Not only did the New Jersey Devils lose a 4-0 decision to the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday evening, but team captain Nico Hischier uncharacteristically fought Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies in an effort to spark his listless teammates.
Hischier dropped the gloves with his club trailing by a pair of goals in the third period of what was an eventual 4-0 setback.
While Hischier was trying to send a message to the rest of his teammates that their play was uninspired, head coach Sheldon Keefe took it far further in his postgame comments.
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Sheldon Keefe Blasted His Team For What He Felt Was A Lack Of Guts vs. The Toronto Maple Leafs
Not only did Keefe feel like his club wasn’t showing enough fight in their contest against the Maple Leafs, but he also wasn’t exactly a fan of the club’s captain dropping the gloves and risking potential injury in a fight while trying to spark the rest of his teammates.
“I mean, do I want our captain and one of our best players fighting when we’re down 2-0 in the third period? Absolutely not,” Keefe said. “But do we need some guys to step up to show some emotion and show some balls and play with some urgency and competitiveness and step out of character? Yeah, we need more of that.”
“So to that end, I like it. I like that Nico did it and hopefully it rubs off on the rest of the group in a positive way. I didn’t think that it did in that moment, but you want to talk about gut checks, there’s one. Your captain’s out there taking on a big guy stepping out of character. We’ll see what we have with out group.”
Keefe concluded by saying that he hopes that the rest of Hischier’s teammates notice the fight that he had in him, and that it rubs off.
“But we need more guys that are going to show a little bit more if you’re not going to score, give is a little bit more competitively and physically and show that you’re working to find your way,” he said. “There’s not enough of that. We’re just kind of going about our business.”
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Sheldon Keefe Is The Former Coach Of The Maple Leafs
Keefe, who had coached the Toronto Marlies, who are the American Hockey League affiliate of the Maple Leafs, was promoted to the role of head coach in November 2019 upon the termination of Mike Babcock.
Keefe would eventually become the first Toronto head coach since the late Pat Quinn to guide the Maple Leafs to a postseason series victory, which occurred in 2023 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
However, their season came to a close against the eventual Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers. Keefe would spend one more season behind the Toronto bench, once again bringing the club to the postseason before suffering another crushing Game 7 defeat, this time at the hands of the Boston Bruins.
For Toronto as a whole, it was their fourth straight Game 7 setback (2013, 2018, 2019) against the Bruins in Boston. Following the loss, Toronto management saw fit to relieve Keefe of his duties, and hired former St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup-winning coach Craig Berube in his place.
It didn’t take long for Keefe to find new employment, landing the job with New Jersey. He and the Devils earned a postseason spot this past spring, but were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal.
Sheldon Keefe Rips Devils Over Lack Of “Balls” Following 4-0 Loss To Maple Leafs