Report: Vegas Golden Knights hire Bruce Cassidy as new head coach
Anthony Scultore
|
The Vegas Golden Knights wasted no time in getting their new head coach in place. Per multiple reports, recently fired Boston Bruins bench boss Bruce Cassidy has been hired.
NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes was the first to break the story. No terms have yet been disclosed.
Vegas Golden Knights hire Bruce Cassidy
The axe fell on Peter DeBoer soon after the season ended.
Despite a season beleaguered by injury to key players, GM Kelly McCrimmon had seen enough to warrant dismissing DeBoer after three seasons.
DeBoer had reached the playoffs in each of his first two seasons behind the bench after replacing Gerard Gallant on January 15, 2020. It was his failure to guide a team that was considered a Stanley Cup favorite before the season started to postseason action that played a role in his dismissal.
Vegas went to work quickly on a head coach looking at candidates like Barry Trotz, Paul Maurice and Rick Tocchet. That was before Bruce Cassidy became stunningly available.
On June 6th, the Bruins let Cassidy go based on input from their players. Apparently they wanted a new coach with a different message.
I think there’s a message delivery that I think a new voice will resonate with them,” he explained via NHL.com. “We needed a new direction.”
Cassidy became Boston’s head coach in February of 2017 and finished with a 245-108-26 record. During his tenure the Bruins reached the Stanley Cup Final once in 2019 losing to the St. Louis Blues. He also won the Jack Adams Award in 2019-20.
In his final season, he guided the B’s to a 51-26-5 finish and secured the first wild card spot, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in 7 games.
NHL Stanley Cup Final Preview and Prediction