The Globe and Mail - 08.04.2020

B16 OTHE GLOBE AND MAIL | WEDNESDAY,APRIL8,2020

S

heldon Keefe doesn’t have
Netflix and hasn’t seenTiger
King.
In fact, when the head coach
of the Toronto Maple Leafs heard
about the cringe-inducing-but-
can’t-look-away series, he as-
sumed it was a documentary
about Tiger Woods.
“I don’t know if I’m proud or
embarrassed,” Keefe said Tues-
day on a conference call with re-
porters. “But it seems like a rab-
bit hole of entertainment that I
don’t necessarily need to go
down.”
He’s instead immersing him-
self in something different, and
more familiar, during the NHL’s
unprecedented shutdown amid
the COVID-19 pandemic – his
own team.
“I’m doing a lot of binging on
the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Keefe
said. “It’s taking up a lot of my
time.”
That includes examining why
a talent-filled roster with the
likes of Auston Matthews, Mitch
Marner, John Tavares and Wil-
liam Nylander can go from ap-
parent world beaters to a team
beaten by a 42-year-old emergen-
cy backup goalie/Zamboni driv-
er.
Keefe talked earlier this sea-
son about the Leafs’ periods of
immaturity, while general man-
ager Kyle Dubas likened the
group to Jekyll and Hyde follow-
ing performances that ran a ga-
mut of highlight-reel to horror
show.
“We’ve shown at times that we
can play very well against the
best teams in the league and get
great results,” Keefe said Tues-
day. “It’s a matter of us finding
that more consistently. You can
attach whatever description you
want to it, but the reality is that
we need to take steps, both as a
team and individually.”

The 39-year-old Keefe, who

has been more or less attached at

the hip with Dubas since their

Ontario Hockey League days,

took over for the fired Mike

Babcock on Nov. 20 after four-

plus seasons leading the AHL’s

Toronto Marlies.

The Leafs caught fire after the

change behind the bench, going

15-4-1 out of the gate, but came

back to earth and were just 12-

11-4 over their next 27 games be-

fore the NHL suspended the

2019-20 campaign March 12.

Toronto sat third in the Atlan-

tic Division when the pause hit –

the Florida Panthers being un-

able to get their act together pro-

vided a boost – but Keefe is using

this time away from the rink to

focus on what needs to change

whenever the games return.

“Right now is a chance for us

to reset,” he said. “But also really

identify where we want to grow,

how we’re going to get there.”

With that in mind, Keefe is

staying in touch with his players

as much as possible, while also

taking into account the world-

upside-down uncertainty of the

novel coronavirus outbreak.

Known for his communica-

tion skills, it’s presented Keefe

with a unique challenge.

“You don’t have the face-to-

face contact where you’re able to

sit across from someone and re-

ally talk them through some-

thing,” he said. “But like every-

body, we’re adapting to the sit-

uation. We’re trying to find the

balance as a coaching staff of giv-

ing the players space to deal with

the things that they need to deal

with.”

That’s included text messages

and phone calls, while the coach-

es have kept up a normal rou-

tine, albeit remotely, with the

knowledge the season may or

may not resume.

“As this moves ahead, you’re

really by the day adjusting your

plan a little bit,” Keefe said.

“While it seems like maybe noth-

ing is happening, there is a lot

happening because there’s a lot

of emotions and a lot of different

things that are attached to the

situation we’re all in. We want to

make sure that we’re going about

it appropriately.”

And while players might have

difficulty making gains physical-

ly away from team facilities and

off their skates, between the ears

is where Keefe thinks there could

be a bump.

“The conditions are challeng-

ing ... yet it is an opportunity

where there’s time to focus on

certain things,” he said. “The

messaging that we’ve been giv-

ing to our players and to our staff

is that there’s no excuse. We

should come back as better ver-

sions of ourselves. Maybe in lots

of cases, that’s going to be diffi-

cult to do from a physical stand-

point, but there’s things that we

can do in other areas that maybe

frankly are more important for

our group.

“This pause that we’re going

through right now gives us a

chance to really talk about those

types of things and make those

sorts of adjustments to make

those plans. We’re looking to

take advantage of it.”

