BOSTON -- Bruce Cassidy made his return to TD Garden on Monday night for the first time since being relieved of his head coaching duties in June, and Patrice Bergeron made sure to catch up with him.
Cassidy's Vegas Golden Knights put an end to the Boston Bruins' 14-game win streak on home ice with a 4-3 shootout win. It wasn't easy for either team, between the Bruins not starting on time and Vegas squandering a three-goal lead, but the Golden Knights got it done at the end of the day.
Bergeron, who always had good things to say about Cassidy, caught up with his former head coach after the game. So, what was said between the two?
"We were just sharing some thoughts on each other and our time together. Means a lot to me," Cassidy told reporters after the game. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for pretty much every guy in that locker room. They play hard. Some of them worked out better than others, and whatever the narrative is, every player in there, I worked hard with to get better. I have a lot of respect for every one of them."
There were plenty of narratives to go around once Cassidy was relieved, but it's clear no matter the narrative, he always will have the respect of the Bruins captain.
Cassidy accomplished quite a bit during his time with the Bruins, including Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final that ultimately ended in defeat. Still, it was clear the city of Boston and the Bruins organization meant a lot to Cassidy, especially judging from him getting choked up during his video tribute and standing ovation from the TD Garden crowd.
These two teams put on one heck of a hockey game. So much so that it got Cassidy thinking about the future.
"I would like to be here in the spring," Cassidy told reporters. "Wouldn't that be nice, eh?"
Sure would. But the blood pressure would be through the roof of any Bruins fans.
