Bruce Cassidy Has No ‘Animosity’ Toward Bruins After Departure From Boston

Bruce Cassidy is ready to start fresh with the Vegas Golden Knights after being relieved of his head coaching duties with the Boston Bruins earlier this summer.

Cassidy led the Bruins to six straight Stanley Cup playoffs, including the Final in 2019. While Boston never won a Stanley Cup under Cassidy, he still was the third-winningest coach the franchise has had.

Even though he calls Las Vegas home now, Cassidy returned to Boston for a golf tournament and told WHDH-TV he has no hard feelings toward the Bruins or any of the players on the team.

“I don’t think there’s animosity. I was there to do a job, win hockey games and to coach them,” Cassidy told the news station. “I think some of the messaging, guys took better than others. Sometimes, when guys weren’t playing, they were disappointed. I get that, but I’ve got to do what’s right for the team.”

Cassidy, for better or for worse, never was afraid to call out his players if they were not performing up to their expectations.

New Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery, who has a reputation of being a players’ coach, will replace Cassidy on the Bruins bench. He has quite a tall task in front of him beginning the season shorthanded, and plenty of questions remain before the 2022-23 season begins.