John Chayka faces harsh questions while being introduced as Maple Leafs GM

TORONTO (AP) — Mats Sundin is the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise icon rejoining the Original Six organization as part of their remade front office.

He was not the focus of his introductory news conference.

The succession of rapid-fire questions came for John Chayka as he took over as general manager and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president and CEO Keith Pelley, who hired them. The news conference was pointed and at times uncomfortable.

Chayka's work in the league as GM of the Arizona Coyotes was under intense focus. They were docked two draft picks for broken rules before the analytics-focused executive was suspended by commissioner Gary Bettman for seeking employment from other teams while still under contract with the cost-conscious team.

“I’ve made decisions I’m proud of, and I’ve also made mistakes that I’ve learned from,” Chayka, out of the league since 2020, said in his opening remarks. “I’m human. I own all of it, and I’m better because of it.”

Chayka was the youngest GM in NHL history a decade ago and is now 36. The Coyotes' 300 standings points during his tenure rank him 127th all time at the position.

“Arizona was a really complicated situation,” Chayka said. “It was the biggest challenge I ever took on in my life, and it was honestly the hardest thing I ever did, and also in a lot of ways the most rewarding.”

Pelley was then challenged on Chayka’s resume before another reporter asked why the Arizona indiscretions didn’t raise red flags in what was described as a “comprehensive” search.

“It was deep due diligence,” Pelley said. “I’m quite happy with where we landed.”

Chayka, who started a hockey analytics company before working for the Coyotes and has a number of business interests, was asked following the formal news conference why he’s viewed so negatively in some league circles.

“Maybe I didn’t value relationships as much as I should have in the human connection,” he said. “That was (age) 26, and now I’m 36. I have three kids, married. “Life evolves and changes. ... So do I.”

Sundin, who played 13 of his 18 NHL seasons with Toronto, including a decade as captain, was named senior executive adviser of hockey operations. The 55-year-old Swede has never held a management role in the sport.

Pelley said Chayka will run the hockey operations, but big decisions will be a collaborative process that will include Sundin.

“This is the hockey capital of the world,” Sundin said. “We've got to do everything we can to get a winning team there and make (fans) proud.”

The pair takes over with the Maple Leafs at a crossroads after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. GM Brad Treliving was fired, and Chayka said he was open to keeping Craig Berube as coach after briefly speaking with him.

“Respected leader,” Chayka said. “Tremendous coach.”

Toronto will also have to decide on a path forward — Chayka wouldn’t commit on a potential rebuild — with captain and star center Auston Matthews, who is signed for two more seasons.

“It is our job to sell him on what we’re capable of and reaching the ultimate goal,” said Chayka, who has known Sundin since 2012 when he was still in university. “I know that that’s what’s most important to him.”

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New Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager John Chayka speaks during a press conference in Toronto on Monday, May 4, 2026. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

New Toronto Maple Leafs Senior Executive Advisor, Hockey Operations, Mats Sundin, speaks during a press conference in Toronto on Monday, May 4, 2026. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

New Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager John Chayka, left to right, MLSE President and CEO Keith Pelley, and new Toronto Maple Leafs Senior Executive Advisor, Hockey Operations, Mats Sundin, hold a press conference in Toronto on Monday, May 4, 2026. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

New Toronto Maple Leafs Senior Executive Advisor, Hockey Operations Mats Sundin, left to right, MLSE President and CEO Keith Pelley, and new Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager John Chayka, hold up a jersey following a press conference in Toronto on Monday, May 4, 2026. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

EDMOND, Okla. (AP) — A weekend shooting at a lakeside park in Oklahoma that left nearly two dozen people injured erupted when a group began arguing at an unsanctioned party packed with young adults, a witness said Monday.

Authorities were continuing to search for suspects Monday in the shooting that critically injured at least three of those hurt. No arrests have been made.

It wasn’t clear how many of the injured had been shot, police said Monday in a statement. It provided few answers about what had happened.

The shooting broke out Sunday night at a public park near a campground at Arcadia Lake, a popular swimming and boating spot in Edmond, just north of Oklahoma City, said Edmond police spokesperson Emily Ward.

Jeremiah Smith estimated 250 people showed up at the party. He said the trouble began when a group of girls started arguing over boyfriends. “It just started a whole bunch of chaos,” he said.

“Everybody got scared, dudes was panicking, women was panicking, people seeing their friends fight,” Smith said.

The 18-year-old said he heard shots ring out in different directions for several minutes as he ran toward the lake. Those hit included two of his friends, he added.

At least 18 people were treated at hospitals in the Oklahoma City area. One healthcare system said the victims it treated ranged in age from 16 to 30. It said three people were in critical condition and four were listed as serious.

Police in Edmond said Monday that the party had been promoted across social media, drawing a large crowd of mostly young adults from across the Oklahoma City area.

Edmond Mayor Mark Nash said the shooting took place at a public park where spaces can be reserved for large gatherings. “To our knowledge, there was no reservation through the parks department,” he said.

Nash declined to answer questions about the shooting, saying police were handling the investigation.

“We’re already taking steps to review and strengthen park operations, permitting processes and security measures,” the mayor said.

Some of those injured were transported for medical attention while others sought treatment on their own, authorities said.

Integris Health said it treated 13 people at its hospitals in Edmond and Oklahoma City. Seven remained in Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, including three in critical condition.

OU Health said it received five people at its trauma center but didn't elaborate.

While police did not provide more details about the party, a flyer circulated on social media after the shooting suggested that an event called Sunday Funday was scheduled at a pavilion near the lake until midnight.

It advertised food, drinks, music and “good vibes, good people.”

Arcadia Lake is dotted with picnic pavilions, campgrounds, a fishing pier, and swimming beaches. Built in the 1980s for outdoor recreation and flood control, the lake also provides water to the city of Edmond, a suburb of about 100,000 residents.

Forty years ago, Edmond was the site of one of the deadliest workplace shootings in U.S. history. On Aug. 20, 1986, postal worker Patrick Sherrill shot 20 co-workers, killing 14 of them. He then killed himself.

Over the weekend, another shooting at a party in the Texas Panhandle left two teens dead and 10 other people wounded. Police in Amarillo said two persons opened fire at an apartment complex early Saturday.

Associated Press reporters Jamie Stengle in Dallas, Corey Williams in Detroit, Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.

Officials block the entrance to Scissortail Campground at Arcadia Lake, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Edmond, Okla., after a shooting on Sunday evening. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Two women talk to an Edmond police officer blocking the entrance to Scissortail Campground at Arcadia Lake, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Edmond, Okla., after a shooting on Sunday evening. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Officials block the entrance to Scissortail Campground at Arcadia Lake, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Edmond, Okla., after a shooting on Sunday evening. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Officials block the entrance to Scissortail Campground at Arcadia Lake, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Edmond, Okla., after a shooting on Sunday evening. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Officials block the entrance to Scissortail Campground at Arcadia Lake, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Edmond, Okla., after a shooting Sunday evening. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Emily Ward with the Edmond Police gives an update on a campground shooting at Arcadia Lake in Edmond, Okla., Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams) CORRECTION: Corrects day

Police block off near S. Air Depot boulevard in Edmond, Okla., after a campground shooting at Lake Arcadia, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams) CORRECTION: Corrects day

Emily Ward with the Edmond Police gives an update on a campground shooting at Arcadia Lake in Edmond, Okla., Saturday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Police block off near S. Air Depot boulevard in Edmond, Okla., after a campground shooting at Lake Arcadia, Saturday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)