Cassidy not worried about being Knights' 3rd coach in 6 seasons
Newly minted Golden Knights bench boss Bruce Cassidy isn't bothered that he's Vegas' third coach in just six seasons.
"I've gotten to know (Gerard Gallant and Peter DeBoer) a little bit over the years. Two excellent coaches doing good jobs in the league, but I thought I did a good job in Boston, too, and here I am," Cassidy said during his introductory press conference Thursday. "It's part of the business. So no, that did not factor into (my decision) at all."
He continued: "I want my name on the Stanley Cup. That was the conversation. And I believe this team has the ability to do that. ... To me, if we can take care of business, everything will fall into place."
Cassidy declined to reveal the terms of his contract but said he was pleased to join the organization and that he was aiming for security.
Gallant - the Golden Knights' first coach - guided the team to a first-place finish in the Pacific Division and a Stanley Cup Final berth in its inaugural season. He was fired midway through Vegas' third campaign following a four-game losing streak.
DeBoer replaced Gallant in January 2020, and the Golden Knights made it to the conference finals in the playoff bubble following another first-place finish in the division. He also led the team to the semifinals in 2021, but Vegas fired him at the end of this season after it failed to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
| Coach | Record in Vegas | Total regular-season games coached |
|---|---|---|
| Gerard Gallant | 118-75-20 | 213 |
| Peter DeBoer | 98-50-12 | 160 |
The team finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 43-31-8 record, which put it three points out of the Western Conference's second wild-card spot.
Vegas also had to contend with a slew of injuries to several key players, including captain Mark Stone, defenseman Alec Martinez, forward Max Pacioretty, goaltender Robin Lehner, and new addition Jack Eichel.
General manager Kelly McCrimmon wants his team to enter the 2022-23 season hungry for more, a sentiment Cassidy echoed. Cassidy, fired by the Boston Bruins on June 6, said he wants to prove he's "capable of doing the job and winning, winning in the postseason."
"It's not gonna consume me every day by any means," he added. "I think when you come close to winning the Cup, it's always in the back of your mind. You want to finish the job. I definitely have that mindset."
Like the Golden Knights, Cassidy has never claimed a Stanley Cup. He piloted the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019, but they fell to the St. Louis Blues in seven games.
The Bruins made the playoffs in each of Cassidy's six seasons as head coach.