BOSTON – This is a Stanley Cup final all about second chances. Nowhere is that more true than when it comes to Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy.
Left on the scrapheap as a failed coach in Washington 15 years ago, Cassidy seemed destined to a career in the minors. And he was OK with that. But when Claude Julien's best-by date had passed, Cassidy was doing a great job in the AHL at Providence and Boston promoted him back to the NHL.
Now he's here in the ultimate series, three wins away from the Stanley Cup. He's really been the unknown of the Atlantic Division but, especially if he wins this series, you'll have to add him to the heavyweight names the Sabres have to deal with on a regular basis.
There's Jon Cooper in Tampa Bay, Julien now in Montreal, Mike Babcock in Toronto and the newly named Joel Quenneville in Florida. And although Jeff Blashill doesn't spark a ton of fear in Detroit, now having Steve Yzerman as the Wings' general manager certainly does. Cassidy is on the cusp of climbing ahead of all of them for this season.
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Good luck to you, Ralph Krueger.
Cassidy, 54, grew up a Bruins fan loving Bobby Orr. He played 36 games in the NHL with Chicago from 1985-89, with most of his playing days through 1997 in Italy in the now defunct International Hockey League. His first coaching gig in 1996 was with the ECHL's Jacksonville Lizard Kings (great name!). By 2002, he was the head man of the Washington Capitals at age 38. It was a bad fit.
He was enduring a divorce while leading a veteran-laden team that found his autocratic style off-putting, especially when he said family lives were distracting to the players. Goalie Olaf Kolzig's son was autistic and players were outraged by the inference.
Cassidy was gone just 27 games into his second season with the Caps 8-18-1. He knew if he ever got another NHL shot, he had to change.
"You're a little bit older, better balance in my life overall, it makes you a little more patient with players as well," Cassidy said this week. "But I think it's just the aging process, you learn – 15 years – if you want to get back, you got to do things differently, take what you did well, learn what you didn't do well. For me part of that was how I communicated my message. I've learned to be better with it. ... Much more comfortable in my own skin is the term I've used both personally and career-wise and I think it's made a difference."
The Sabres quickly tired of both Dan Bylsma and Phil Housley and connecting to his players will be a major test for Krueger, who has just 48 games of NHL experience six years ago with Edmonton. It's an area Cassidy has learned to excel at.
"There was a while it took for me to realize he was on my side and just wanted me to be better," said Boston defenseman Torey Krug, who played for Cassidy in the AHL in 2012. "The first half of the season in Providence, I kind of viewed him as someone out to get me or maybe on the opposition. After Christmas, I realized he was just trying to help me out and push me to the limits. I'm lucky he's my coach. I probably wouldn't be here in the NHL without him."
"Especially with younger guys, I think how you hold them accountable has changed over the years," Cassidy said. "So I've tried to be up front and honest. Sometimes it's loud, they don't like it. Other times it's a one-on-one conversation or you use the leadership group to send your message. At the end of the day I always think it's a personal relationship you develop, usually based on honesty and trust."
Cassidy also had to gain the trust and respect of the Bruins' veteran core, several of whom won a Stanley Cup under Julien in 2011 and got two wins away again in 2013.
"Bruce has always been very detailed, very much prepared," said Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. "He's always on top of things. I think he earned his duties. He was a coach in the NHL, went back to the minors for a few years and got the opportunity to coach again. He's doing a great job. A lot of credit goes to him for this team. He's earned his position."
The Bruins have won eight straight playoff games and outscored their opponents, 32-11, in that span. Cassidy said it's a simple formula.
"Team defense for sure," he said. "I think once we've gotten the lead, we've played the right way and played winning hockey. We've held our discipline."
General Manager Don Sweeney made the call to swap out Julien for Cassidy and made Cassidy the permanent coach following an interim stint to close the 2016-17 season. It was a much-debated call but has proven to be the right one.
"I knew that his ability to adapt and make decisions in game would be really beneficial for us as an organization, especially when you're implementing younger players," Sweeney said. " ... It's holding players accountable, as he mentioned before, whether that's in the moment on the bench where there's color involved and such, but also going to bat the next morning in the teaching capacity and recognizing that the same player will have the opportunity if he's able to adapt and implement the things he's trying to do."
Cassidy and St. Louis' Craig Berube both benefited from a second chance each had to wonder would ever come. Krueger is getting that next season in Buffalo, six years after his NHL career ended with a Skype firing in Edmonton.
"If the chance didn't come, I would be helping kids develop in the American League. I enjoyed that process," Cassidy said. "I was around young guys, I was a young player that was trying to fight my way up so I think I related well to those guys. At the end of the day the chance came and I wanted to make sure that I took advantage of it.
"There's a lot of guys, you can go right down the list, that have gotten it. Joel won three Cups (in Chicago) and he's got a second and third chance. Claude here (who came to Boston from Montreal). So it happens a lot. Usually you learn from your first experience."
