New Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe spent a decent chunk of a 30-minute morning skate Thursday teaching instead of running drills.

The 39-year-old Keefe is now in charge of the Maple Leafs after veteran coach Mike Babcock was fired Wednesday with the team mired in a six-game losing streak. That streak was snapped Thursday, with the Leafs posting a 3-1 win over the Coyotes in Keefe's debut.

Hours earlier, Keefe was officially introduced as the 31st head coach in the franchise's history. He has a long history with general manager Kyle Dubas, who hopes Keefe is the right choice to help Toronto bounce back from a disappointing 9-10-4 start.

"We've got a lot of talent and the ability to make life hard on the other team in a lot of ways," he said. "Focusing on that, we believe, will produce positive results. Because the players are good enough for that to happen."