The NHL hit Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe with a $25,000 fine for “unprofessional conduct directed at the officials” on Thursday – making it the second time in two years he has been disciplined for how he speaks to officials.
Keefe was ejected with 2:14 left in regulation of Tuesday’s 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. He had expressed frustration with referees Garrett Rank and Peter MacDougall when they assessed a questionable tripping penalty to Mitch Marner two minutes earlier and was warned to stop, according to a source that heard the exchange.
Keefe could be seen on the bench reacting to the call as a “f—- joke” and was further steamed when he got a look at the replay.
When he continued to point out the referees missed the call during another stoppage in play, Rank handed him a game misconduct.
Keefe declined to discuss his early exit with reporters post-game, saying: “Not going there.”
On Thursday, he addressed it, saying, “I don’t feel like I lost control or anything like that the other night. But I’m not focused on the right thing. My job is to be focused on the right thing. The players’ job is to be focused on the right thing.