‘That was a administration determination’: Bruce Cassidy displays on Bruins firing, potential affect from Boston’s veterans

Bruins

“That is their name. It labored out nice for me.”

Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy holds up the Stanley Cup after the Knights defeated the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. The Knights won the series 4-1.
Bruce Cassidy is bringing the Stanley Cup to Massachusetts on Thursday. Abbie Parr / AP

There have been loads of narratives spun round Bruce Cassidy and his relationship with a number of youthful gamers within the Bruins locker room — a bitter sentiment that would have performed a job in his shock firing final June.

However on Wednesday, Cassidy pushed again in opposition to questions over whether or not Boston’s veteran leaders may have saved his job had they backed him up.

“They’re gonna have opinions and will, and I don’t put it on Bergy or anybody participant right here,” Cassidy stated throughout an look on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Present”. “That was a administration determination, I really feel. That’s how I checked out it. I’ve remained shut with a few of these gamers, and we’ll at all times have a friendship.

“They performed arduous for me and our workers in Boston, so I don’t take a look at it that approach. I simply really feel like Donny [Sweeney] and Cam [Neely], they felt they wanted a distinct voice. I believe that’s what they got here out and stated. On the time, I disagreed, however that’s their name. It labored out nice for me. So, on the finish of the day, I believe it was simply their proper to do this.”

After all, Cassidy has earned the final chortle within the wake of his ousting. Whereas the Bruins’ record-setting common season got here to a crashing halt within the first spherical of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Cassidy and the Golden Knights hoisted the Cup throughout their bench boss’ first season in Vegas.

Even with the abrupt approach through which his tenure in Boston ended, Cassidy acknowledged that he’s nonetheless shut with many gamers linked with Boston.

After Vegas took down the Florida Panthers within the Stanley Cup Remaining, Cassidy stated that he obtained texts from Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, and others after successful his sought-after title.

When he was fielding job presents simply days after the Bruins handed him a pink slip, Cassidy stated that he advised groups to succeed in out to Bruins gamers to vouch for him.

“I don’t know the dialog, however they did name as a result of I advised them to,” Cassidy stated of Bergeron reportedly singing Cassidy’s praises after Vegas employed him. “As a result of after what occurred, there’s some issues that I needed to make it possible for whoever I interviewed with – and I did with plenty of groups – hey, right here’s some gamers to name.

“You may name anybody, however I believe there’s a crew that known as Pasta as nicely, simply because there’s some stuff on the market that I needed to right from gamers that I coached for some time. So, that they had a dialog for positive.”

Cassidy is bringing the Stanley Cup again to Massachusetts on Thursday. The previous B’s coach is utilizing his day with hockey’s best prize to deliver it to Glover Elementary Faculty in Milton to assist launch the Cassidy Murray Basis, a newly created non-profit group.

The inspiration is called for 13-year-old Cassidy Murray. Murray, a good friend of Cassidy’s daughter, Shannon, handed away in 2022 following a tragic boating accident.