TORONTO – Sheldon Keefe was going about his normal game-day routine.

The New Jersey Devils head coach then turned a corner and stepped in front of a wall of cameras in the hours before his second trip back to a building he knows very well — down the hall from his old office — in the bowels of Scotiabank Arena.

“Up until about 45 seconds ago, when I stood right here, it felt like any other road game,” Keefe said with a smile shortly before noon Tuesday.

The 45-year-old from nearby Brampton, Ont., led the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2019 through 2024, a stretch that saw the Original Six franchise enjoy plenty of regular-season success with a star-studded lineup, but only secure a solitary playoff series victory in six tries before he was fired some 17 1/2 months ago.

After failing to get a

See Full Page