Keith Pelley, president of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, stated Friday that he is not looking to replace Brendan Shanahan.
Shanahan's contract as president of the Toronto Maple Leafs was not renewed on Thursday after 11 seasons.
Pelley, who joined MLSE this spring, said he plans to work with general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube.
"I'm not looking to replace Brendan," Pelley explained. "I'm looking to work more closely with Brad and Craig."
Pelley stated that hockey-related choices will remain with his hockey team. Pelley, calling himself a "holistic leader," stated that he intended to serve as a "sounding board."
"I am really confident in Brad, who is only in his second year... "I believe we made some progress in Brad's second season," Pelley remarked.
"We certainly made some strides under Chief [Berube]," he said afterwards.
According to TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston, under the new arrangement, Berube will have "more power or say in the operation than a typical NHL head coach". Pelley claimed he had dinner with Berube, who recently finished his first season as Maple Leafs head coach, and termed him "an incredible asset."
Pelley was effusive in his admiration for Shanahan.
"Brendan Shanahan is an integral part of Leafs history...he accomplished so many incredible things," Pelley joked.
Pelley also addressed fan complaints. The squad was booed off the ice twice during its most recent series.
"They are as pleased as the team is performing well... I respect, understand, and comprehend their dissatisfaction with the way the season concluded... "I understand that for our fans, winning is the only thing that matters...good isn't good enough," Pelley said of the fans.
He admitted that he, too, felt nervous watching the team's Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers.
"There's been a lot of chat and a lot of discussion and pressure - pressure of being a Toronto Maple Leafs player, pressure of being an executive...but pressure is a privilege," says Pelley. "It's a privilege to be that nervous."
Shanahan, 56, had been the Leafs president for 11 seasons. The team made the playoffs nine times under the Hockey Hall of Famer, but only made it to the second round twice. His departure comes only days after the team lost to the Panthers in seven games in a second-round series that included two humiliating 6-1 defeats at home, including the deciding Game 7.
His departure makes it the third consecutive spring with a major departure. Kyle Dubas, the general manager, was not re-signed in the spring of 2023. He was succeeded by Brad Treliving, the former general manager of the Calgary Flames. Then, last spring, Sheldon Keefe was sacked after five seasons on the bench. He was succeeded by Craig Berube, a former Leaf who won the Stanley Cup as head coach of the St. Louis Blues in 2019.
Pelley, 61, is a native of Toronto and became president of MLSE last spring. He formerly served as PGA European Tour commissioner. Pelley spent years in the Canadian television industry, serving as president of TSN and Rogers Communications, before moving to Europe. He also led Canada's Olympic media consortium from 2007 to 2010.
Pelley previously served as the Toronto Argonauts' president for five years, helping the team win the Grey Cup in 2007.
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