Yahoo Sports 'I Let Him Coach': A Look Into the Working Relationship Between Devils' Tom Fitzgerald & Sheldon Keefe
Patience.
That would become the most valuable asset in New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald's search for his team's next coach.
View the original article to see embedded media.
"I spent a lot of time with a lot of great candidates," Fitzgerald said in May. "One thing I was consistent with was waiting and being patient in the process. Letting the first round see through and see what would possibly shake out. I stuck with that. I wasn't going to budge from that. I wasn't going to stop waiting just to hire somebody."
That patience led to the Devils naming Sheldon Keefe as the 22nd head coach in team history.
After 33 games and sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, Fitzgerald spoke to reporters, and The Hockey News asked about his working dynamic with Keefe.
"I let him coach," he said. "It is a lot less stress for me. I am probably, deep down, a coach in a manager's office. But it has been nice.
"We believe in the same things," he continued. "It is nice to see it carried out. Practice is so important to get better and improve. Practice is hard and it should be, so games come a little bit easier by the way we practice. It's paying forward."
Keefe's practices balance hard work, blown whistles, and repetition with high energy and players who enjoy being together on the ice.
Through 38 games, Keefe has gotten all his players to buy in and play better defensively.
For seven games, from Dec. 10 to Dec. 23, the Devils limited their opposition to less than 20 shots against. The club became the first team since the NHL tracked shots in 1959 that logged seven consecutive games without allowing more than 20 shots.
At the time of publication, New Jersey, with 51 points, is tied for first place in the league standings with the Vegas Golden Knights and Winnipeg Jets.
"It has been great," Keefe said of his working relationship with Fitzgerald. "He has been very supportive of me. Obviously, showing belief in bringing me here first and foremost, but then the conversations that we have had throughout and the support that he has provided me, either directly, through his leadership, or through the various levels of management that we have that provide different layers of support.
"Everybody does their job, and things are well taken care of and organized," he continued. "If I have asked for something, I have received it for the most part. Communication has been good, and he has just let me kind of do my thing. It has been really good (and) I really (have) enjoyed it so far here."
Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
Related: Devils Q&A: 4 Random Questions With Stefan Noesen
EXCLUSIVE: Q&A With MSG Networks Host & Analyst Rachel Herzog
Hischier’s Manager Patrick Fischer: 'He’s Driven to Succeed, but Not Easily Satisfied'
Related: Devils Dish: Tomas Tatar Reveals Which Teammates Are Most Likely
