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OHL coach of the year Sheldon Keefe reflects on 'turning points' in improving his hockey image

Keefe guided the Greyhounds to the highest point percentage in the Canadian Hockey League (Aaron Bell, OHL Images)
Keefe guided the Greyhounds to the highest point percentage in the Canadian Hockey League (Aaron Bell, OHL Images)

Sheldon Keefe going from persona non grata in come circles to coach of the year in fewer than 2½ years is proof  of the value of second chances.

Long into adulthood, the first point of reference with Keefe, who received the OHL's Matt Leyden Trophy on Friday, was his part as one of the Brampton Boys, the group of four David Frost-influenced players whose antics marred the 2000 Barrie Colts' championship season. It's sensitive subject, which was why Keefe didn't get an OHL opportunity until midway through 2012-13 when Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds GM Kyle Dubas, now Toronto Maple Leafs assistant GM, hired him to turn around a struggling team. Since that it's been all uphill for the 'Hounds, whom Keefe guided to club-record 110-point regular season and a pair of sweeps in the playoffs.

"Kyle showed the confidence in both me, and himself, to take a leap and give me the opportunity to coach in the OHL at a time when people weren't exactly lining up to do that," said Keefe, whose team begins the OHL Western Conference final at home against Connor McDavid and the Erie Otters on Thursday and Friday. "That showed tremendous confidence, to put himself on the line. For that, right away, I'm forever grateful for that. Since then ... my understanding and my approach to the game has changed a great deal in Sault Ste. Marie. Just through back-and-forth and communication on things we can do better in Sault Ste. Marie to give ourselves an edge.

"Just through that my outlook on the game has grown much deeper," Keefe added. "I look back at my time at the Junior A level coaching and don't recognize myself in terms of how I coach and the detail we go through each day."

'Stopped focusing on proving people wrong'

Keefe, 34, typically isn't the type to talk about himself, but he noted he had to go through a lot of personal growth after that year in Barrie. Losing the baggage from his teens did as much to get him into the OHL as the string of Central Canada Hockey League titles the Pembroke Lumber Kings won on his watch.

"I've often said that one of the big turning points for me, in my life, was a time when I stopped focusing on proving people wrong and started focusing on proving people right," said Keefe, whose 'Hounds became the first Soo team in 30 years to finish on top of the OHL. "Whatever the case was at the Junior A level, I focused on having positive interactions and people started to spread the word and believe in you. When you have people believing in you, it's easy to change our focus.

"In this case, the Soo Greyhounds with Kyle Dubas and [owner] Dr. Lou Lukenda and our board of directors, put themselves out there at a time when it would have been very easy to overlook me. This is an organizational award and it's not about me or any peace of mind. It's just about some acknowledgement that perhaps I was able to prove people right, that believed in me. So, for that, it's very gratifying."

Keefe collected 55-of-95 possible points in the balloting. Ottawa 67's coach Jeff Brown was runner-up with 46 and the Oshawa Generals' D.J. Smith had 38.

Leaning on analytics

The Greyhounds, whether under Dubas or his first-year successor, Kyle Raftis, have tried to be on the cutting edge with how an OHL team has built. Keefe relies heavily on his bench staff — assistant coaches A.J. MacLean and Joe Cirella and physiotherapist/strength & conditioning coordinator Rich Rotenberg. The 'Hounds also have a director of player development, Wes Clark, along with player personnel director Victor Carneiro, development coaches for their forwards and defencemen, Mike Oliverio and Greg Amadio. Dubas also embraced advanced analytics, which is part of the Soo's approach.

"There's so much work that happens under me," Keefe said. "There's so much pursuit of knowledge here. I'm so surrounded by people who are just constantly sharing information."

Keefe's greatest challenge in the Soo of late has been handling a surplus of talent. Along with centre Jared McCann and Darnell Nurse, the 'Hounds also added two other NHL first-rounders at the OHL trade deadline with deals for left wing Nick Ritchie and offensive defenceman Anthony DeAngelo.

Keeping everyone engaged is not exactly easy.

"I really believe in being honest with your players," Keefe said. "In some cases, that's where the hardass reputation come up. In some cases being honest comes across as being harsh. Or being tough. That's a big part of building a healthy environment for success, is to be honest with everybody. But you can't do that unless the players are confident you have their best interests in mind. That's where communication comes in. " 

The 'Hounds also had to adapt from being young and excited at winning while finishing first in the West Division last season to expecting to win this season. Their showdown with Erie will be a much anticipated, with Edmonton Oilers prospect Nurse matching up against McDavid in a Team Canada reunion.

"For the first time we're facing a team that has the ability to beat us," Keefe said. "I know they believe they can beat us and are very capable of beating us. So the challenge is far greater and the attention to detail is going to have to be on-point and we're going to have to execute."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.