Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan provided some clarity on the organization's decision to fire head coach Mike Babcock on Wednesday.

"When you think that you know what the right decision is, you have to act on it," Shanahan told the gathered media Wednesday, per TSN. "I think that waiting at this point would have been the wrong thing."

Shanahan brought Babcock to Toronto in May 2015, signing him to an eight-year, $50-million deal. Despite finding regular-season success, the Maple Leafs were unable to escape the first round of the playoffs in each of the last three campaigns. The team's slow start this year sealed Babcock's fate.

"(General manager) Kyle (Dubas) and I are in constant communication. I think that it really just came down to the last couple of weeks," Shanahan added. "We spoke in the last 48 hours again, and I just felt that it was something that needed to be done, and Kyle felt the same way."

The Maple Leafs have lost their last six games and sit in fifth place in the Atlantic Division with a 9-10-4 record.

"Our game is not really meeting our expectations," Shanahan continued. "We're mistake-prone on defense, the attention to details aren't there. Even the explosive offense our team was known for has been missing for a while now."

Sheldon Keefe will take over as the Leafs' new head coach. The 39-year-old has served as head coach of the AHL's Toronto Marlies since 2015, leading them to a Calder Cup title in 2018 and an overall record of 199-89-22-9.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs fired head coach Mike Babcock on Wednesday and named Toronto Marlies boss Sheldon Keefe as his replacement.

"Over the past five seasons, Mike has played an integral role in changing the direction of our franchise," president Brendan Shanahan said in a statement.

"Mike's commitment and tireless work ethic has put our organization in a better place and we are extremely grateful and appreciative of the foundation he has helped us build here."

Toronto, which came into 2019-20 with Stanley Cup aspirations, lost its sixth consecutive game Tuesday night in Vegas and fell to 9-10-4 on the season. On Wednesday, Shanahan flew to Arizona, where the club plays its next game, and joined general manager Kyle Dubas to inform Babcock of the decision, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

The disappointing start has come after a summer of major roster turnover. Among other moves, Dubas acquired Tyson Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot in a blockbuster trade that sent longtime Maple Leaf Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche. Through 23 games, the club ranks 30th in goals against, 27th in penalty-kill efficiency, and 18th in power-play efficiency.

Babcock was in his fifth season with the Maple Leafs after signing an eight-year contract that paid him $6.25 million annually. After Toronto finished last overall in his debut season and won the right to draft Auston Matthews No. 1 in 2016, Babcock led Toronto to the playoffs in each of the past three years but never beyond the first round.

"I thought we did an amazing job taking a franchise from where it was to where we had 100-point seasons, we set franchise records if I'm not mistaken, got into the playoffs. I'm disappointed, we didn't have the start to the year we wanted and that's on me. I want to thank the fans, I want to thank the media, I want to thank the city, it was spectacular. I loved every second of it. And I wish the new group nothing but success. Morgan Rielly has been here the whole time. I can't thank him enough. And all the players I got the opportunity to coach. It's been fantastic and I wish them nothing but success," Babcock said in a statement, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Babcock's now the first NHL head coach to be fired this season.

Keefe's connection with Dubas goes back to their time with the OHL's Soo Greyhounds. The 39-year-old Keefe was then hired as Marlies head coach in 2015 and led them to a Calder Cup title in 2018 and an overall record of 199-89-22-9.

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Former Humboldt Broncos player Ryan Straschnitzki is walking again for the first time since being paralyzed from the chest down in the team's fatal bus crash in April 2018.

Straschnitzki's father, Tom, shared a video Wednesday on Twitter showing his son taking his first steps with help from a therapist.

Straschnitzki underwent surgery in Thailand earlier this month to have a stimulator implanted in his back, according to Leah Murray of Air 106.1 FM. The stimulator uses electrical currents to stimulate nerves, allowing Straschnitzki to move his legs and gain more core control.

"The therapist (told Ryan), 'You're going for a walk,'" Tom said. "I didn't think he was ready, I was afraid his knees would buckle or his ankles, but they made him go and he was training his brain.

"I went, 'Holy shit, last time he walked was when he walked onto the bus.'"

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Washington Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway has been suspended three games for spitting on Anaheim Ducks defenseman Erik Gudbranson, the NHL announced Wednesday.

Should Hathaway wish to appeal the ban, ultimate authority will fall to commissioner Gary Bettman rather than to an independent arbitrator because the winger's suspension is for fewer than six games, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Hathaway, who turns 28 on Saturday, was assessed a match penalty for his role in a melee that erupted between the two clubs late in the second period Monday night.

Six players were penalized as a result of the scrum.

The Capitals signed Hathaway to a four-year contract on July 1. He spent his first four seasons in the Calgary Flames organization.

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Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan will be away from the team while taking part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, the league announced Wednesday.

"Bobby is an important member of the Ottawa Senators family and he has our full support as he tends to this matter," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said Wednesday, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

Ryan left practice in Detroit early Monday, and Ottawa head coach D.J. Smith told reporters the winger wasn't feeling well.

The 32-year-old did not play Tuesday night against the Red Wings.

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Tyson Barrie is fed up with losing after the Toronto Maple Leafs dropped their sixth straight contest Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights.

"We had a good meeting this morning and it's time to go now," the defenseman said following the 4-2 loss, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "It's time to man up.

"We have expectations on us and we're not living up to them and it's time to go. We competed hard tonight ... we battled back and had a chance to tie it. We have to keep going, a lot of hockey left."

Barrie, who was traded to Toronto in July after a career-best 59-point season with the Colorado Avalanche in 2018-19, has struggled to find his offensive touch with the Maple Leafs, managing just seven assists through 23 contests.

The 28-year-old has picked up a helper in two consecutive games, however, and posted a Corsi For rating of 60% or better over five consecutive games.

Tuesday's loss marks the longest losing streak of the Auston Matthews-Mike Babcock era. The team's longest skid last season lasted three games. Prior to the defeat against Vegas, the Maple Leafs hadn't lost six in a row since 2015-16, when they finished dead last in the NHL.

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Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's national hockey writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Former NHLer and NBC analyst Eddie Olczyk joins this week's show to discuss a variety of topics, including:

• Getting traded in 1990 during his son's birth
• Being a Hockey Fights Cancer ambassador
• Connections to Chicago, identifying as a 'Hawk
• Feeling cathartic, deciding to write a book

...and more!

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