George McPhee gave Bruce Cassidy his first chance at an NHL head coaching gig with the Washington Capitals in 2002, but fired him just 25 games into his second season.
It didn’t go as planned, but as they say everything happens for a reason.
Cassidy went on to spend 14 seasons with the Boston Bruins organization, taking over as head coach in 2016. He led the B’s to the playoffs in each of his six seasons and brought them to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2019.
But all good things must come to an end and the Bruins relieved Cassidy of his duties last week. It didn’t take long for him to land on his feet after he was named the Vegas Golden Knights’ new bench boss and was formally introduced Thursday.
Things came full circle for Cassidy since he’s once again working under McPhee, who serves as the Golden Knights president of hockey operations.
So, was Cassidy nervous at all about accepting a position working for the person who once fired him?
“I told George, I’m going to get it right this time,” Cassidy said. “… I want my name on the Stanley Cup. I believe this team has the ability to do that. I believe if we can take care of business, everything will fall into place.”
Cassidy takes over a strong Vegas team that has veteran leadership and a good core and certainly will be a welcome voice to the organization.
We’re sure Bruins fans will be checking the 2022-23 NHL schedule once it’s released to see when the two teams meet.
