Being a head coach is never easy. Being a coach in the New York/New Jersey area is even harder. Sports in this area have been on a downward spiral since the early 2000s, when, at the very least, the teams playing have been competitive.
The New York Giants and Jets have been the worst two teams in the area, thanks in large part to their coaching regimes. In fact, the Giants fired their head coach, Brian Daboll, on Monday. The Yankees and Mets have kept up their competitive spirit thanks to their owners, but Aaron Boone and Carlos Mendoza haven’t been great, the Knicks have been competitive, and the Nets have not been so great.
As for hockey, well, the Rangers, after being purged of some of their talent, haven't been playing well, especially at home, getting shut out five times at home, and Mike Sullivan hasn’t inspired the Rangers to play well in his coaching tenure there yet.
The Islanders have been a surprise so far this season, thanks in large part to rookie Matthew Schaefer, who has 11 points, and Patrick Roy has improved his coaching after coming in last year. The Devils, of course, have had a fantastic start to the season, sitting 2nd in the NHL and 1st in the Metropolitan Division with an 11-4-1 record, and the team, despite all the injuries, has looked great. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons why the team is off to this great start is head coach Sheldon Keefe.
The New Jersey Devils have the area's best head coach in Sheldon Keefe
After arriving last season from Toronto, Keefe has taken the talent GM Tom Fitzgerald gave him and used it to build a consistent team. Currently, Dawson Mercer is the biggest example of this. In the 2024-25 season, Mercer underperformed; he looked lost, and while he did score 36 points last season, that’s not someone who should be earning his type of contract money. Currently, this year, he has looked great, scoring 15 points in 15 games.
The most significant change Keefe has made to this team is that it never gives up. In their latest game against the Islanders, the Islanders took a late lead on their one and only power play due to a very lucky bounce. But thanks to Keefe taking a timeout and his thoughtful planning, the team rallied around him, and Simon Nemec tied the game with 4.7 seconds left.
While the Devils went on to lose that game in overtime, you could tell how hard they didn't want to lose it for Keefe. Having Keefe has had a significant reinvigoration in the franchise. Is he perfect? No, but he doesn’t need to be. Keefe is liked and loved by the fans, and to me, that is what being a coach is all about.