TORONTO — Sheldon Keefe was going about his normal game-day routine.
The New Jersey Devils head coach then turned a corner and stepped in front of a wall of cameras in the hours before his second trip back to a building he knows very well — down the hall from his old office — in the bowels of Scotiabank Arena.
“Up until about 45 seconds ago, when I stood right here, it felt like any other road game,” Keefe said with a smile shortly before noon Tuesday.
The 45-year-old from nearby Brampton, Ont., led the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2019 through 2024, a stretch that saw the Original Six franchise enjoy plenty of regular-season success with a star-studded lineup, but only secure a solitary playoff series victory in six tries before he was fired some 17 1/2 months ago.
After failing to get a win over his old club in three tries last campaign, the Devils made sure Keefe walked out of his old stomping grounds with a smile following a convincing 5-2 victory.
“We’re a year late from it really meaning a whole lot,” he said post-game in trying to downplay the result on a personal level. “But listen, I’ve got a lot of people here that are waiting to talk to me, and a lot of people in the building. It’s a special place for me. Always will be.
“It certainly feels a lot better coming out on the winning side.”
New Jersey has now won five straight games for the organization’s longest winning streak since January 2023 after dropping its opener.
“We all wanted it for him,” said Devils forward Cody Glass.
Keefe shared before puck drop he feels more comfortable in his second season in charge after not knowing anyone in New Jersey when he was hired only two weeks following his dismissal in Toronto.
“He knows what works with guys, and we know what he expects out of us,” said Devils centre Jack Hughes, who registered a hat trick to give him six goals in three games. “Just more familiarity — that’s the biggest thing.”
The Devils have killed 18 straight penalties over a winning run that’s pushed the club to the top of the Metropolitan Division early in the schedule.
“(Keefe) demands a lot out of us, which is great,” said Devils defenceman Brenden Dillon, who scored the third goal Tuesday. “He holds a high standard for our organization, for the players. We know what roles we have and what our systems are.
“Reacting as opposed to thinking.”
And while Keefe attempted to pour cold water on the result being about more than two points, Dillon said it was no doubt circled on the calendar.
“You’ve got lots of friends and people that you’ve built relationships with,” said the veteran blueliner. “He was here for a long time and had some good success with that group and helped those players build their game to what it is now. It’s a tough environment. His family’s here. He’s from here. Obviously, this place meant a lot to him.
“The guys really battled hard.”
Keefe, meanwhile, said he’s liked both the energy and the buy-in from the Devils early on in 2025-26 after an ugly 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes that opened the schedule.
“We’ve pushed and challenged this group from Day 1 of training camp,” he said. “We’ve continued to push and challenge, even though we’ve been winning.
“When you’re winning, the group’s always going to feel good. But just in terms of how we’re playing, the group is really rallying around what we’re asking them to do.”
Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wore an Auston Matthews jersey ahead of Toronto’s 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series on Monday.
The Leafs captain returned the favour roughly 24 hours later with the first baseman’s name and number on his back as he walked into Scotiabank Arena after the Jays advanced to the World Series for the first time since 1993.
“It was awesome,” Matthews said of seeing his threads at Rogers Centre ahead of Monday’s winner-take-all ALCS finale. “Awesome to see them pull out that win, too. Obviously, huge moment in the city.”
Keefe got his first up-close glimpse at Toronto minus Mitch Marner. The star winger played nine seasons with the Leafs before bolting for the Vegas Golden Knights over the summer.
“Mitch was such a dynamic player and did so many things, touched the game in so many areas,” Keefe said. “They look different because of the way that you’re able to spread (financial resources) around and get greater depth, and change the identity and look of the group elsewhere.”
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