The Bruins announced today, September 11th, that they have signed head coach Bruce Cassidy to a multi-year contract extension. The details of coaches’ contracts are notoriously kept under wraps, so it is not known for many years the extension is for, but the Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun tweeted earlier that Cassidy’s salary is reportedly around $3 million per year. Bruce took over as head coach following the firing of Claude Julien on February 7th, 2017, and since then he has led the team to an impressive 117-52-22 record, which is also good for the fourth-best winning percentage in team history. He’s also the second-fastest coach to reach 100 wins in team history, as it took him just 166 games, while Tom Johnson managed that feat in 138 games. Cassidy has also led the team to the playoffs in each of his three seasons at the helm, and each year he has gone further, even leading the team to the Stanley Cup Final this past season.
Before he took over the Bruins’ bench in 2017, Cassidy served as head coach of the team’s AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, from 2011-2016 before being promoted to an assistant coaching position with the big club prior to the 2016-17 season. Prior to being the head coach of the P-Bruins, he served as an assistant with the team from 2008-2011. Before that, he was the head coach of the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL from 2006-2008. He had also previously served as head coach of the Washington Capitals for the 2002-03 season and for just 25 games into the 2003-04 season before he was fired, after which he was an assistant coach for the Chicago Blackhawks for one season (2005-06). While Cassidy’s first stint as an NHL head coach didn’t go well, he says he learned a lot from the experience, and after his long road back, he says he appreciates it much more this time around, feels more comfortable, and has learned many things that have helped him succeed. And there’s no denying the success he’s had, as not just any coach can lead a team that had missed the playoffs the previous two seasons into one that has seen seven playoff series and a 0.670 winning percentage in his two and a half seasons.
Personally, I’m very happy about this news, and it’s nice to have it official even though there was really no question that it would happen eventually. Bruce has certainly earned the right to lead the team, and he has the respect of all of the players and staff members largely because of his strong communication skills and pulse of what’s going on in the room and what he needs to do versus what he can delegate or just leave up to the players. The Bruins have an outstanding and championship-tested leadership core that he credits with helping him greatly, especially at the beginning, but there’s no doubt that he’s had a major impact on the team’s success. That was made quite clear when he was able to keep them afloat during a terrible stretch of injuries to key players this past season, which easily could’ve derailed the season but instead sparked an incredible turnaround and run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. I’m excited to see what kind of success this team will continue to have with Cassidy behind the bench, and it certainly feels like we could be seeing Lord Stanley’s Cup back in Boston relatively soon.
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