Pelley to work closer with Treliving, Berube as Leafs won't replace Shanahan
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Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president Keith Pelley said Friday that he wasn't looking to replace Brendan Shanahan.
Shanahan was not renewed after 11 seasons as Toronto Maple Leafs president on Thursday.
Pelley, who came aboard MLSE last spring, said he intends to work alongside general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube.
"I'm not looking to replace Brendan," Pelley said. "I'm looking to work more closely with Brad and Craig."
Pelley said that hockey-related decisions will remain with his hockey people. Calling himself a "holistic leader," Pelley said he intends to be a "sounding board."
"I have incredible confidence in Brad in only his second year...I think we made some strides in Brad's second season," Pelley said.
"We certainly made some strides under Chief [Berube]," he added.
TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston notes that it's clear Berube will have "more power or say in the operation than a typical NHL head coach" under the new structure. Pelley said he had dinner with Berube, who just completed his first season as head coach of the Maple Leafs, and called him "an incredible asset."
Pelley was effusive in praise for Shanahan.
"Brendan Shanahan is an integral part of Leafs history...he accomplished so many incredible things," Pelley said.
Pelley also addressed fan discontent. The team was booed off of the ice twice in the team's last series.
"They are as happy as the team is playing well...I respect, understand and appreciate their disappointment in the way the season ended...I understand, to our fans, that winning is the only thing that matters...good simply isn't good enough," Pelley said of the fans.
He acknowledged that he, too, felt nerves 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," Pelley said. "It's a privilege to be that nervous."
Shanahan, 56, had been serving as Leafs president for 11 seasons. The team made the playoffs on nine occasions under the Hockey Hall of Famer, but only advanced to the second round twice. His exit comes days after the team fell to the Panthers in seven games in a second-round series that saw the team drop two embarrassing 6-1 contests at home including in the deciding Game 7.
His exit marks a third straight spring with a major departure. General manager Kyle Dubas was not re-signed in the spring of 2023. He was replaced by former Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving. Then last spring, Sheldon Keefe was fired after five seasons behind the bench. He was succeeded by former Leaf Craig Berube, who won the Stanley Cup as head coach of the St. Louis Blues in 2019.
A native of Toronto, the 61-year-old Pelley became president of MLSE last spring. He had previously served as the commissioner of the PGA European Tour. Before heading to Europe, Pelley spent years in the Canadian television industry as the president of TSN, as well as the president of Rogers Communications. He also headed Canada's Olympic media consortium from 2007 to 2010.
Pelley also spent five years as the president of the Toronto Argonauts, helping lead the team to a Grey Cup in 2007.