TORONTO — Toronto Maple Leafs fans likely feel like they’re watching a different team this season, what with them being a stingier outfit than they’ve been in the recent past. As it happens, the view from the top provides the same perspective.
Speaking at the PrimeTime Sports Management Conference in downtown Toronto Tuesday morning, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Keith Pelley talked about a wide range of topics.
Unsurprisingly, though, it wasn’t long before the local hockey team — the one Pelley used to watch as a kid at Maple Leaf Gardens with his dad — came up, and Pelley said, in addition to tangible changes on the ice, there’s a potentially unseen alteration that’s powering the blue and white.
Speaking with Sportsnet’s Caroline Cameron — who’s on maternity leave from her usual role as a studio host on NHL broadcasts — Pelley explained, in both sports and business, there’s a good ‘Double C’ — chemistry and clarity — and a dubious ‘Double C’ — consumer confusion.
“People ask me how the Leafs are different this year, and I say culture and chemistry is the right ‘Double C,’” said Pelley, who officially moved into his role of MLSE president in April. “It makes a difference. We, right now, have what I call the perfect triangle (with) the Toronto Maple Leafs. I have no idea what happened over the last 10 years, (but) I know that culture, I know that chemistry is there (now). That (became clear) when I really observed (Leafs president) Brendan Shanahan and (GM) Brad Treliving, and I looked at the chemistry they had, and it was phenomenal. The chemistry wasn’t quite there with the previous head coach (Sheldon Keefe), so after the season we brought in Craig Berube to that triangle of chemistry.”
With Berube implementing a more defence-first mindset — to say nothing of new goalie Anthony Stolarz’s strong play — the Leafs are allowing fewer goals per game than all but four teams in the NHL. It might take some time to perfect, but Pelley believes it’s the right approach and that everything is underpinned by that aforementioned synergy.
“The team is obviously playing a different style of hockey this year, it takes a while to learn (that),” he said. “With the style of hockey we’re playing, it’s not about beating teams 6-4. So, they’re learning that style. When you go into the dressing room after the game, you see the chemistry, you see the culture and you can’t win in business, you can’t win in sport, without the right chemistry and culture.”
Of course, Pelley is doing a lot of learning himself these days and — as the guy overseeing the Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Argonauts and Toronto Football Club — acknowledged the job is even bigger than he originally imagined. One of those clubs, the Argos, will play for a championship in a matter of days at the CFL’s Grey Cup. The Raps and TFC, however, are at the opposite end of the winning spectrum and Pelley — who spent most of the previous 10 years as CEO of golf’s European Tour Group — singled out the Major League Soccer club as the one in line for the most change.
“TFC is in a complete rebuild,” he said. “So, I’m probably spending most of my time on TFC right now. It is a complete overhaul, we’re looking at the roster completely differently. I brought in a gentleman by the name of Marco Neppe, who’s the former technical director of Bayern Munich. So, we’re looking at it on and off the field, we need to revitalize all facets of TFC in time for the World Cup in 2026.”
Speaking of that enormous global event that’s now basically a year-and-a-half away, Pelley didn’t mince words when it came to Toronto’s preparation for the tournament. “The city is not ready for 2026,” he said. “They have no idea how big it is and I’ve said that to (mayor Olivia Chow).”
Editor’s note
Drawing on his European golf experience, Pelley noted even the scale of something like the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome was massive. Hosting the men’s World Cup, though, is a happening on a completely different scale.
“You’ve got six World Cup games here, you’ve got six Super Bowls; that’s what it is like,” he said. “When you think about (2022 host) Qatar, 5.3 billion people — there are only eight billion people in the world — touched Qatar. So, our infrastructure is not ready, we’re going to have to rally together very, very quickly.”
Whatever topic Pelley was speaking about, his passion and personal investment in his new gig were impossible to miss. The 60-year-old cited the concept of QTR — quality time remaining — as a huge factor in his decision to leave a wonderful life in England to return home for this job.
Before heading up the European Tour Group, Pelley had a long history in sports and sports media in Canada. Among other posts, he was president of Rogers Media (now Rogers Sports and Media, the company that owns Sportsnet), TSN and the Argos.
Now, in what might be his final professional chapter, Pelley has huge goals in mind for the teams he runs and the community he calls home.
“MLSE, we want to be an entertainment powerhouse, we want to be a community titan — we’re not right now, there’s so much more that we can do in charity with the community — and we want a relentless pursuit of championships,” he said.
