I really like Leafs D man Travis Dermott.  He’s a terrific young player and from what I know, He’s a GREAT guy.  Salt of the earth.  An ‘Old Soul’ as they say.

Travis Dermott, what’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get inside that dressing room? #CalderCup pic.twitter.com/TAi7X42Fx5

— Gord Brown (@GordBrown_) June 15, 2018

The Travis Dermott I know and love keeps taking these beautiful passive-aggressive shits on Mike Babcock and it’s brilliant.

When asked yesterday what ‘Keefer’ brings to the team he didn’t disappoint in backing the honey wagon up over Babcock’s cold dead carcass.

NATPO: “There’s a lot of ways I can try to explain it, but fun, I think, does it the most justice,” defenceman Travis Dermott said after the Leafs beat the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.

“The boys are doing their thing. We’re relying on each other, we’re supporting each other, and then we’re given the freedom to — once we do our respective duties — use our skill, make pretty plays if we can.

“It’s not forcing the play, it’s picking our spots.”

When Dermott says “Fun” he means, ‘Babcock was an intrusive asshole who gave us all  Stress-Related IBS’.

Still not the best ‘dump’ Dermott’s taken on the Grecian dyed hair of his former head coach…

Travis Dermott pre-game interview. “The boys wanna play for him” Dermott on Keefe #LeafsForeverc pic.twitter.com/wcYSGlAVHC

— David Nestico (@davidnestico200) November 22, 2019

That was 4 days after Bab’s was turfed.  4 DAYS.  Dermott decided in 4 days Keefe was a better person than Babcock was.  Every time Dermott is interviewed, he never fails to reintroduce the passive-aggressive notion that Babcock was a dick:

It’s telling Dermott calls His head coach  ‘Keefer’ too.   I’m guessing they only called him Bab’s behind his back.  

“That’s some something that Keefer said pretty early on (after he was hired) is fighting the panic — it’s just taking a deep breath, talking to each other and if some things are going bad, rely on each other,” Dermott said. “Then, I think the game just comes naturally with the skill that we have.”

And how different is Sheldon Keefe that Mike Babcock?  Keefe actually seems to care about his players.  In the same National Post bit, he floated the Idea that coaching might not be all about him:

“As a coach and as a leader, you have an opportunity to create some memorable moments for individuals and I think that’s important,” Keefe said. “We’re never going to put our team in a tough spot or compromise our ability to win a game. But there are little things that we can do as leaders and as coaches to put people in spots to succeed, put people in spots that they or their families will remember.

“The hope is that those types of things just kind of fuel our team to give a little more when times are tough and maybe get a little more luck to fall our way.”

Novel idea, Sheldon.  So, If you make it fun and memorable for the players and their families, your team will be successful, their families will make better memories and other players might want to play here?

Who knew?

if the Leafs win tonight, Keefe will become the coach in franchise history to win 15 of his first 20 games.
And you know what?  I doubt he gives a shit.

How refreshing is that?