On a personal level, Keefe has

enjoyed spending extra time

with his wife and two sons. He’s

been doing the home-schooling

thing – “My Grade 4 math skills

are improving daily” – and is try-

ing his best stay active.

There’s also been an opportu-

nity to gain some perspective on

the world.

“When it really comes down

to it, sports is pretty low on the

priority list,” Keefe said. “So

many things are more important

• family and health.
  “But then you also do recog-
  nize that a lot [people]enjoy
  their sports and the role sports
  do play in their lives.
  “So it also makes you recog-
  nize and know what you’re do-
  ing is important and that people
  miss it.”
  In his down time there’s been
  movies such asFord v Ferrariand
  the Fred Rogers biopicA Beauti-
  ful Day in the Neighborhood.
  “There’s lots of things out
  there to keep people occupied,”
  Keefe said.
  But at least for now,Tiger King
  isn’t on the coach’s list.

THE CANADIAN PRESS

KeefeeyesopportunityforLeafsfromisolation

Headcoachhasbeen

focusedonteamand

movingitpastits

roller-coasterways

JOSHUACLIPPERTONTORONTO

LeafsheadcoachSheldonKeefewatchesagameagainsttheBuffaloSabresbehind,fromleft,William

Nylander,AustonMatthewsandAndreasJohnssoninTorontoonNov.30,2019.Keefeisstayingintouchwith

hisplayersasmuchaspossibleduringthecoronaviruscrisis.NATHAN DENETTE/THE CANADIAN PRESS

Right now is a chance

for us to reset. But also

really identify where we

want to grow, how

we’re going to get

there.

SHELDONKEEFE

HEAD COACH OF THE

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

HOCKEY

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed
forward Alexander Barabanov to
a one-year, entry-level contract
for the 2020-21 campaign Tues-
day.
The 25-year-old had 11 goals
and 20 points in 43 games with
SKA St. Petersburg of Russia’s
Kontinental Hockey League this
season. He added three points
(one goal, two assists) in four
playoff games for his hometown
club.

“We’re really excited that an-

other player to the fold here that

we think has got great experience

and a great skill set, very high

character,” Leafs head coach Shel-

don Keefe said on a conference

call Tuesday. “Just checks a lot of

the boxes that you’re always look-

ing for when you’re adding a play-

er that you fully expected to step

in and be an important part of

your team.”

Barabanov has appeared in 262

career KHL games, all with SKA,

registering 137 points (62 goals, 75

assists). In 68 career playoff

games, Barabanov recorded 23

points (11 goals, 12 assists) while

helping SKA win the KHL’s Gaga-

rin Cup in both 2015 and 2017.

Internationally, Barabanov

was a member of a team of Rus-

sian athletes – the country was

banned from playing under its

flag because of doping violations

• that won gold at the 2018 Pye-
  ongchang Olympics. He has also
  represented Russia three times at
  the world championships, re-
  cording 14 points (four goals, 10
  assists) in 28 contests.
  “He’s very strong winger, tre-

mendous playmaking ability,

great skill level in tight,” Leafs

general manager Kyle Dubas said

of Barabanov on a separate con-

ference call with reporters last

week. “One of the other things

that we like most about him is his

ability to make plays under pres-

sure, and his ability to win pucks

[and] protect pucks when people

come after him.

“He’s a playmaking winger

that also has the ability to finish

at the net.”

The move for Barbanov comes

11 months after the Leafs rolled

the dice on another Russian for-

ward, signing Ilya Mikheyev to a

one-year, entry-level contract on

May 6, 2019.

The 25-year-old registered

eight goals and 23 points in 39

games with Toronto this season –

which has been put on indefinite

hold by the COVID-19 pandemic –

before suffering a scary wrist lac-

eration from an opponent’s skate

on Dec. 27 that was expected to

keep him out of the lineup until

at least late March.

