Monday, June 6, 2022. 7:04 PM
Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has announced that head coach Bruce Cassidy has been relieved of his duties.
Cassidy had held the position since February 7, 2017.
The Bruins have announced that the search for a new head coach will begin immediately.
“After 14 years of working with Bruce, this decision was extremely difficult to make,” Sweeney said in a statement. “I want to thank and pay tribute to Bruce for all of his hard work and success with the Bruins organization. His record as a coach is impressive, and we appreciate Bruce both professionally and personally. After taking the time to digest it all, I felt that the direction of our team for this season and beyond would benefit from a new voice. »
Cassidy was still under contract for the next campaign. The Bruins have made the playoffs in each of his seasons at the helm. With Boston, he posted a record of 245-108-46 in the regular season, and a record of 36 wins against 37 losses in the playoffs.
The 57-year-old Ottawa native coached the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals in the 2018-19 season.
“Bruces has been a fantastic coach and has helped this team win many games and achieve success during his tenure behind the bench,” Bruins president Cam Neely said.
“I have the utmost confidence in Don to conduct a thorough search to identify the best candidate who will help our team reach their full potential,” added Neely.
This year, the Bruins lost their seventh game to Carolina in the first round.
Aged 57, Cassidy could be coveted by Philadelphia, Chicago, Winnipeg, Vegas or Detroit, all in search of a new head coach.
For the Bruins, forward Brad Marchand and defenseman Charlie McAvoy are expected to miss at least the first two months of next season.