Advertisement

Bruce Cassidy rewarded by Bruins, officially now head coach

Greg Wyshynski

Hey, did you forget that Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy was actually interim coach Bruce Cassidy?

That the guy who went 18-8-1, led the Boston Bruins to a playoff spot they were unconvinced Claude Julien could clinch, before falling in six games to the Ottawa Senators, was still a temp?

[Follow Puck Daddy on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr]

Well, he’s official now.

Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney announced on Wednesday that Cassidy is the 28th head coach in team history, joining such illustrious names as Pat Burns, Milt Schmidt, Don Cherry and Mike Milbury.

From the Bruins:

Since Cassidy assumed head coaching responsibilities on February 9, the Bruins ranked first in the NHL in goals per game (3.37), first in the NHL in fewest shots allowed (741), tied for second in the NHL in wins (18), tied for second in the NHL in power play percentage (27.8%), tied for third in the NHL in goals allowed per game (2.30), tied for fifth in the NHL in faceoff percentage (53.6%) and tied for sixth in the NHL in takeaways (229).

Before joining Boston as an assistant prior to the start of the 2016-17 season, Cassidy spent five seasons (2011-16) as head coach of the Providence Bruins, having spent the three previous seasons (2008-11) with the club as an assistant. The 51-year-old native of Ottawa, Ontario compiled a 207-128-45 overall record in 380 games at the helm, including winning seasons in all five years and postseason berths in each of his final four seasons in Providence. In 2015-16, Cassidy helped lead the P-Bruins to a 41-22-13 record.

Cassidy’s previous NHL experience includes coaching the Washington Capitals from 2002-04, as he led the Caps to a 39-29-8-6 record and a postseason berth in his first season with the team.

Read that last part again: He waited 13 years for another crack at a head coaching gig.

I remember Cassidy in Washington. He was 37 when he was hired, and it was a bad hiring from GM George McPhee and owner Ted Leonsis. Not only because Cassidy was too green, but because they hired the NHL equivalent of a coaching puppy to manage a team full of old dogs, including players like Jaromir Jagr and Olaf Kolizg that aren’t going to suffer fools.

(Please remember this was Jagr at his peak of his malcontent phase.)

Mistakes, Cassidy made a few. Those 90-minute practices. That time he changed the team’s system at the morning skate. And of course, those moments of frustration from a novice coach:

He flamed out, spectacularly. Like in a Josh Trank directing the “Fantastic Four” reboot way.

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey contest now]

So, much respect to Cassidy for sticking with it, working in the minors, biding his time, building his résumé and then getting a plum coaching gig with the Boston Bruins. It was a long, long journey back, but it’s a good fit for both sides.

As ill suited as Cassidy was to coach the Capitals’ veterans, he’s a good fit for a Bruins roster that’s only going to skew younger. A lot of the grunts on the team responded to him in ways they didn’t for Julien. They’ve played for him before in the AHL, and he used them in prominent roles. They trust him.

The Bruins are in that nebulous area where they’re reloading with youth while expecting to contend for the playoffs. As Cassidy showed this season, albeit briefly, perhaps they can do both.

—

Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

MORE FROM YAHOO SPORTS