THE CANADIAN PRESS

TorontosignsRussianforwardBarabanovtoentry-levelcontract

TORONTO

The 16-team playoffs were sched-
uled to open Wednesday, though
they likely won’t begin until late
June – at the earliest – and could
stretch into August and potential-
ly September.
NHL players have been asked
to self-quarantine through April
15, a date that has been pushed
back twice already and is expect-
ed to be moved once again. The
number of NHL players testing
positive for COVID-19 rose to
eight Tuesday as the league an-
nounced a third Colorado Ava-
lanche player tested positive,
joining five members of the Otta-
wa Senators.
The season was put on hold
with teams having played an un-
even amount of games and with
tightly contested races taking
place in each of the two confer-
ences.
The NHL has not placed a firm
deadline on the latest when the
playoffs could start. Deputy com-
missioner Bill Daly, however, ac-
knowledged in an e-mail to The
Associated Press the league will
eventually have to establish
“some last possible day” so not to
cut into the start of the next sea-
son.
“It’s nothing that we are even
close to setting at this point in
time,” he wrote.
Florida Panthers goalie Sergei
Bobrovsky said it would be unfair
for the NHL to dump what re-
mains of the regular season.
“There’s a lot of games [left]
and we’re right in the mix, and we

have the opportunity to be in

there,” Bobrovsky said. “The sea-

son is 82 games and then the play-

offs. So you can’t just cut of where

we are and jump right into the

playoffs.”

The possibility of playing at

neutral sites is being considered

because the pandemic is affecting

regions at different times. North

Dakota, among a handful of

states without stay-at-home or-

ders, was mentioned as a poten-

tial site because the state isn’t

densely populated and the Uni-

versity of North Dakota features

an NHL-calibre facility.

Buffalo has also been dis-

cussed because the Sabres, who

are out of contention, have a two-

rink practice facility connected to

their downtown arena and a 200-

plus room hotel.

Boston defenceman Torey

Krug urged the NHL to take a pa-

tient approach.

“Look, we all want to get back

to playing,” Krug said.

“If we do have the opportunity

to get back to playing, let’s be safe

about it and be smart,” he added.

“No one wants to jump back into

a situation where we put a bunch

of people in one area, and all of a

sudden this thing takes off again.”

Bettman sees the potential of

games being played into the sum-

mer and doesn’t expect the abil-

ity to maintain NHL-calibre ice

sheets to be an issue because of

the league’s modern and air-con-

ditioned facilities.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Season:NHLhasnotplacedafirmdeadline

onlatestpointplayoffscanstart

FROMB13

NHLcommissionerGaryBettmansaystheNHLisfloatinganumberof

optionsonhowtoproceedwiththe2019-20season.MARY ALTAFFER/AP

An eighth NHL player has tested positive for COVID-19.

The league announced Tuesday that a third player from

the Colorado Avalanche has the disease caused by the

novel coronavirus. The league says the player is in self-

isolation and has not had close contact with teammates or

Colorado staff members.

The five other NHL players who tested positive all play

for the Ottawa Senators.

The Senators met the Sharks in San Jose, Calif., on March

7 despite a recommendation from officials in Santa Clara

County against holding large public gatherings owing to

the spreading coronavirus. The Avalanche played at SAP

Center the next night.

The NHL suspended its season March 12, and NHL play-

ers have been advised by the league to self-quarantine

since March 13. That directive is currently in effect until

April 15.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

EIGHTHNHLPLAYER,ANDTHIRDONCOLORADO

AVALANCHE,TESTSPOSITIVEFORCOVID-19

Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave has been placed in a

medically induced coma after suffering a brain bleed.

The Oilers said Tuesday on their Twitter account that the

brain bleed happened overnight and that Cave was in the

critical care unit at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital.

A 25-year-old from Battleford, Sask., Cave scored once in

11 appearances with Edmonton this season. He has 11 goals

and 23 points in 44 games with the American Hockey

League’s Bakersfield Condors.

Cave’s agent, Jason Davidson, confirmed in an e-mail to

The Canadian Press that the situation doesn’t appear to be

linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Oilers posted Cave’s goal – an impressive rush down

the right wing that saw him beat a Pittsburgh defender and

stuff the puck past Penguins netminder Matt Murray – on

Twitter.

“Colby is an awesome person who scored an awesome

goal for us this season,” the team said. “The entire Oilers

family is sending you all our love and strength right now.”

He has four goals and five assists over 67 NHL games

with Boston and Edmonton.THE CANADIAN PRESS

OILERSFORWARDCAVEPLACEDINMEDICALLY

INDUCEDCOMAAFTERSUFFERINGBRAINBLEED