Sheldon Keefe accuses the NHL Department of Player Safety of being corrupt

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Josh tupper
February 12, 2024 (2:03 PM)

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Sheldon Keefe is an extremely polarizing figure for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The head coach of the team has brought the team limited playoff success and has had many fans call for his termination. However, one thing he cannot be accused of is not having the backs of his players.

Saturday night after Morgan Rielly delivered a cross check to the head of Ridley Greig, Keefe defended his top defenseman by saying his actions were justified. Since then, Rielly has been called to New York City for an in-person hearing. This, however, is something the Leafs do not agree with.

Today when asked about the incident Keefe didn't hold back implying that the Maple Leafs are often targeted by George Parros and his Player Safety Department.

"I was surprised. We spend a lot of time watching pretty much every cross-check that's happened in the last number of years, and the ones that I thought were similar in nature to Morgan's were nothing close to requiring that. But at the same time, there's a history of events that happened in Toronto and with the Leafs they get more attention, more hype. That tends to lead to something such as this. So, to that end, not surprised. It's out of our hands and we'll get ready to play tomorrow."

We've been through a number of (hearings) in the past. It seems like we've had to prepare for it more so than anybody else in the league, perhaps.

While this might just seem like a team complaining, it truly appears that it may actually be the case. Jeff Veillette composed the following data which may substantiate some of Keefe's claim.

It will be interesting to see how Parros will rule and if once again he comes down with the hammer against the team that essentially ended his NHL career.