Keith Pelley proudly draws from experiences outside of the hockey world to shape his role as MLSE CEO. Pelley contains a worldliness that eludes the conventional thinking of most hockey executives in an often myopic, monocultural landscape, tasked with shaping an organization that contains properties from all over the sports world. It’s clear that Pelley understands the gravitas of the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise, and the attendant expectations that come with the territory.

Pelley addressed reporters to illustrate why the MLSE board did not renew Brendan Shanahan’s contract and what the succession plan may look like, but it doubled as an opportunity for the 61-year-old to clearly articulate that the Maple Leafs transcend the expectations of any elementary hockey club, and how the pressure isn’t particularly unique to the Maple Leafs.

“The greatest hockey team in the world is the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Pelley said Friday at a theatre inside Scotiabank Arena. “As a result, you see the passion and the tribalism that exists. That tribalism reminded me of my involvement in European football and what happens in the Premier League. People are invested, they’re invested in their team, it matters so much.”

Pelley inherently understands what lies ahead for the Maple Leafs and clearly has his pulse on the fan base’s demands as well. It’s not always the best policy to be governed by the fans to be clear, but after consecutive meltdowns in the final two home games of the season, the discontentment and frustration made its way to the governance level, and Pelley clearly felt compelled to dismiss Shanahan after 11 years at the helm. There won’t be a direct replacement for Shanahan, as Pelley is relying heavily on general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube for further output, as the next era of Maple Leafs hockey is quickly taking shape, five days after the season came to a crashing halt against the defending champion Florida Panthers.

In the past, I’ve likened Shanahan to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, the one-man emperor of football’s preeminent giant. This was a hasty comparison, but Perez may be the real comparison for Pelley. Both principals understand that the only thing that matters for a venerated franchise with rich history is winning, then appeasing the fans in short order. Pelley demonstrated that he understands the win-now timeline, while deferring to Treliving and Berube for personnel decisions. At some level, it’s a clear departure from the tunnel vision that Shanahan, a hockey lifer, presented for the Maple Leafs. The emperor has some clothes and Pelley will be ruling with a merciless approach to losing from here onward.

“In any other business, we evaluate all facets of the organization in terms of how we utilize resources,” Pelley said. “We have all the resources here to be a championship team, but it’s how we use the resources and that’s what we’ll spend the next week looking at. I’m confident in Brad, I’m confident in Craig and the resources that we have, but I do believe as the custodians of the biggest hockey brand in the world, we have a responsibility to our fans, and that responsibility is winning championships. We will do everything we said and won’t stop until we reach that goal.”

Shanahan built the Maple Leafs in his visage, with three general managers he selected, three different head coached, and a commitment to a star-studded forward quartet that played the beneath the sum of their parts routinely in the postseason. Pelley is keeping Treliving and Berube aboard as key stakeholders in the next era of Leafs hockey, deferring to them on personnel matters, while making it clear that at an institutional level, failure to meet expectations will not be tolerated. This is the standard at Real Madrid, why shouldn’t it be the case with the Maple Leafs?

It will be a summer full of change for the Maple Leafs and the incremental approach has sailed away. Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Matthew Knies all require new contracts, with the former expected to test free agency come July 1. Pelley stated multiple times that he’s deferring to Treliving on personnel matters, but it’s clear he will be watching hawkishly, as Shanahan often operated with unilateral control from the shadows. There will be further transparency, as the Maple Leafs come to terms with a new era. The boss is closely watching and while it’s incumbent upon the players, particularly the stars, to deliver a Stanley Cup, Pelley is taking ownership of what lies ahead at an institutional level.