Long-time owner and Head Coach of the Pembroke Lumber Kings, Sheldon Keefe was let go from his Head Coach position of the Toronto Maple Leafs yesterday after his team fell in Game 7 to the Boston Bruins. But news that Keefe had been let go by the Leafs still had to hit hard for the former Pembroke Lumber Kings owner and coach who learned of his demise on the same week that marked 13 years since he brought the city of Pembroke its first National Junior A Hockey Championship. Not sure how superstitious Keefe is, but his reaction to the most devastating news of his coaching career, was nothing short of a public relations homerun.
Author of the book “Go Kings Go” Jamie Bramburger tells myFM that Keefe’s rise from coaching the Pembroke Lumber Kings to being named head coach of the most storied franchise in the National Hockey League is an incredible story.
When asked about the timing of his firing, Bramburger says anyone who understands hockey and the market of Toronto knew that the writing was on the wall.
Sheldon Keefe didn’t make it to the bench of the Toronto Maple Leafs without proving himself as a coach. He is only in his early 40’s and has proven he can work in the NHL’s toughest coaching job. From here on in, it has to get easier. Now, he can take a break and enjoy some time with his family and wait for the phone to ring. It’s inevitable he’ll be back in the NHL.
Standing in front of an unknown body of water and posting on his X account, formerly Twitter, for the first time since he tweeted about the tenth anniversary of that magical Lumber Kings season on May 8, 2021, Keefe delivered a heartfelt thank you to Toronto’s rabid hockey fans, the leadership team of the organization, the players and the media.
(Written by: Kyle Robinson)