.
The executive views himself as “a sounding board” for the organization’s GMs.
“I look (at) it as a holistic leader that can provide support and guidance from a leadership perspective, from a culture side,” Pelley explained. “But I’m not going to be deciding who we draft and what free agents we’re going to sign. That will be the decision by the hockey operations group.”
Yeah, about that group.
The Maple Leafs had 15 executive positions listed beneath Shanahan, a mix of his hires as well as those of former GM Kyle Dubas and Treliving. (Suits are immune to the NHL salary cap.)
Pelley said he’d be examining how the Maple Leafs are deploying their hockey ops staff over the coming weeks.
“Are those resources being put in the right area?” Pelley asked.
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The removal of Shanahan was partly an emotional decision, as Pelley found it hard to sit in the stands Sunday while Game 7 drew to its boo-filled, beer-thrown close.
“I hadn’t really experienced that type of emotion in some time, maybe ever,” Pelley admitted.
“The electricity prior to the game and during that first period was palpable and unmeasured. And to go from that euphoric moment to the way that we felt in the third period was very difficult. And, yeah, I was saddened by it. And I feel that I need to take some responsibility for that.”
Pelley’s decision to remove Shanahan was Step 1.
Next is meeting with Treliving, who is in Calgary attending his daughter’s graduation, and devising a plan for hockey ops and the off-season.
Mixed in with that, Pelley said, is improving the in-game atmosphere at Leafs home games and repairing the fractured relationship between the team and its loyal fan base, which got accused of putting too much pressure on the players.
“They’re as happy as the team is playing well. And there was nothing more evident than seeing that on Sunday. I respect, understand and appreciate their disappointment in the way the season ended. I thank them for it. I thank (them) for the way that they’ve invested in the team. And I understand, to our fans, that winning is the only thing that matters,” Pelley said.
“The biggest thing is how our players relate to the fans and, quite honestly, how we relate to the media. You know, I understand the importance of the media, having worked in it for so long. We need to embrace the media. We need (to) embrace the fans. And we need (to) be out there more. We’re gonna have a full detailed plan, and we’ll work on that in the off-season.”
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Most pressing, the team will work on the files of John Tavares and Mitch Marner, who are set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.
Pelley extolled the “magic” of Marner but did not comment on plans for extending contracts to either star. He’ll leave that to Treliving, with whom he’ll meet Sunday. (Treliving is expected to speak publicly next week.)
Still, it says here that Shanahan is not the only big name that won’t be back in Toronto when camp opens in September.
“Change is natural in sport, but change is hard,” Pelley said.
“This is a results-driven business, and it’s about winning championships. And sometimes you need change to get to the next level. And that’s what we feel we needed right now.
“Make no mistake about it, making the playoffs and winning rounds is not our aspirational goal. Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup.”
