Sheldon Keefe is out to prove he’s no longer the same person as the teenager he’s compared to.
The Soo Greyhounds surprised some when they announced that Mike Stapleton had been replaced behind the Greyhounds bench by Keefe. Keefe’s lack of experience at the OHL level wasn’t the big concern. His history was.
Keefe has been associated with former NHL agent David Frost. Keefe was among Frost’s “disciples” along with former NHL forward Mike Danton among others. A quick internet search tells the full story of the relationship between Keefe and Frost.
“Through my playing days, I was certainly caught up in some situations and created some situations myself that, looking back on it as you grow up and reflect on some of the decisions that you made, there’s a lot of things I’m not proud of,” said Keefe. “In terms of how it affects my coaching, I recognize some of those negative characteristics quickly and have the ability to relate to the player and try to get them corrected.”
“I’ve grown up a lot,” Keefe added. “It’s less about me being a different person and more about having the opportunity to create a true identity and allow my true character to show. Anyone who has been paying attention knows what I’m all about and what I stand for. It’s certainly not the person that I was as a player during my first go-around in the Ontario Hockey League.”
The on-ice product Keefe helped assemble and guide with the Pembroke Lumber Kings of the Central Canada Hockey League as the team’s GM and coach, is second to none.
Keefe, 32, took over in Pembroke in June 2006 and since then won five straight league titles, two Fred Page Cup titles as eastern Canadian champs and an RBC Cup in six seasons. With the Lumber Kings, Keefe led the team to a 265-75-20 regular season record and was 67-22 in the playoffs.
Keefe has also served as an assistant coach for Hockey Canada. Keefe was an assistant with Team Canada East in the 2012 World Jr. A Hockey Challenge.
Exactly what can Greyhounds fans expect from a team coached by Sheldon Keefe?
“(The fans) can look forward to a team that is a little more assertive in how they play and they’ll see a level of discipline and accountability that will push the players to be at their absolute best every day and even at some points play over their head,” said Keefe. “We want to strive to exceed expectations. That goes individually and collectively as a team. You do that by trying to get better every day and focusing on your game.”
Keefe admits making the jump to the OHL from Jr. A isn’t going to be easy but he plans to rely on assistant coaches Joe Cirella, Seamus Kotyk and Mike Oliverio in the early weeks on the job the with the Greyhounds.
“I haven’t had much time to prepare in terms of knowing the league so I’m very fortunate to have a good staff,” Keefe said. “We had a very engaging conversation late this morning to go over some things. I believe in the staff, they know the league very well. They have a lot of materials that they’ve kept track of over the years so there’s a lot of support with the assistant coaches and I believe that I’ll be able to lean heavily on them in the first couple of weeks until I become more comfortable. I’ll work as diligently as possible to be best prepared for every game.”
Keefe will get his first taste of OHL action as a head coach on Thursday night when the Greyhounds are in Windsor to take on the Spitfires.