Winslow Townson / AP
Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy, center, gestures during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, April 16, 2022, in Boston.
Published Tuesday, June 14, 2022 | 2:14 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, June 14, 2022 | 6:57 p.m.
The Golden Knights have hired former Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy to be their new head coach, the team announced today.
ESPN was the first to report the hire.
Cassidy was fired June 6 after six seasons with the Bruins. He led the Bruins to the playoffs each season, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019, before losing in seven games to the St. Louis Blues.
“I am excited to join an organization that shares my commitment to winning and can’t wait to get to work with the talent that has been assembled in Vegas,” Cassidy said in a statement provided by the team. “It’s been impressive to watch the city embrace the Golden Knights from afar, and my family and I look forward to becoming a part of that.”
Vegas' coaching search, which general manager Kelly McCrimmon said would be extensive, zeroed in on Barry Trotz from the get-go. The former Stanley Cup-winning coach with the Washington Capitals was fired by the New York Islanders and became the top free agent coach on the market.
But with Cassidy's recent availability, the Golden Knights pivoted. Trotz, who has reportedly interviewed with at least four teams, was still weighing whether he wanted to coach this season. Once Cassidy became available, the Golden Knights turned their attention to the former Jack Adams Award winner.
“The Golden Knights are very pleased to have Bruce come in to coach our team,” McCrimmon said in a statement. “His success in Boston over six years is extremely impressive. His teams have had a clear identity, having been among the very best in the NHL in terms of goals for, goals against, goal differential and special teams. This is the right coach for our team at this time.”
The Ottawa, Ontario, native has coached at all levels for the past 26 years, starting as an ECHL head coach in 1996-97 with the Jacksonville Lizard Kings. Cassidy was the head coach of the Washington Capitals in 2003-04. After a two-year stint with Kingston in the OHL, Cassidy was hired as an assistant coach for the Providence Bruins and stayed in that role for three seasons before coaching Boston's AHL affiliate for five years.
Cassidy will become the third coach in Golden Knights history, replacing Pete DeBoer, who lasted two and a half seasons. On May 16, McCrimmon said he felt it was time for the team to have a "new voice leading our team into next season." DeBoer was fired after leading Vegas to consecutive trips to the Western Conference Final and falling points shy of making the playoffs this season.
In 399 games coaching the Bruins, Cassidy was 245-108-46. He becomes the third coach in team history, joining DeBoer and Gerard Gallant, and joins a team that missed the playoffs for the first time in its five-year history this past season.
The Golden Knights will formally introduce Cassidy on Thursday at 10 a.m.
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
