LAS VEGAS — Bruce Cassidy didn’t assume his job was in jeopardy, having taken Boston to the NHL playoffs all six seasons as coach and serving within the Bruins’ system for 14 years.
When he was fired on June 6, Cassidy was shocked and upset … for just a few hours. The Vegas Golden Knights rapidly jumped in, reaching a deal a bit of greater than per week later to rent Cassidy.
“You don’t have a lot of time to sort of mourn because you’re on to preparation for the next team,” Cassidy stated.
The Golden Knights entered Thursday with the possibility to win the Pacific Division and declare the Western Conference’s high seed. Vegas already had tied the franchise report with 109 factors.
Back in Boston, the coach who changed Cassidy, Jim Montgomery, has had a fair higher season. The Bruins set an NHL report Sunday evening by successful its 63rd recreation and one other mark Tuesday evening by reaching 133 factors.
And the coach Cassidy changed in Vegas, Pete DeBoer, is experiencing nice success in Dallas. The Stars led the Central Division with 106 factors via Wednesday, some extent forward defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado.
DeBoer took over for Rick Bowness, who went to Winnipeg and took the Jets to the ultimate Western Conference playoff spot.
Got all that?
“I think it shows you the level of coaching at the NHL,” DeBoer stated. “Situations are different, personnel is different on different teams, but the top coaches that work in this league are all very good at what they do. That’s why you see guys being able to move around and have success.”
Tenures are brief within the NHL: Of the league’s 32 coaches, 23 had been employed since 2000.
By that measure, Cassidy had a long term with the Bruins, and the group didn’t rush to let him go. Cassidy, who took the Bruins to Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, was let go three weeks after Boston’s first-round playoff loss to Carolina and changed him almost a month later.
“The standard here is unreal,” Montgomery stated of Boston. “Just grateful to be part of it.”
The commonplace is also excessive in Vegas, despite the fact that that franchise is simply in its sixth season. The Knights went to the Stanley Cup Final of their first season and are searching for their third division title.
The Golden Knights’ administration has proven a willingness to rapidly transfer off coaches, with Gerard Gallant getting fired in the midst of his third season and DeBoer getting the hook when Vegas missed the playoffs for the primary time final season.
“Ultimately, a manager does what he believes is in the best interest of his organization, so that was the reason that we made the decision that we made with with Pete,” Vegas basic supervisor Kelly McCrimmon stated. “That’s the reason that Boston made the decision that they made. … You’re always evaluating where where you’re at, where you’re going and what you want to look like trying to get there.”
Cassidy knew the expectations when he took the Vegas job – that the crew enters every season hoping to win the cup – and although he spoke with different golf equipment, he most well-liked that high-pressure state of affairs over a rebuilding undertaking.
That nonetheless didn’t make it straightforward to depart Boston. Going again to his days as the top and assistant coach for Providence within the American Hockey League, Cassidy and his household referred to as New England residence for 14 years. They nonetheless personal a house in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, that they’ll return to in the summertime, and their two middle-school-aged youngsters had been born within the space and needed to modify to dwelling throughout the nation.
Turns out, he stated “they love it here.”
“They’re resilient. … They have lot of friends, so there’s been no emotional stretches where we’ve had to really keep an eye on them, just normal middle school sort of issues. Some of their friends from Boston have visited because people like to come to Vegas, so if it was Winnipeg, it might’ve been harder,” Cassidy stated with amusing.
But there isn’t any joke in regards to the job he has carried out this season, not that it’s been straightforward.
The Knights have began a franchise-record 5 goalies, and there are nonetheless questions on who will likely be within the web through the playoffs. Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, Shea Theodore, Alex Pietrangelo and Zach Whitecloud have missed prolonged time for well being and private causes.
“Bruce and his staff have done a great job at managing lineups that were really depleted for long stretches of time,” McCrimmon stated. “I think that where you’ve seen them have a real positive impact is how well some of the players have played that have been called up from Henderson or that took on bigger responsibilities within our team.”
Cassidy, Montgomery, DeBoer and Bowness are veterans, although, and so they’ve discovered the right way to adapt over time.
“As a coach, you grow in confidence and conviction in what you’re doing,” DeBoer stated. “With that, I believe your message turns into clearer and higher. There’s little doubt as you are taking this journey, each cease you’re a greater coach. I don’t know at what level it clicked in.
“Looking back, I came into Florida as the youngest coach in the league. I was 40 years old. I can’t believe it’s 15, 16 years later. It feels like yesterday.”
• AP sports writers Jimmy Golen in Boston and Stephen Hawkins in Dallas contributed to this story.
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